I guess I'm a bit of a noob. I had been roasting for a bit using a Whirly Pop with metal gears, outdoors on my deck using a camp stove. I like a very dark French roast equivalent so just at the tail end of 2nd crack to just beyond. Lots of smoke. I tried it the first time inside on my stove since I had a nice hood vent that dumps outside. Bad idea. Whole house stunk for a week or two.
I would sift the chaff via a colander and another large bowl. I'd pour it into a mason jar with the lid offset to breath overnight and usually by morning it was usable.
I was using good beans so far as I know, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe I found on Amazon. I was getting 5lb packages, roasting 8-12 oz batches.
I saw earlier in the thread about shelf life. I read green coffee beans have a 50 year shelf live if kept cool, dark, dry, and sealed. No special oxygen absorbers or anything needed. I appreciate this thread. I have no clue about roasters but I am considering starting to roast again. I do have major space constraints but I will no longer have cold weather to contend with so that's a bonus for outdoor roasting.
I'd love to hear any suggestions on beans/roasters. I don't like acidity much in my coffee. The Ethiopian Yirgacheffe was very acidic tasting at lighter roasts but it disappeared when fully roasted. I am open to lighter roasts but I don't want the acidity that so many people tend to like.