Update: I used to hate light roasts until my Chemex cracked

I was at my kitchen counter in Brooklyn last Tuesday, making my usual dark roast drip, when my Chemex just split right down the middle from the heat. I had to scramble and use my old plastic Melitta cone as a backup. I only had a bag of light roast Ethiopian beans from a local shop, so I figured I'd drink it and complain. Turned out the lighter roast let me taste actual fruit notes, like blueberry and lemon, that I never got from the dark stuff. I adjusted my grind to a finer setting and let it brew a bit longer, and it came out clean and not sour at all. Now I'm stuck wondering if I just had bad technique before, or if my taste buds were just lying to me for years. Has anyone else had a similar thing happen with a gear failure changing their preferences?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_robin7d ago

...and that's exactly how I got into lighter roasts too, except it was a busted grinder for me. Had the same damn thing happen with an Ethiopian a few years back when my old blade grinder crapped out and I had to use a hand crank one from a thrift store. The newer burr grinder gave me such a consistent grind that suddenly the light roast tasted like flowers instead of sour dirt. I think a lot of us just got used to drinking dark roast as a cover for bad technique or cheap beans. Once you dial in the water temp and grind size right, light roasts wake up in a way that dark roasts can't. It's like your taste buds weren't lying, they just needed better gear to show you the truth.

abby_morgan187d ago

Tasted like flowers instead of sour dirt" is a pretty dramatic way to describe coffee, dont you think @the_robin?