Important nuance with Behmor
The Behmor doesn’t directly display true bean temperature—it shows a chamber/wall temp.
The actual bean temp isn't the sensor reading. The Behmor temps are nothing like what you'd expect from a standard drum roaster.
The Behmor roaster safety button requires users to press the START button (or C button) within a 30-second window when the timer hits 75% completion (e.g., 2:30 remaining on a 10-minute roast), indicated by a flashing display. Failure to do so results in Error 7 (Err7) and an automatic, forced cooling cycle to prevent fire hazards.
🔥 Use Temp B (chamber) as your main reference
Why Temp B is better
+ It measures the air temperature in the roasting chamber
+ That’s closer to what the beans are actually experiencing
+ It responds more smoothly and predictably during the roast
+ Most Behmor roasting guides and profiles are based on Temp B
🧱 What Temp A (wall) is good for
Measures the drum/wall temperature
Tends to:
+ Climb faster early
+ Spike or behave erratically
+ Useful as a secondary safety indicator (e.g. overheating), but not for tracking roast stages
🎯 Practical takeaway
Track your roast stages (dry end, browning, first crack) using:
Temp B + time + sensory cues (smell, sound, colour)
Glance at Temp A only to make sure things aren’t running away too hot
🧠 Simple rule of thumb
Temp B = “what’s happening to the beans”
Temp A = “what the machine walls are doing”
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Charge temp
On a Behmor 1600 Plus Coffee Roaster, “charge temp” isn’t as tightly controlled as on a commercial drum roaster—but you can still think in terms of a preheat target (Temp B) before you drop the beans.
🔥 Good starting charge (preheat) temps:
The manual recommends:
Press any weigh and then Start. Allow the system to run for up to 1:30 minutes. Press OFF,
insert roasting drum, tray and start your roast.
Use Temp B (chamber temp):
I sometimes pre heat to 120C (250F).
☕ What actually happens on Behmor
When you add beans, temp will drop hard (20–40°C)
Then it climbs back up as the roast progresses
So your “charge temp” is really about:
+ how much momentum you start with
+ how quickly you get through drying
🎯 Practical recommendations
For a typical 200–250g batch:
Preheat empty roaster to ~120C (Temp B)
Load beans quickly
Start on P1 or P2 (full or near-full power)
Adjust based on goals:
Want more acidity / shorter roast → charge closer to 120C
Want more control / smoother profile → stay around 100°C
⚠️ Behmor-specific quirks
Preheating too high (>150°C) can:
+ Trigger safety shutdown
+ Increase risk of scorching
No direct bean temp probe → rely on:
+ time to dry end (~4–6 min)
+ time to first crack (~9–12 min)
🧠 Simple rule of thumb
Start around ~120°C Temp B, then adjust based on:
+ How fast you hit dry end
+ How soon first crack arrives
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🌡️ Dry End Temperature Range
~140°C to 160°C (302°F to 320°F bean temp equivalent)
Many Behmor users track dry end by time + visual cues:
Usually around 4–6 minutes into the roast (depending on batch size and profile)
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☕ Browning Phase (Maillard Reaction)
🌡️ temp (approx.).. B button
~140-150°C
👀 What to look for
Beans shift yellow → light brown → cinnamon
Smell turns from hay → bread/toast → caramel
Surface becomes more matte and textured
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🔊 First Crack
🌡️ temp (approx.)
~141°C
👂 What to listen for
Distinct popping/cracking sounds (like popcorn, but sharper)
Beans visibly expand and shed chaff
Aroma becomes sweet, nutty, more “coffee-like”
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This is an example of my standard readings when doing a medium roast .
This is a 200g roast. @ 200g setting.
I press the200g button, then P1 button + "start".
Then press P5 (manual mode)
In manual mode P5 = 100% power.
(Temp: just using the B button - environment only)
The max temp for this roast is 160C (The behmor automatically shuts down at 170C)
Time
00.00 : 120C (charge)
00.30 : 120C (press P5)
01.00 : 126C
01.30 : 132C
02.00 : 138C
02.30 : 145C
03.00 : 151C
03.30 : 157C (press P4)
04.00 : 162C (press P3)... i dropped temp to P3 to avoid the shutdown feature
04.30 : 163C
05.00 : 160C (@ 5mins the fan will start & the heat will start to drop, so I'll need to increase the power)
05.30 : 146C (press P5)
06.00 : 142C
06.30 : 146C = Dry End
07.00 : 148C (press P4) ... I'm gradually reducing the temp
07.30 : 148C (press p3)... I'm stretching out the browning phase by making sure the
temperatures aren't constantly increasing.
08.00 : 147C
08.30 : 142C (press P4)... increase the temp a bit.. stabilise the temp .. avoid crashes or peaks
09.00 : 141C
09.30 : 141C
10.00 : 141C
10.30 : 141C --- First Crack
11.00 : 142C
11.30 : 138C
12.00 : 140C... exothermic reaction !
12.30 : 142C
13.00 : drop
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