Former commercial roaster here. "Fresh" has to be qualified. Beens are going to be gassing CO2 for ~3-4 days after roasting, and ideally during this period you

Former commercial roaster here. "Fresh" has to be qualified. Beens are going to be gassing CO2 for ~3-4 days after roasting, and ideally during this period you won't be consuming them. If they're bagged at a roaster immediately after roasting (after cooling, naturally) in bags w/ 1 way valves though, the gassing will displace oxygen, and the C02 will be a protective barrier against oxidation. Oxygen alone is the killer of coffee. Oxidation is hastened by heat and light, which is why people are encouraged to store coffee (and oil, wine, etc) in cool, dark places. I _have_ roasted at home (frying pan), and while the experience was a treat (I encourage anybody who has any interest to go for it!), the results are nowhere near what a decent commercial roaster produces. I haven't used an air-popper for roasting, nor Alpin (?) or other more sophisticated roasters. To be honest my fantasy setup would be some Jabez Burns sample roasters[1], but I'm not there yet... [1] http://www.cafeimports.com/photos/images/lab/espresso_tasting/jbjamin.jpg http://www.cafeimports.com/photos/images/lab/espresso_tastin...