This does what a home roaster is supposed to do without having to do anything strange or dangerous with electronic toys meant for other pursuits.

A simple addition would be a plastic piece to hold the top rigid. As currently designed, the top and the glass roasting chamber can easily be knocked over -- bye-bye beans, buy-buy another chamber.

I was nervous about buying a roaster because of mixed reviews I'd heard about the late Hearthware Precision. With the FreshRoast, I think I've gotten something I can live with. A home roaster simply can't roast a pound every morning with something like this and expect it to last long. So with reasonable expectations, I dove in.

Any idiot can use this machine, which means it's made for guys like me. Pour in the beans, turn the knob, roast the beans. Make adjustments, perhaps preheating for a minute. No problem. It's a short roast, so you can't make too many adjustments. But at this price, I think it's fair.

Don't rely on the cool cycle to do much. I toss the just-roasted beans in a colander over a small fan.

I have little problem with chaff, and cleanup is a cinch. Just brush out the top after every roast. No smoke problems. I just roast under the range's hood with the fan on high. The roaster is quiet enough to hear cracks plainly.

If you feel funny about rewiring popcorn poppers or sticking thermometers where they don't belong, get a FreshRoast. Then get lots and lots of green beans. And have fun.

If there's a better buying experience than Sweet Maria's, stop the presses because it's news to me! Buying from your bean dealer seems a good way to start a buyer-seller relationship.