Description
Introducing the improved Behmor 2000 AB home coffee roaster!
Now including a free gift for the holiday season! Choose from:
- Kenneth Davids home coffee roasting book
- Burman Coffee stoneware mug
- $15 Burman Coffee Gift Certificate
- Half pound of Kona Greenwell Farms Typica
Just Behmor AB to some, it’s similar to its predecessor, it runs the same roasting programs and has the same controls as the previous model. The main appearance difference is an all matte-black finish, versus black on stainless. Turns out coffee roasting can stain “stainless,” this model should look a little nicer after years of roasting. Other improvements to the Behmor 2000 AB Plus include a stronger door handle along with a double-paned window for better insulation. A new motor gives the user more control over drum speed.
Easily the best value for a home roaster, the Behmor 2000 AB Plus is one powerful and versatile machine. But it is also one of the more challenging units to use. Definitely for the dedicated home-roasted coffee connoisseur who will enjoy the larger batch sizes along with the ability to change up the roasting curves, but won’t mind being a little more attentive during the roasting process.
The Behmor 2000 AB Plus is the only 1 pound home coffee roaster – it’s great for hobbyists or small-scale boutique commercial roasters, very flexible and versatile, but the larger batch size is part of the reason that it is more challenging to use.
This home coffee roaster is also more challenging because of the highly customizable programs and manual override settings, which allow experienced roasters to fine-tune their roasting curves in nearly infinite combinations of heat, time, and drum rotation, ensuring that each unique coffee gets the perfect treatment.
Another feature that home coffee roasting enthusiasts love is its smoke suppression technology which can reduce the need to vent while roasting. Please note that it is not entirely smoke-free – ALL home coffee roasters produce some amount of smoke, especially with high chaff coffees and at darker roast points. See other Key Features below.
The Behmor AB is one of our favorite roasters – we have always found Behmor coffee roasters to be some of the best available for home coffee roasting.
Please Note: Behmor has added a NEW safety feature to this model. Around 3/4 of the way through the roast, the timer will flash for 30 seconds, and you must press the Start button to indicate that you are still watching the machine, otherwise it will automatically enter cool mode. There is no way to over-ride this safety feature; it is very important to avoid fire hazards.
The Basics:
Capacity: 4-16 Ounce
Heat Settings: Automatic Roasting Curves (5 to choose), or manual override (5 to choose) for % voltage to heating elements (100%, 80% etc..)
Fan Settings: None – Drum Roaster.
Roast Times: 12-24 minutes (excluding cool)
Venting: Required – will produce some smoke, especially with higher chaff coffees or darker roasts
Ease of use: Hard – A bit challenging for beginners, has a learning curve to hit target roast.
Batch Roasting: No
Features:
Up to 1 pound (454 grams) of coffee beans per roast
New higher Multi-speed motor for better roast control- 16 and 32 RPM
New 2x more powerful MCU (Micro Controller) cuts data refresh time by 50%
New On Board Audible Beep Advisory (unattended safety cutoff and :15 remaining warning)
New Universal Power and Control Boards- adds future flexibility/ work in 120v or 220v*
New Reprogrammable Firmware Feature (requires wired connection)
5 pre-programmed roast settings
Patented smoke suppression technology for indoor roasting
Manual roasting override ability of key settings
Unattended Safety Cut off w/ audible advisory
Cooling cycle for quick end to roasting duration
Thermostatically Controlled Quartz Roasting Elements
Lighted interior for visual monitoring during roasting
Adjustable, On-the-Fly Time Controls
Removable roasting drum with internal braces for full bean turbulence
Removable chaff tray for easy cleaning
Automatic System Diagnostics – Troubleshooting
RoHS Compliant- reduced hazardous substances
Easy to clean interior
1-year warranty
Power: 1630W
Certified : CETL, CE, GCC, SAA
Setup and General Use & Using Over-Ride Profiles (Manual Mode)
Basic Use Instructions Behmor Coffee Roaster 2000 AB :
- Start by putting either a 1/4, 1/2, or 1 full pound of green coffee beans into the drum. For high chaff or small bean coffees, restrict to only 1/2 lb batches, and after placing beans in the drum, shake and rotate it a few times so that most of the very small or broken beans will fall out, to reduce the chance of burning (see videos for more details).
- Pop the drum into the machine, then the chaff collector (see video, or diagram above).
- Plug into a standard polarized 120-volt outlet, but be sure that it is on a circuit unused by other appliances, as it is a very high draw device.
- When choosing your settings, be sure to pick the appropriate batch size. Next, choose your heat setting, P1-P5. P1 is the hottest setting – 100% heat all the way through – and P5 is the coolest most gradual heat setting. See reference guide below.
- Choose your time setting, A, B, C, or D. Some time settings are disabled with P1 and P2 to prevent burning of the green coffee beans. The times associated with A, B, C, and D change depending on the chosen batch size.
- After you have chosen all the settings, hit the Start button. You can always add or reduce time during a roast using the + and – buttons.
- This model has an important new safety feature. Around 3/4 of the way through the roast, a blinking “un” with a 30 second countdown will display on the timer. Hit the Start button again, or else the roaster will automatically switch into cool mode when the timer reaches 0. There is no way to over-ride this safety feature; it is very important to avoid fire hazards.
- Listen for first and second crack. Beans are less visible than most other models, so audible cues are very important. You should be able to hear the cracks easily with this very quiet roaster. Hit the Cool button when your desired roast is achieved or the machine is producing visible smoke. Be aware that residual heat will continue roasting the beans for about 30-45 seconds after the cool cycle has begun.
- Cleaning is very simple, just brush out the chaff tray, then vacuum out any chaff still inside the roaster after it has cooled. Every 5-7 batches, run an empty cycle to clean the smoke reduction system.
PLEASE NOTE: The Behmor AB demands close attention, as the roast will progress slowly at first but then very rapidly toward the end.
This quiet and reliable home coffee roaster produces excellent coffee! After a little practice, you will be a “Master Roaster” with the profiles and time settings!
Other Important Info
- Electrical specs: 1630 watts 15 amps 120 volts (very high draw device)
- Smoke free up to a medium-dark roast, but can be used to roast darker as well
- Beans are less visible than other models, even with built-in light – users must pay more attention to time and sound of cracks
- Excellent technical support from Behmor.
Warranty
Behmor Inc. is the manufacture of the Behmor 1600 home coffee roaster and they provide a 1-year warranty. Please visit their website www.behmor.com to open support tickets or e-mail them at [email protected] if you are having difficulty with the roaster. Also, be sure to let us know – we are happy to help!
Guides to using the Behmor Coffee Roaster:
- Instructions on use and coffee roasting with the Behmor Coffee Roaster.
- Video on coffee roasting tips using the Behmor Home Coffee Roaster
- Download Product Manual
- General guidelines and tips for home coffee roasting
Check out our home roasting resources for more tips and tricks!
Reference Guide to Profile Settings
- P1 – Quickest Roast – 100% power for 100% of the roast time. [100/100]
- P2 – Begins at 100% for the first 60% of the roasting time, then drops to 70% power for the next 30% of time, then back to full power for remainder of roast. [100/60, 70/30, 100/10]
- P3 – A more gradual ramp-up – during the first 20% of time it roasts at 70% power; then for next 35% of time it goes up slightly to 80% power; then full power for remainder of roast. [70/20, 80/35, 100/45]
- P4 – Slightly more gradual – during the first 30% of time it roasts at 70% power; then next 30% of time at 85% power; then full power for remainder of roast. [70/30, 85/30, 100/40]
- P5 – The longest roast with the slowest, most gradual ramp-up. Total roast time is divided into thirds, with 70%, 80% and 95% power supplied in each segment. [70/33, 80/33, 95/34]
David –
I have had the Behmor roaster for more than 3 yrs now with over 500 + roasts. I upgraded the panel x 1 to the 1600 plus. That was a good upgrade in that now I can roast 1 #of any coffee bean to any desired end point city to French. Yes it does require attentiveness! My 1 # beans generally take up to 30 min to roast to city + to dark. I usually go to 2nd crack. You can adjust this roaster from 20%-100% power. I set my timer for 15 min cause at 6 min toward end of roast you do need to reset roaster to continue roasting otherwise it goes into cool mode. I’ve never had a bad roast with the upgraded panel. The Times I missed auto cool down I will wait a few minutes on cool mode then restart the roaster after it cools down enough to finish the roast. The beans are evenly roasted due to the roasting barrel rotating with min chaff in the final coffee. It Takes just a few min to clean. Thus I would highly recommend this roaster if your looking for a larger roast and more control of the roast at an affordable price.
Daniel Green –
I would not be inclined to label its “Ease of Use” to be “hard”; no not at all. You can just use the P1 basic blast and hit the Cool button when it’s getting into 2nd crack phase (which is basically what I do, usually 1# at a time;-). Perhaps, with the plethora of roasting programs to choose from with the Behmor, the difficulty could just be making your favorite program choice for the variety of cherry you’re roasting…? Who knows, exploring the possibilities here could produce some amazing taste results, if you’re willing to make the effort? Anyway, mine is the original 1600 model, which I believe was ordered late 2009. Eventually the original roasting drum needed to be replaced, however the new one is much improved, so it should last quite some time. All things considered, 5 stars, both thumbs up! ;-).
Bill Luebke (verified owner) –
The Behmor AB is my 5th home roaster over the last 15 years. The past 5 years I slummed it with a Showtime Plus Rotisserie and a SS eBay basket. It was full city or bust, I choose beans that could withstand the heat … close enough was good enough! The AB allows me a much finer paint stroke, everything from City to French I’m in control now. Living in Hawaii I roast outside 365 with a chaff is mulch philosophy. I basket 3/4lb, press 1 (lb) then the Start button. After first pop, I press C (to bypass the auto-shutdown feature) then D (simulate more air flow) finally P3 to slow my roll into 2nd pop. Hit Cool when I feel like it … open the door and let the chaff fly. The AB works for me!
mark rutan –
I bought mine in 2011 from Burman coffee trader I like to roast just before 2nd crack a medium or light roast usually I’ve had to buy a new drum this year it is much better don’t have to worry about it catching on the chafe collector. I buy 5 lbs. at a time and divide it into 6 batches roast on 1 lb. with the P1 setting I roast it indoors as long as it doesn’t go into 2nd crack it doesn’t smoke. works great and I buy all my beans from BCT thanks
Linda –
This is a workhorse of a machine. I’ve had it for many many years with very little problems. I roast all on P1 outdoors. And add extra time.
Buy all my beans from Burman. Great machine and great coffee.
Dido –
Hard to use??? Doesn’t have to be. I’ve roasted 325g. every 5 days for 5 years with my Behmor 1600.
I use P1 and raise the time to max. 20:30.
Set a kitchen timer for 16 min.
At 16 min. I run out to the roaster and listen until the start of second crack – which is usually in the 18-20 minute range for the coffees I’ve roasted.
Hit the cool button and come back in 15 minutes or so. I de-chaff and put it in a glass jar with a loose cover to de-gas for about 5 days.
I suppose you can overthink it and go wild with programming but this method consistently gives me an espresso that’s hard to beat at a café at any price.
Robert Winegar (verified owner) –
I have been using a Behmor for about 10 years. I had one of the original Behmor roasters and had to upgrade when my original was dropped. I average roasting about 4 pounds per week to supply our home and my wife’s office. Roast is great for traditional drip pots, Chemex and also can program for good Espresso. Great machine, not really as hard as it sounds and very reliable.
alanlemieux (verified owner) –
I’m a fairly new roaster and just finished my 33rd roast. This is not a hard machine if you read the manual to understand it a bit. I have rarely use the preset modes and generally use manual P5 mode. I like darker roasts and this does just fine for me even for espresso. I generally always take my roasts to second crack or beyond sometimes but always remove the drum (heat resistant gloves) and fan cool the beans. I am very happy with this roaster, there is also a Facebook group dedicated to this machine and Joe Behm the designer and owner of the business is there to answer any and all your roasting questions! Do it!
Ken –
I am still using my original Behmoor that I purchased in 2007. We roast several pounds a month. 1LB, P1, B ++ and listen for the second crack.
Bob Pominville –
I’ve owned many roasters over the 15+ years that I’ve been home roasting, & my Behmor 1600 has been the most reliable by far. Purchased all beans & roasters from Burman. Great service from both Burman and Behmor.
Bryce Teff (verified owner) –
Fast Shipping, great upgrade from a NESCO roaster I had before.
Karen J –
I’ve had two of these machines—the first one lasted well over 10 years. I am a huge fan. Easy to use if you figure out how it works and experiment a bit. Don’t be intimidated! I absolutely love my home roasted coffee and it’s fun to roast beans for family and friends as gifts. If you are on the fence, go for it!
David Mitchell –
This machine is only hard to use if you want it to be. Read the directions that come with it! Of course there’s a manual mode for those who like to control every aspect, but thankfully there are presets for those of us who want to just want to roast some beans. The directions have suggestions on which preset to use based on type of bean and so far for me it has worked pretty well.
The machine is quiet and produces only a little smoke. I use it in my kitchen as the directions suggest. I suspect using it in the garage or outside could affect the functioning of the roaster because of the ambient air temp being either too hot or cold. Again, read the directions!
Anyway, the machine is quiet and easy to hear the cracks. Hit the cooling button or extend the time if you want.
I really thing Burman should take off the hard functionality description for this. It’s only hard if you put it in manual mode.
David –
I love my Behmor, which I’ve had for about two years. I do a little manual temperature tweaking at the end of each roast but have also roasted with presets only. Either way, the roaster produces my preferred light roast very reliably.
My Behmor sits on my kitchen counter (indoors) next to my cooktop and high-end exhaust fan. I have no problems with smoke. With bulk organic green coffee beans wholesale selling for about 1/4 to 1/2 the price of roasted, I figure my Behmor paid for itself in the first year. And my friends rave about my coffee.
If you’re on the fence, I suggest begin by roasting a couple batches in your frying pan. Then, imagine that same freshness with no manual stirring and a much more uniform roast. I researched other roasters a fair amount before buying Behmor and have been very happy. Best wishes, coffee lovers!
bkobrin (verified owner) –
It just works. Have owned the unit for about 8 months. Nothing super fancy, nice stable consistent roasts. Use it mostly for BCT espresso.
This version of the Behmor (2000AB+) doesn’t seem to have all the weird temperature problems I saw in the YouTube videos (having to worry about the unit overheating, opening the door to prevent the overheating etc etc). There are more upgrades to the 2000AB than the warning beep. All of the warnings from the various YouTube videos for the 1600+ don’t seem to be an isssue on the 2000AB+.
I just dump 350 grams of BCT espresso at 1LBS manual setting P5 until first crack, P4 to just start of second crack and Voila … Perfect espresso! Manual off, dump beans and immediately set unit to cooling with door open for about 7 to 8 min. Wipe unit down, repeat entire cycle. Due to electrical stability issues where I live, I start my roasting at 5 a.m. and finish around 6. It’s FUN!! Don’t forget to suck down a couple of cappuccinos while roasting! Good roaster, GREAT beans and Burman’s prices with shipping bottom line costs are unbeatable. What I WON’T tell everyone is how much coffee I consume. That’s confidential!
bluespro (verified owner) –
Great shipping! Ordered Thursday morning received my Behmor Friday. I bought this mainly to roast cacao beans. This thing has a little learning curve and after a week I have a feeling I’ll give it another 5 stars.
rbjudd (verified owner) –
I’ve been roasting my own beans for over 10 years and owned several different brands of roasters over the years. This is my second Behmor and I would never go back. It’s worth the cost but it has a steeper learning curve than most. My Behmor has worked beautifully 2-3 times a week for many years. I like my coffee at a dark city roast and i I take most beans up to the second crack. I especially like the ability to extend or shortened the roast at the end to insure that I get the exact roast I want. Great roaster!
Olivia –
I started roasting some years ago with the FreshRoast SR500, and still use it when I want small quantities of a really dark roast. I can get dark roasts on the Behmor, but only by using 10-12 ounces of beans with the Behmor on the one pound setting. And I’ve burned a few batches of beans through inattentiveness doing that. But, otherwise, this is a fantastic roaster. Guess I’ve had it for 4 or 5 years. Would have gone with the Gene Cafe based on the ease of use descriptions, but it was more expensive than Behmor. with less capacity. It was a good choice – while the instructions with all the settings are a bit intimidating, like many others P1 does fine for every coffee I’ve ever roasted in the machine. Now that I’m retired maybe I’ll play with the different settings more, but it’s easy to judge doneness by listening for the cracks. It does put out a lot of smoke as you get to darker roast levels, so I tend to roast on a screened in porch. Ambient temps do result in longer or shorter batch run times, but you’ve got to be by the machine anyway to press the start button again when you’re close to the end of the roasting cycle, so that’s not a problem. As at least one other reviewer has said, missing the 30 second window to press that start button is not fatal to your roast. Once the machine cools enough, you can restart the roast and finish the job. The coffee is probably not quite as good for going through a cooling cycle and then additional heat, but compared to pre-roasted coffee that’s been losing flavor it’s still a win.
Mike (verified owner) –
I purchased this roaster for the ability to roast 1 lb. I’m pretty disappointed in the design to control temperatures, as it seems impossible to even get 1 lb up to 1st crack. I highly recommend the sr800 with the extension tube, it’s also much easier to hear the cracks. I feel like I’ve thrown my $$$ away on the behmor. The only reason I gave it 3 stars is because others seem to like it. Definitely regret this purchase.
Jon Burman (verified owner) –
Hey Mike,
Very sorry you are having trouble getting darker roasts on the Behmor. Always happy to help.
Those default profiles (p1-p5) sometimes work great for folks, and sometimes they do not. The machine does have override heat settings which will allow you to get darker, or there are some tricks to still using the default profiles and either editing batch size, or to keep extending time.
Basically 3 options if you want to get darker.
A.) When the time gets down to about 60 seconds left, you can hit the “C” button to extend the time left in the roast. You can repeat this process as many times as you like until the coffee is dark enough
B.) You can adjust the batch size, repeat the same process and setting but put in slightly less coffee, usually I recommend dropping the batch size by 1-2 ounces at a crack. It can roast much quicker with smaller batches, so make sure to keep an eye on it.
C.) You can run the override profiles to get the machine hotter.
Override settings can be a little tricky to learn but work wonders. I think most who stick with the Behmor end up switch to only using override settings, but to each their own.
fowler_4 –
Got hooked on fresh roasted coffee a long time ago and borrowed a friend’s back up roaster to try it, and fixed it after it threw an error code. Behmor even sent me the replacement cooling fan for free to test it and after that fixed the issue, I paid them for it. I have had this Behmor 1600 for a number of years, and upgraded the fan motor and the control panel to the 1600+. I use it only for manual roasting and have always had success with it to the 2nd crack and have even gone past to dark roast, but I have to clean it out good after that! Love having Burmans coffee available!
Mark Wolmer –
I started roasting i 2012 with a whirly-pop popcorn maker. The heat would destroy the popper after about three uses. I graduated to the Behmor 1600, upgraded the front pannel,replaced the whirly fan once (long ago) and roast about every 10 days. I roast a mocka as 2/3s a dark roast and 1/3 a moderate roast. I’ve had NO problem with the unit, clean it regularly, and have probably put over 1000 lbs, of beans through. I do it indoors with a vent over the stove to the outside. I set the roaster on the COLD stove, right under the vent. If smoking starts, I just crack a window to improve effectiveness of the fan in the vent. But, becoming older I must restrict myself to decaf which limits what I can drink, but all is good. Also, no chaff. I’ve read about the AB2000, but what I have still works great. I do a thorough cleaning after every 6 roasts.Still going strong…love it!
Ronald P. Mondello –
LOVE this machine. However, after 2 years of use, I now get ERR (not b/c of missing my cue to hit start at 4:30). The roaster is overheating and automatically goes into cooling during P1. Can it be repaired or do I just need to replace?
Jon Burman (verified owner) –
It can be repaired for sure. Generally we would recommend cleaning the internal fans inside the right hand side cover, overheating can be caused by lack of airflow around the temp sensors. If that doesn’t work – one can get ahold of Behmor Tech Support for repair instructions and parts:
https://behmor.com/behmor-roaster-tech-support/
One can always roast with cooler settings as well but it may take a bit longer. p2 or p3 generally work nicely.
guy tedesco –
purchased my behmor 2000 in 2016 at a offer i could not refuse. long time roaster, way back when sweet maria’s was the only green coffee vendor i knew of, but i digress. great machine in that you can fix it if it wears out its parts. motor burned out on me, but easy to replace with new motor at a very reasonable price for the motor. i roast 12 ounce batches using the 1 pound setting. my roast profiles follow the guide in the manual on the type of bean i’m roasting. very happy with the machine and kudos to mr behm for putting it on the market at a very fair price.