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Intelligentsia offers free shipping on orders over 25 bucks but yes in general the price is on the high side. I did a quick cost comparison though to still show you are saving money vs buying at Starbucks.

That said -- I have not gotten into roasting my own. I am willing to try on artisanal and quality grounds (pun). However I am skeptical on the time involved as I am pretty busy and dont necessarily want to spend a couple hours a week roasting beans.

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It's really not that bad. I spend probably 15 minutes a week to roast a lb of coffee. Just get a small, stainless steel pot (I use a 1 qt KitchenAid) with a thick even heat base. Then, warm up the pan for 3 minutes, add coffee beans, and continuously stir with a metal whisk or wooden spoon. There are videos online of how to do this.

The biggest sunk cost, though, is practicing it. It takes some time to get this down. And, you may lose some $ in the process of learning. But, if you're really into coffee, I think it's worth it.

I live right around the corner from the original Intelligentsia store here in Chicago and even without shipping, the ~11% tax we have here is a killer on my expensive coffee habit.

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