We do as well, and have been for years. We have a cash deal with a local roaster who sources beans from around the world. It’s cheaper than store-bought swill and we get access to some fairly exotic strains. Before we hooked up with this roaster, we would buy from a place called Sweet Maria’s out west.
Our roasting machine is the Hottop, a drum roaster with a cooling tray. It’s built like a tank and we’ve been using it for years with no issues. We brew in a Technivorm Mochamaster.
Good coffee is a must for me. I bring a kit when I travel, and as I sit in a hotel room right now this morning, I’m enjoying a strain from Papau New Guinea. I get up earlier in my hotel than I normally would just so I can take 45 minutes to enjoy a nice cup in leisure.
Roasting is definitely worth the cost and time. It’s the only way to truly enjoy what coffee is meant to be…
My brother in-law has a coffee roasting business and he gets his beans from all over the world. Each country has it's own flavor. Coffee from New Guinea I like the best for flavor. If I want coffee with a rich flavor with some "kick" I drink Ethiopian.
Sweet Maria's used to be the go-to for green beans. The last few times I checked the website, there weren't nearly the vast selections and stories of yore.
Absolutely--bring coffee kit for travel.
I had a point in life where I traveled five days a week. I would be in the same hotel the whole week and at that time I traveled by car most of the time. I would grind good coffee in perc grind and take an electric percolator my grandmother gave me in 1970. I would start it at 5:30 by a timer I brought with me and wake up to that old style percolator coffee smell pervading my whole room.
One hotel in particular had the staff tell me they loved it as that whole half a floor had a great smell each day.