With so many whole bean selections in today's markets, why roast your own coffee? There are two convincing answers.
1) It is incredibly easy.
2) Beans lose flavor starting only a few days after roasting. Store-bought coffee might have been roasted months ago.
3) You can even save money - three reasons!
Easy. Better. Cheaper. Life rarely gives you a three-fer like that. So if you drink coffee you owe it to yourself to consider home-roasting. Nifty red uniforms are not required, but a comfy chair does go well with a cup.
So what's the catch?
Good question. Shows you've been paying attention while you've been surfing Dailykos. The catch is bean overload. There are varieties and sub-varieties from a dozen growing regions. Unless you have Secretariat's heart, yours will explode if you quaff them all.
I was stopped in my tracks by the sheer number of choices. Time to learn from experience. If you are a bean roaster I hope you'll take the time out to discuss your bean-buying advice.