[touron]

...in a popcorn popper

[Lono]

I've roasted my own coffee beans for 5-6 years now, its my satori, the one hour when I just shut down, go out to our detached garage, and roast beans for the week. A popcorn popper, better yet if you get into roasting a $70 roaster from Sweet Maria's is what I recommend. And there are far more expensive roasters if you really care, but the bump in freshness and quality will already amaze most folks when they use a popcorn popper or inexpensive hot air roaster. Big emphasis on the well ventilated area though, you get a lot of smoke, outdoor popping or popping in a detached garage is recommended. Folks who walk past my garage on roasting days comment favorably on the smell, and the whole garage has now been cured with coffee smoke. Sweet Maria's is a great source for info on home roasting and a great source for green beans. I can't say as I really save a lot of money roasting my own, but if it replaces the cost of a daily or thrice daily vento from a neighborhood barista or Megabucks chain, then yeah you can save a lot of dough through roasting. Coffee is just something you should enjoy either way. I don't mean to brag but its just a fact, my home roasts are similar in taste to the excellent roasts put out by Cafe Vivace, on the weeks when I'm just too busy to head for the garage, Vivace is where I buy my coffee. Why drink Starbucks if you don't have to.

[Ziploc]

Sounds like you have a sweet set-up there Lono. With the popcorn popper guy, I'm not real impressed with the quaulity of green bean in the picture. Looks to be Prime (lowest grade). Basically what is swept off the mill floor. Why bother? For better quality look for consistent size and color in the beans.

[Allison]

I roast right on top of my stove with my Fresh Roast. Just fire up the hood fan, no problems with smoke.

[Lono]

There you go, I've tried running my Fresh roast with the kitchen fan on but no joy, always triggers the smoke alarm. You must have a better vent. Sweet Marias is particularly good at assessing different coffees, tracking them down to the farm that produced the crop in most cases; I can rely on past history with cultivars and producers to pick good coffee beans year over year. For the most part in terms of my taste I've settled into Panama, Costa Rica and Colombian beans, but other folks feel just as strongly about Yemeni, Kenyan, Ethiopian etc etc. Its all good.

[Allison]

I'm into the SM French Roast, also the Idido and the Harrar, both of which are only intermittently available. I'm roasting for a La Pavoni Europiccola, and it's very picky about what it wants to brew. I almost always have to go well into or even past second crackle to get enough oil out of the beans too. Love the Eurpopiccola, but she's a fussy one.

[Cale Hoopes]

I'm also a garage roaster. Hot Top roaster does 1/2 lb and has tons of control.

[Lono]

[Allison]