Behmor 1600 Thoughts




  • After using the Behmor 1600 for a few months now, I thought it was time to write up some thoughts/keypoints on what I think of it.

    The Good:
    - Price isn’t bad
    - Does decent roasts
    - Cool down setting
    - Profile Settings

    The Bad:
    - Best roasts happen on 1lb. setting
    - Can’t go more than 10sec past 2nd crack
    - 1hr wait between roasts
    - You can only add an extra of two minutes to your roasts

    I am sure there are more good and bad things to say about the Behmor, but I just want to point out some of the things I have noticed.

    For a price tag of $299, the Behmor does a pretty decent job on roasting. Every once in awhile I get a bean that just doesn’t turn out that good, but mostly I have been very happy with what this thing can do.

    My favorite feature is the cool down setting. It saves some time having the Behmor doing the cooling for you. The cooling cycle timing depends on the weight, but you usually look at about a 13min wait until you can pull the beans out.

    Another great thing is the profile settings. The profile settings are great for different coffee regions, but I prefer just to keep it on P1. You can view the profile charts in detail at the bottom of this post to better understand them.

    Now down to the bad things about this roaster.

    I think the one major complaint I have about the roaster is weight settings. You have 1/4lb, 1/2lb, and 1lb. The problem lies in that you will not get a decent roast on the 1/4lb. or 1/2lb. settings. If you are only roasting 6oz it needs to go on the 1lb. setting, and if you are roasting 8oz you still need to go on the 1lb. setting. Catch my drift? It’s the only way to grab decent roasts out the Behmor. Sure, it’s a setback, and may not be so much of a bad thing, but for the price tag you want your roaster to work right.

    There’s the dark roast issue. You can’t do dark roasts very well. You are warned in the manual not to go more than 10 seconds past the second crack. If you do, you will probably void your warranty because there’s a good chance you will ruin your roaster. This really isn’t a bad thing for me because I don’t go into the 2nd crack that much.

    Next, we have the 1hr wait after each roast. Sure, to some people it’s not a bad thing, but for me it drives me crazy. I am hooked to my roaster. I cannot get enough of roasting, so waiting an 1hr to roast again is torture.

    Another setback is the two minute add limit. This is something a lot of people seem to be finding an issue. I never need to add any extra minutes to my roast, but for those who need to add a few extra minutes better hope two is enough.

    And there you have it. The good and bad of the Behmor 1600. Even with some of these setbacks, I still love the Behmor, and I still believe it’s worth getting.



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    August 4th, 2010 | Jamie | 9 Comments | Tags: ,

About The Author

Jamie Ferguson

From sunny Sarasota Florida, Jamie Ferguson has been drinking coffee since a very young age. Jamie is just your average jane who has a serious addiction to coffee, but more so has a bigger love for the heart, and the dedication that is put into growing, processing and roasting coffee. Come and join the adventures...

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  • http://www.dailyshotofcoffee.com Mike Crimmins

    Thanks for the review. At some point, I plan to get this roaster or one that is similar. I’d really like to start roasting on the side, just as a hobby.

  • Jamie

    I’d love to see you roasting. I know Lisa (rocketfuel) is looking to get rid of her Behmor. You might try checking with her, and see what she is looking for it?

  • http://dmbaldwin.wordpress.com Dave Baldwin

    Thank you for the review. I agree with what you have written. I have a Behmor. I just blew the drum motor on it. The tech department at Behmor is working with me to get it fixed. They are very responsive.
    Blessings,
    Dave

  • Jamie

    Thank you Dave. Question for you… Do you wait an hour to roast again like the manual says or have you done a continuous roast?

  • http://dmbaldwin.wordpress.com Dave Baldwin

    Jamie,
    I was doing several roasts in a row. When I re-read the manual I realized I had broken that rule. That may have been what caused my problem. I’m going to see if that was it. They gave me some good ideas I’m going to try before giving up. I get the dreaded ERROR6 code about five minutes into the roast and the drum stops.
    I’m thinking about buying another one and following the rules!
    Blessings,
    Dave

  • Jamie

    I hear you Dave. I’ve broken the rules a few times, and then the errors started. My issue is the fan, but it’s not broken nor clogged so I placed the connector into the backup socket, and it works fine. They told me it will most likely break again. I don’t know what I did. Maybe I ruined the circuit board or something, but oh well. Still love my behmor. :)

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  • Josh Whetstone

    My Behmor is excellent.  It has a few things that could be made better, but it does a good job doing what it does for the pricetag.  I’ve actually done over 100 roasts with it and have even done multiple roasts back to back quite a few times with no problems.  I actually don’t even remember reading in the manual that that’s not recommended.  Oops.  I also have no trouble roasting very dark.  I don’t usually do it, but I once accidentally turned a batch into charcoal, which now feels a glass vessel and holds pens after forgetting I was roasting.  I can easily do a Vienna batch, but I typically only roast to Full City +.