I started home roasting with a popcorn machine 6 years ago. I was more curious than anything if I would enjoy home roasting because it seemed buying a roaster would pay off after a few years. So I bought a variety kit and got to work. Turns out, I could save a lot of money given the right roast, but the downside is that I drink more coffee because it is cheaper and better. As a result, it probably costs the same, but I have more control over quality by home roasting.

My first dive into roasting. All images by the author.

To start, I tried the popcorn maker, but it was very slow. I also tried the oven, but it was too smoky inside. I panicked quite a bit when my house filled with smoke, and all the smoke alarms were going off.

When I moved to California, a coworker had just upgraded to a larger roaster and gave me his old roaster for free. It was a Hottop, one model older than the newest. The display was having some issues, and it finally broke after two years. However, I had developed my roast profile in the first year of use. Because I use the same profile every time, I can still navigate to the right spot.

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