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how important is the cool down period?
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jlhuge |
Posted on 01/28/2013 7:02 PM
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Newbie Posts: 11 Joined: January 26, 2013 |
So in looking at the various options in the "prosumer" range of roasters, there is much that attracts me to the Behmor, like smoke reduction, high capacity, various roast profiling, size, etc. However, one thing I keep reading is the mandate for a 1 hour cool-down after roasting. If I was just roasting for myself, I wouldn't mind that because I only use about 1 pound per week. As it is though, about once a month I'll roast coffee for co-workers and with the increase in interest that my fresh coffee has generated it isn't uncommon for me to roast 4 lbs in a session. If I have to wait an hour between roasts, what is currently a long process would end up being even longer. I should also mention that usually roast just to second crack, and occassionally into the middle of second crack, but never into a full french/vienna/charcoal stage. Thanks for your help. - Justin
West Bend Poppery I, strainer, shop-vac for cooling and chaff control. |
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Lawnmowerman |
Posted on 01/29/2013 1:05 AM
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Pounder Posts: 546 Joined: March 14, 2012 |
I dont own a behmore. But I remember reading that if it is run past ten seconds into second crack, the warranty is void. Ive been roasting about a year and a half. I started with a poppery 2. Probably roasted 100 pounds in the last year. I was quickly in need of something with greater capacity. I dont have enough free time. I enjoy roasting, but I also enjoy being done. I just got done roasting a pound of guatemala. 13 and a half minutes. I can also do back to back roasts. No cooldown needed. If I were to count vacuuming up the chaff and cooling the beans, I could probably roast 4 lbs in an hour in a half. Would you like to know what is capable of doing this?
Bad coffee prevails when good coffee roasters stand by and do nothing.
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Lawnmowerman |
Posted on 01/29/2013 1:22 AM
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Pounder Posts: 546 Joined: March 14, 2012 |
I forgot to mention that I cant afford to buy a roaster. I had to put it together myself.
Bad coffee prevails when good coffee roasters stand by and do nothing.
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Ringo |
Posted on 01/29/2013 7:59 AM
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Pounder Posts: 474 Joined: January 14, 2010 |
I no longer roast on a behmor but when I did I always did back to back roast. I always open the door to help it cool and let the cooling cycle run to 2 or 3 min left. As long as you know you may have more brake downs. Parts are cheap on the behmor. I have friends who roast to sell on behmors, they will run two back to back for hours. Its a great roaster for the money.
All you need in life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure. Mark Twain
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jlhuge |
Posted on 01/29/2013 10:32 AM
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Newbie Posts: 11 Joined: January 26, 2013 |
@Lawnmowerman I am interested in what you use. I'm not tied to the idea of purchasing a completely built one. @Ringo Thanks for your feedback. In your experience with the Behmor what are the break points? you mention cheap replacement parts, which ones? Also you mention no longer using the Behmor. Have you upgraded to a more commercial model, or made a horizontal move? - Justin
West Bend Poppery I, strainer, shop-vac for cooling and chaff control. |
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Ringo |
Posted on 01/29/2013 2:09 PM
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Pounder Posts: 474 Joined: January 14, 2010 |
I think you should get a trouble free 200 roast if you do the maintenance. My understanding the reason Joe Behmor says do not go back to back is the circuit board can get hot and fail. I was around 200 roast and had to put in a new heat bulb. The owner sent me a new one for free. I have seen one that the motor that turns the drum went out. I believe if you get into the 400 roast range it may get hard to keep running. I ended up building a drum roaster but that was a 6 month project.
All you need in life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure. Mark Twain
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Lawnmowerman |
Posted on 01/30/2013 12:12 AM
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Pounder Posts: 546 Joined: March 14, 2012 |
Hi Justin. Ben here. This being a Beymor thread I didnt want to jack it up without prior consent. Im using a breadmaker heatgun combo. If properly configured it can really do the job. Even if not properly configured, like my earliest incarnations, this setup can do 3/4lb batches, and produces excellent coffee. How excellent? My only frame of reference is my p2, which pales in comparison. I havent seen any step by step builds, only finished pics and descriptions of mods people have done. So it took me a while to figure it out, and I floundered quite a bit. Everything I did I copied from what others had done and posted on this site. Except one. Which was a real setback. But there are a few key design points that I now believe are necessary. Without following them I couldnt have made it work to my satisfaction. So...if you go this route, post and inquire. My total cost: about 60 dollars. Total cost spent on green beans in a year: about 600 to 800. So by diy ing my roaster, I could still afford to buy beans.
Bad coffee prevails when good coffee roasters stand by and do nothing.
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jlhuge |
Posted on 01/30/2013 2:58 PM
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Newbie Posts: 11 Joined: January 26, 2013 |
@Ringo That seems pretty reasonable. I can see the danger of the overheated circuit board, but I think that can probably be overcome. I saw a little of your drum project before I had to get back to work, but it certainly looks impressive. @Lawnmowerman I'm right there with you about wanting to keep costs down, but at the same time, I'm saving all my income from selling coffee at work to help pay for it. - Justin
West Bend Poppery I, strainer, shop-vac for cooling and chaff control. |
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