> But, I learned that what I was looking for were chocolate and earth notes, and that the roast wasn't an especially good predictor of the intensity of those flavors.

And in fact, dark roasts are more likely to obscure those flavors.

Too light a roast and you'll get too much floral/grass, too dark and you'll get too much of a burned flavor, for obvious reasons.

The brew method also plays a big part, which is why dark (ish) roasts do better with cold brew than hot brews for pulling out the beans flavors.

I typically do a medium roast with no oily sheen to them and it serves me well. A honey-wash might take more roasting while keeping its flavor, though I haven't figured out why.

Roasting at home also saves a ton of money and the beans can last two years in storage versus a few weeks post-roast.