[Blak Smyth]

I agree with almost everything that has been said so far. There are several possible causes for your dislike of your home roast. I have roasted some beans that were supposed to be amazing and found them terrible, had to play with the roast level 2-3 times until I found one that made great beans to my preference. While home roasting is the most pure way to get the freshest coffee, it takes practice and patience. The reason home roast is the best is because you can roast it to your personal taste and you will never find fresher beans, freshness is vital for good coffee. There is also a level of pride and satisfaction when you are responsible for more of the process. I would highly recommend trying your beans in a FP, this is the best way to taste the coffee IMO. Also Pete made a comment about brew temps, this is an important one as well and a FP would be a good way to control this if your brewer doesn't have a temp control. What tastes are you getting? Does it taste burned or flavorless? You may just be trying to roast a bean that does not fit your personal palate well, what is good to somebody else may not be good to you. I have several people in my office that drink 4 hour old prepackaged trucker coffee out of the machine in our lunch room and think it is coffee. They have tried mine and still prefer their "trucker coffee". I think they are crazy, but they are likely just conditioned to it. Now I am just rambeling, too much coffee maybe.

Also some beans are better for espresso and some for drip and FP, you may be using a bean that is better suited for a different process.

If you are making drip or FP, the grinder will not matter much. I have made plenty of great presses with a cheap blade chop grinder. If you are going to go into espresso you will need to drop several hundred dollars on a good grinder. Another option will be to get a super automatic, it will have a built in grinder. Super Autos make okay espresso, not great but okay. And they make pretty awesome cappacinos.