At the $150 and 1/2 pound @ week target, my suggestion would be either the
iRoast 2 or the
Nesco Coffee Roaster. You can read a discussion thread debating the pros and cons of people choosing one over the other in this
coffeegeek.com link.
I linked the
Coffee Bean Corral site for the iRoast 2 because it is $10 cheaper on their site than Sweet Maria's site. That, and CBC is running their 15% discount on holiday orders right now. I linked
Sweet Maria's site for the Nesco Coffee Roaster because, well, CBC doesn't sell it and there's a limit to the sites I googled up.
I highly suggest glancing at
CoffeeGeek or
CoffeeForums forums. I tend to prefer the former, but to each their own.
** Caution - the following is subjective to individual taste **
Fresh roasted coffee tastes best from 2-3 days after roasting up to about two weeks max. It tastes like ---- immediately after roasting because it is emitting CO2 like crazy. That CO2 acts as a barrier against oxygen, but once the "degassing" period slows down and stops, oxygen is the enemy of roasted coffee and will make it stale in a short amount of time. This is why many home roasters keep their roasted coffee in airtight containers (such as jars with seals). I'm not saying roasted coffee tastes bad or becomes rotten after a two week period. I'm merely saying that the benefits of fresh roasted coffee diminish over time until they become stale and taste on a par with commercial roasted coffee products, which kinda defeats the purpose of home roasting.
I've read several opinions from industry and coffee fanatic persons that green coffee keeps well in a dry and cool environment for up to a year and perhaps a bit longer.
