“If you want something done well, do it yourself.” This saying has permeated the American culture since the beginning of its existence. For those of us who are serious about coffee, Coffee Bean Corral has everything we need to get started.

This company specializes in green coffee beans. They do not accept partial bag orders. You can specifically request that your beans meet certain standards of body, balance, aroma, and the like. Upon receiving your shipment, the roasting, grinding, filtering and brewing the end product of your morning cup of coffee is all up to you. With an initial batch of a great brew, it’s easy for us “do-it-yourselfers” to get carried away. The website for Coffee Bean Corral cautions against this enthusiasm. They sell equipment only for home use.

Due to the expense of even the lower priced roasters, one can safely say that coffee roasting qualifies as a hobby, not a passing fancy. The least expensive roaster is almost $300.00 and the “high-end” ones cost close to $1,000.00. Therefore, you and your family should be serious about coffee. Of course, if you average one specially prepared “take out” coffee drink a day per person, it could be well worth the extra effort.

The good news is that you can personalize your own brews with labels and packaging. If you pace yourself and plan ahead, the next holiday season could be a fertile ground for attempting to share your homemade coffee brews and bean blends with those near and dear. Just remember not to overload your equipment.