Why Home Roast: The Advantages

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Please feel free to add/clarify anything I have said. We are all different and no doubt Roast for many different reasons; these are just a few of mine.

So why home roast? Homeroasting is both fun, enjoyable and cost effective.

[edit] Cost Effectivness

For starters you can purchase 2 Kilos of Green Coffee for roughly the same price as a Kilo of Roasted coffee. Obviously this will depend on the type of beans, but is generally the rule. To buy 2 Kilos of Green Coffee costs me on average $40, where as to buy 2 Kilos of roasted would be nearer $70. That is of course the sale price to the man on the street and not generally wholesale prices. Prices of course depend on which supplier as well and the quality of the bean. It is also possible to group buy coffee by the sackful and if you can pull it off it certaily makes economic sense to do so.

[edit] Experimentation

Roasting your own greens also allows for experimentation within the home. You are no longer confined to the blends on offer. Once you discover what coffee styles/flavours work for you, you can then start to work on your own blends, playing around with roast times, roast levels, differing quantities of beans and ratios. To be honest the possibilities are limitless and you are only bound by your own sense of adventure. Some 'Experts' may gasp in horror at your willingness to experiment and maybe even go against the grain in regards to blends, but the secret is to keep it fun and most of all enjoyable. Once you stop enjoying the hobby then maybe it is time to stop!

Be prepared to make some horrid mistakes and charcoal along the way, burn loads of batches, under roast those expensive CoE Beans and generally ruin a few hundred grams, but, when you have got to grips with the basics it is easy and you can sit back and enjoy the craft.

[edit] Satisfaction

Nothing really beats the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in the world of coffee more than producing a great roast and enjoying it with others. The feeling of satisfaction one gets is quite unique. Just as a chef puts time and effort into food, so the homeroaster puts time and effort into the beans. Friends soon realise this and really appreciate a good coffee when they have one. Don't keep it all to yourself!!!!!

Oh lastly, being a geeky homeroaster also means that you can go into a cafe and scare the living daylights out of inexperienced college baristi by asking them all about the roast levels, how fresh the beans are and who roasts them. It is a cruel sport I must admit, however it is great when it backfires and they tell you all about them!!

Ah yes, another lastly, Friends. Yes even geeky homeroasters have friends and it is great to get together with other enthusiasts and sample each others wares, sometimes even cross continents.