I remember my father would roast coffee using a steel or iron wok and before that he would roast it using a popcorn popper. lol. You don't get much control on how dark your beans will be using a popcorn popper though but it will work. When he would roast the coffee using a wok he would make a blend of medium beans and dark beans. Also, a warning your whole house will smell like coffee so open all your windows. Since we were coffee farmers he finally upgraded to a 15-20 lb roaster. Just be sure that your constantly watching the color so it won't burn.