How to Roast Coffee for Cheap

Roasting your own coffee tastes great and is cheap.  Store-bought coffee can be sitting on the shelves for weeks, even months at a time.  Good freshly-roasted coffee can also be really expensive, going from $12-15 per pound.  Instead of spending tons of money on fancy coffee, buy green coffee and roast it yourself!  I got mine for under 6$ per pound.  

You will need:
Popcorn Air-Popper (about 3$ at Goodwill, mine was a gift from a friend)
Green Coffee (I got mine here)
Colander
1/2 cup measuring cup
Stirring stick (optional depending on your popper)

Pour your 1/2 cup of coffee into the popper and plug it in.  It should start roasting immediately unless you have a switch for it.  I gently stirred my coffee as the air blew it around.  The chaff (the flaky stuff around the coffee) will start to fly off immediately.  This can get pretty hot, but not too bad.  A few minutes after roasting you should hear a pop.  Coffee pops similarly to popcorn, except it pops twice.  The first pop should occur at about 3 minutes and the beans should be light brown.  The second pop occurs at about 5 or 6 minutes and the beans should be dark.  City+ to Full City+ roasts are around the second pop and are the darkest.  I like a darker roast, so I usually turn off the popper right after the second pop starts.  There will be a good amount of smoke as soon as you turn it off.  Pour the beans in the colander to let them cool off.  

When the coffee gets to room temperature, you can put it in a plastic bag or a Mason jar.  Don't seal these completely because the coffee releases CO2 after it roasts for about 4 hours.  Once the four hours are up, the coffee is at full flavor and ready to be drunk.  I prefer the AeroPress method of brewing, but drip and French press are both delicious.  Have fun roasting coffee!!