This is an easy-to-use, consistent roaster that does a great job. It makes it simple to have fresh coffee all the time.

Some chaff escapes during roasting, and more falls on the beans when you take the lid off. The timer is too short and needs to be reset for every roast.

(note: the model I have is the Fresh Roast PLUS)

The FreshRoast, like the Innova grinder, has changed the world of coffee for me. I can't believe how easy it is to have really good coffee every day.

It couldn't be easier to use. You dump two scoops plus a quarter-scoop of beans in the glass cup, flip the timer to 5, and wait. For me, the timer gets down to the end of the cycle before the coffee is done, so I flip it to 5 again and listen for the cracks, then dump it into a wire colander and toss the chaff outside. No biggie.

The cracks are easy to hear, even for a beginner like me.

The only other problem I can think of is the smoke setting off the alarm in my house. This isn't due to the FreshRoast, though.

The handles stay cool enough to carry across the room right after a roasting session. The rest of the parts get pretty hot, though, so be careful.

I've had no problems roasting five and six batches in a row.

I'd recommend this machine. The price was good, including a bean sampler at Coffee Bean Corral (don't tell Santa I found out where he got it!) and it's more efficient than the Poppery.

I received it as a gift, but didn't hear about any problems from Santa.