Thanks, though re-reading it I just noticed that step 9 really didn't need to be there, haha. And yeah, bad idea to remove the thermostat imho. At least located on the bottom, there is a chance it could trip if the temp gets catastrophically hot.

I'm with you on some of the absurdity of coffee culture here, -all you need is some fresh roasted good beans and a fresh grind and you're basically all the way there. Nobody percolates anymore, so pretty much any way you brew it will be fine, but a simple press is going to kick ass.

I will say that the $4 dollar cups of coffee I have here at good shops are significatly better than what I grew up on. At least I'm getting something for my money, and prices are only ever going to go up :)

Regarding your short roasts, did you try using a really long extension cord and/or roasting fewer beans at a time? I know it sucks to roast with fewer beans in a popper because the capacity is so small to begin with you usually want to get as many in there as possible, but more beans = less air flow = hotter quicker. I often hand-shake my unit while roasting in order to extend the roast.