Ok, so I read all the reviews here before purchasing this roaster... literally... ALL of them. It seemed to me that a vast majority of the 1, 2, and 3 star reviews all stemmed from a misunderstanding of the product and perhaps a deeper misunderstanding of "home roasting" coffee. For the record, I've been home roasting for many years with a deep, stainless mixing bowl and a heat gun. I absolutely love home roasting, not only for the absolute freshest bean but for the incredible control you have over the profile. Call me a coffee snob; I am what I am and if you're reading this you're probably one as well... why else would you be researching a coffee roaster, right?
That said, I'll try to keep this as short and sweet as possible but I want to be thorough as well. My very first out-of-the-box impressions were a little wanting. The product came marginally dirty: finger prints, dust, etc... it didn't appear "used" but it looked as if it had been sitting on a display shelf for quite some time. Then there was this big sticker right on the control panel and screen warning me about how to properly operate this roaster. Normally that wouldn't be a bad thing but this sticker was one of those really annoying and super sticky ones. It left a massive amount of sticky residue all over the panel. Whatever though, I care more about the performance than the looks so that won't play into my rating at all but for future reference (looking at you Behmor) please use a softer adhesive! There are plenty of statements in the documentation and in their advertising that say this is NOT for darker roasts so that's not even an argument here. It's not built for it, therefore don't do it, it's that simple. Too many people also think this is just like a high powered toaster oven... pop in your beans, start it, come back when they're done. Coffee absolutely requires constant attention, even at an industrial level. There is no magical set it and forget it device for roasting and honestly, why would you want that? Home roasting is an experience from start to finish. There are plenty of great sources of pre-roasted beans if you don't want to get your hands dirty, there's nothing wrong with that. But if you want the best of the best at better than convenience prices then you're going to have to put in some effort of your own.
Presets are nice and convenient but in the end you're still going to have to rely on your senses... sight and sound. There's also another very important aspect to remember when roasting... heat doesn't instantly go away when you want it to. Roasting continues well into the cooling cycle! The times given for the different presets are taking this into account. If the beans don't look finished right as the roasting cycle ends, don't start adding more time! Let the cool down cycle complete before you determine if your batch has been under or over roasted... and on that note, practice with very small 1/4lb batches but keep a log of the times needed for the different beans you order. Every region is different: moisture content, density, physical size, even from the same region you might get different physical characteristics. It may sound cliche but it's a lot like cooking a steak: medium rare is going to require different times for different cuts, thicknesses, temps, distance from the coals, etc.
As for the hardware, it all seems to function exactly as promised. Granted I've only had this roaster for a day, a long term review will just have to wait. The chaff tray feels a little flimsy but it works and if I had to pick a part that will fail first it would be the rubber seal on the door. The drum feels solid and it rotates smoothly. My first roast turned out very even and right at the roast type I like the most for a Central American bean. Smoke suppression was excellent and well beyond my expectations. I feel confident my next roast can be done indoors without issue (I roasted in the garage out of habit and a little uncertainty with a brand new product's first roast.) The cool down cycle also performed very well: everything was cool to the touch in a sufficient amount of time.
So to sum it up, I'm very pleased. A great price for a great product. If that happens to change in a less than ideal time I'll definitely update my review but for now, I'm going to go roast another batch.
UPDATE:
So an update... after 25 months of use....... still works as good as on day one! I wouldn't consider myself a heavy user roasting maybe every few weeks (sometimes more, sometimes less) but I guess it would average out to slightly under 40 roasts total? I've been using P2 and just adding on some extra time to get a city to city+ roasts of Central American sourced beans. I've had a few batches of full city but don't normally go that high. All the mechanical parts and seals (especially the areas where I thought would fail first) are all still functioning flawlessly. The light bulb burnt out relatively quick but I was using it constantly in the beginning and incandescents are notoriously inconsistent. It was very easy to replace though; I don't even use it anymore until I hear the first crack. I brush it out after every use as well. Feels like I could easily get a few more years out of this, or more. So it's still worth every penny and the best affordable roaster I've had!
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Behmor 5400 1600 Plus Customizable Drum Coffee Roaster
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Very good coffee roaster for someone willing to monitor and adjust settings during the roast process
First, a big thanks to Brian for his review. It was very informative and well written. It is one of the reasons I chose to buy this product after reading all the negative reviews. Some of my review will echo his.The roaster seems to be well made and sturdy. The two pins at the bottom of the door look like a bit of a weak point to me but seem to be working ok. The glass window in the door is a bit small but I can see well enough to monitor the roast. The light inside in conjunction with the light from the heating elements is quite bright. Overall construction seems good. Smoke suppression is good unless you open the door for cooling. If you need to do that I would suggest using it under a range hood with a good fan.I've had the roaster for almost a week now and have completed three roasts, one a 1/4 pound as suggested in the manual and the last two 1/2 pound roasts in the manual mode. I have only been roasting for a couple of years now using one of those SR-500 air roasters but that was a good start. The first roast was a bit darker than I prefer but that was my fault for not watching close enough. The second roast, manual mode, was better but still a bit too dark. Todays manual mode roast came out perfect. Now to address some of the complaints about this roaster.I read a lot of complaints about it not getting hot enough according to the temperature sensors. Simple physics on that one. If you look at the heating elements in the back you will notice a shiny metal reflector in the back. This provides radiant heat by reflecting the heat forward. Since the beans, and not the sensors, are in front the heat to the beans will be hotter than the sensor temperature. I have had no trouble heating the beans to a proper roasting temperature.There were also a lot of complaints about ruining a roast because of over or under cooking. My manual made perfectly clear that this was not a set and forget roaster. It tells you to set, monitor and adjust to get a proper roast. And you will have to pay attention throughout the roast cycle. You need to use sight, sound and smell if you want a great roast. Which is why I used the manual mode after the first roast. This is not the roaster for you if you aren't willing to monitor each and every roast. In todays roast I pressed 1/2 pound and start. Then I pressed P5 and waited until the first crack. I then pressed C and when it got to 30 seconds left and had not heard the second crack I added 30 seconds. As soon as it reached the second crack I pressed cool. Looking at the color of the roast I decided to open the door part way, a tip in the manual, so the roast would cool a little quicker. End result was just what I was looking for.To recap, this is not nor does it claim to be a set and forget roaster. This is not a roaster for someone who can't be bothered by watching the process from start to finish. What it is, is a very good roaster for anyone not willing to spend in the thousands of dollars, me for example, for a professional roaster. If you are searching for that nearly perfect cup of morning coffee it is a good start. If you are serious about home roasting and willing to spend the time learning about roasting I would highly recommend this roaster. If anything goes wrong over the next few months I will amend this review to keep you informed.Follow up to review with added info:Had occasion to contact Behmor support with an issue I had with the roasting drum. I emailed them on the 31st of January in the evening. To my surprise I had a response from them the next morning, January 1st, telling me they would send out a new drum on Tuesday. As promised the drum was shipped on Tuesday and arrived here today, the 6th. It would have been here on the 5th but there was some pretty bad weather along the route. Anyway, definitely 5 star support.Also, having used the roaster to roast my Christmas coffee for people on my list I am able to report that I am still very happy with this purchase. The only way I can see to ruin a roast is to walk away after pressing start and come back expecting a perfect batch. If you are looking for that you would probably be better served just buying the roasted beans from your local coffee roaster.Follow up after extended use. 07/22/2018I've been using this for over 1 1/2 years now and it is still going strong. I established a monthly cleaning schedule early on and have stuck to it. It seems to be paying off with a long life. And I still recommend this unit to anyone willing to take the time to learn how to use it properly. This is my last update.
