Mmm, coffee

Now that Im at home and dont have access to a dedicated coffee shop daily, I've ordered some additional equipment:

Comandante grinder
V60
Aeropress
.1g precision scale

normally coffee in my house is a less precise endeavor because it's a large batch for multiple people; I have an electric kettle and a drip machine that does do a bloom cycle, so it's ok, but really it's not cutting it.

out of curiosity are most of you folks doing expressos / lattes/ Americanos or drip style coffee?

Now that Im at home and dont have access to a dedicated coffee shop daily, I've ordered some additional equipment:

Comandante grinder
V60
Aeropress
.1g precision scale

normally coffee in my house is a less precise endeavor because it's a large batch for multiple people; I have an electric kettle and a drip machine that does do a bloom cycle, so it's ok, but really it's not cutting it.

out of curiosity are most of you folks doing expressos / lattes/ Americanos or drip style coffee?

A good grinder and a scale are vital.  I tried the aeropress a few years back and it wasn't for me so I use the pour over method with the Hario V60 and find it to be excellent.  I'm happy to do pour overs for my wife and daughter however, my wife finds the pour over too strong for her taste (I think the pour over has more caffeine) so I also make a pot of drip brew using a Technivorm Mocha Master.  The drip brew is a little more work mainly in keeping the thermal carafe clean - dirty brewing gear = bad coffee.  I also have a Rancilio Miss Sylvia espresso machine and will crank out shots or make lattes and cappuccinos as the need arises.  I prefer a straight shot with a sugar cube but will occasionally have a latte.  
I got the Miss Sylvia a couple of years back to replace an older Italian espresso machine that was wearing out and I could no longer get parts for and to be honest, I'm not crazy about Miss Sylvia.  I'm on the hunt for something better that doesn't break the bank and if I ever find it, bye bye Miss Sylvia.
 
I had a cup of Guatamala Acatenango Gesha this morning that I roasted a couple of days ago - it was transcendent 

While I normally limit myself to one, excellent cup of coffee a day, this morning I also had a second cup of the Kenya I also recently roasted and brewed for my wife and daughter - for quality control purposes of course

Took Marko's advice and ordered an electric hot air popper and some green beans from Sweet Maria's.  Package arrived safely yesterday afternoon and this morning was the perfect morning to head out to the patio and try roasting beans for the first time.  I was able to get two roasts in before i had to really start my day.  First batch was in the popper for 8 minutes and the 2nd was in for 10 minutes.  We'll see how they taste tomorrow morning in the French Press

I recognize that package!  It will take you a bit of experimentation to get the roast where you like it and different beans will roast differently too - and there is the matter of personal taste which, like in shaving, YMMV.  You'll start noticing all the sights and sounds, first crack, second crack.  The beans lighten up as they lose moisture in the roast and some will jump out of the roasting chamber (I tried to throw those back in because every bean matters   ). You'll notice some beans are denser and harder than others  or weigh more for similar volume than others which is why a scale is best for measuring coffee beans for roasting and brewing.  

Your roast times seem longer than I recall mine being when I was roasting with the popper but that might be a function of the machine and I would think that Sweet Marias would sell you the unit that they tested as being optimum.  I recall the popper that I had (which I didn't get from Sweet Marias) being super hot giving me roast times in the 2-3 minute range.  I'd go from first to second crack really fast and had to be alert (duh) or I'd espresso roast everything.  The heat even deformed the plastic cover.  I think roasting with a popper is a great way to get started in coffee roasting and to see if you like it enough to spend a bit more m one.  There are a ton of homemade DIY roasters displayed on Sweet Marias as well for those who want to do their own thing.

I had some Coffee from ‘Dollar Tree’
It is Hazelnut flavored
It cost only $1.00. Only a dollar.
It really tasted good. Amazing!!

I havent had a coffee maker in over 10 years. I mostly drink tea and sometimes a trip to starbucks on the weekend. I tried a cup from a local roaster and wow was that a good cup. I bought this moka pot and love it. It makes great coffee that is rich and flavorful. I can even drink it black and enjoy it. Next up is to buy a grinder, and still thinking if I should get a drip coffee maker. I highly recommend those that drink coffee to try their local roaster.

Guatemalan Antigua Roasted myself to a Full City+ Roast

Still have several pounds of Guatemalan Antigua but couldn't pass up a Roaster relief sale on some Rwandan, 6 pounds each of Mushyoni and Maboro. 12 pounds for $36. Ordered from Coffee Bean Corral Tuesday and arrived in 2 days......

Still have several pounds of Guatemalan Antigua but couldn't pass up a Roaster relief sale on some Rwandan, 6 pounds each of Mushyoni and Maboro. 12 pounds for $36. Ordered from Coffee Bean Corral Tuesday and arrived in 2 days......

Good to see that Coffee Bean Corral is still going - I got my start in home roasting through Russ and Coffee bean corral over 20 years ago.