I understand what you are saying John, however, in my case the limitations of being an organic only roaster, really limit my sampling from the start. There are certain coffees that I have identified over the past few years that are most likely going to be in my offering year round. In other words, my cupping and sampling usually consists of two things: is this coffee crop a product of reasonable quality that I can offer to my customers & what roast level I want to put into production. While a small air roaster may not yield identical results to my Ambex, it should be able to answer the most basic questions. Buying a real sample roaster is something I may pursue in the future, but for now there are other priorities. Thanks guys for the info. I have placed an order for a Fresh Roast 500. I'll let you know how it goes.
Shep