Yeah, they have tons of stuff. I have a local source of green beans, though. I'd love to save up for their $300 drum roaster... How long would it take for that to pay itself off.... hmm...
Yep. Sweet Maria's. I've been using the same stove top popcorn popper for 3+ years. Still going strong and don't foresee replacing it anytime soon. Thought about a drum roaster, but I've read that the average life span is 3-5 years. I paid $35 for my popper at Target.
Sunday morning. A little lazy this AM. Made a pot of electric percolator coffee while I shaves. Pot has an auto off on the perc so it doesn't burn. Turned over to a warming cycle. Coffee not bad. Easy clean up.
+1 to the popcorn popper. I also started out years ago with Sweet Marias as my resource. Since I am the only coffee drinker in the house, it is really easy to make batches last. I did spring for a Rancillio Rocky grinder...
I'm also interested in trying a popcorn popper. I recently ordered beans from Sweet Maria's and have been roasting them in a skillet on my stovetop. I'm really loving the results so far, but my roasts have been a little inconsistent.
You've probably already seen it, but there is a good video on Sweet Maria's web site about using the popcorn popper. I bought an iRoast 2, when I first started. It lasted probably about a year. The heat generated makes the plastic brittle and it eventually cracks. They make replacement parts, but good luck finding them. For small batches, I have found the popcorn popper does just as good of a job, plus the minimal cost (versus the $189.00 I paid for the iRoast) is a boon. BTW, one of the things I appreciate about Sweet Marias is that they don't try to hard sell the expensive roasters. They carry them, but they are all about the coffee.
Just to be clear, I use the stove top popper, NOT the electrical hot air popper. I pre-heat it to 400 degrees. Sweet Maria's sells the thermometers for $5. I dump in half a pound of green coffee (it will do a pound at a time, but for me 1/2 works better), shake and crank until I hear the second crack. I like a full city to FC+ roast so half a minute or so into second crack, turn the stove off, then outside to blow off the chaff and let it cool.
I've never used the stove top popper. I've always used the hot air type. I may get one next time I have a need and give it a try. Heck, if nothing else, I can make some pop corn!
All this talk of roasting makes me want to get into that side of things too. Thinking of picking up a stovetop popper, and some green beans. Lots of reading to be done I suppose!
I'm pretty sure that I will be investing in a stovetop popper next month. That is, if my wife won't complain about the smell...
I'm temped to go pick up an air popper from the local thrift store and jump in. That way, starting out, I don't need to worry about setting the heat, and I can go plug it in outside in the summer.
I have a one-cup brewer that I bought at Brookstone a few years ago. It makes awesome coffee, and, since it makes only one cup at a time, the coffee is always fresh. I LOVE Kahlua coffee, which I buy in bulk at Sam's Club. Finally, I don't use sugar but love the dry Coffee Mate.
My wife isn't fond of coffee, but doesn't enjoy the smell. I'm not sure how, since there's nothing I'd rather smell. I've been known to use fresh coffee grounds as an air freshener in my car/office before...
