OK, the thread about what you use to roast...

[Mad Dawg]

Mark, since you want to start roasting your own, I did indeed mean the green beans: Uncle Beanz Green Beanz. I should have been more specific with the link.

For folks who don't roast their own, Uncle Beanz is an excellent place to go as well. Norman will custom roast the beans at the time you order them, and Priority Mail them to you. Since most beans need a couple of days of post-roast rest anyway, that works out just about perfectly.

I'm not at all familiar with the popper in your link, but I would worry about one thing: many hot air poppers (especially newer models) have a thermal protection switch of some kind built into them. If the unit runs too long and gets too hot, the switch kicks in and either turns off the heat, or shuts down the popper altogether. I found the latter to be the case with the one Popcorn Pumper I have - shut the whole thing down just as I was getting close to second crack. NOT good.

Thing is, roasting coffee takes longer than popping popcorn, which means the units will run hotter than they're really meant to. The Original Popperies seem to chug right along, and I know from personal experience that they will happily run for 45 minutes without missing a beat, should you get distracted and forget you've got coffee roasting. Ever seen coffee beans reduced to tiny little charcoal briquettes? I have.

Anyway, as James says, roasting your own will change the way you view coffee. You will find it to be much more enjoyable than it is now. My Christmas cup is a perfect example: Guatemala El Injerto (from Uncle Beanz), roasted almost to second crack 3 days ago, brewed in my Bodum press. Deep, rich, complex, superb. This is what coffee should be!

Merry Christmas, everybody!