I have been roasting my own coffee for three years now. I thought I would let everyone know how easy it is and how much money you can save. Up here in Washington State coffee is not a drink, it is a religion. At first I used a small electric roaster that I bought for $150 but it only roasted about 8 oz. It was also noisy and the smell was pretty intense and acrid.
Then two years ago Santa got me a stainless steel gas BBQ with an electric rotisery. That started the voices and visions in my head. I built a small 6"x6" stainless drum with a hatch and a window with a chaff screen. I made it to slide right onto the skewer and secured it with two thumb screws so it can still be used for BBQing. In about 25-30 minutes I can get two pounds of fresh roastd coffee.
Most of the green coffee beans cost around $2.50-$4.00 a Lbs.(24 lbs bags) and they have at least a two year shelf life if not roasted. Now I have the freshest and best tasting coffee and most of all I can roast it exactly the way I want it. So if you are tired of paying $8-15 a Lbs for gourmet coffee that has been sitting around for weeks possibly you should look inot home raosting. Better coffee for less money. Around here I use it as currency and trade it for almost anything I need.
Roaster pic.
http://groups.msn.com/Brentscustomkn...to&PhotoID=111
Green coffee beans and home roasting supplies source.
http://www.coffeeproject.com/