I've been roasting my own since Christmas and it's actually a bit more enjoyable than I thought it would be. I've been buying the beans from a coffee shop down the street, Rev Coffee. I'm saving a surprising amount of money, which is a bonus, because this wasn't even a remote thought when I wanted to try roasting my own coffee. To date I think I've roasted after 10 different types of beans and have definitely began to develop a taste for specific regions, etc. I'm drinking a Costa Rica that I roasted last night and it's plain awesome. Does anyone else roast their own coffee? Would any of homebrewers want to get together to work on a beer that involved some of fresh roasted coffee? Alex
I have been on Pilon espresso roast whole beans for 5 years. I started with a Europiccolo and soon upgraded to a Saeco Vienna. THat was 4 years ago. Since then, I have been happy with my Saeco Incanto Sirius. But after watching the video on the Gaggia Academica, I might be swayed. Beans are the most important, then the roast. But without the proper machine, it's all a wash.
French Press is the proper way to make coffee. I prefer cafe crema (coffee extracted out of an espresso- a super long shot) because it has the gold crema on top and that's where most of the flavors coalesce. So I am hooked on Superautomatics. http://www.wholelattelove.com/Gaggia/gaggia_accademia.cfm If I get it, we can throw it on the dyno.