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My local shop keeps calling a light roast 'weak' and it drives me nuts
I was at a cafe in Springfield yesterday and the barista told a customer their pour over would be 'weak' because it was a light roast Ethiopian. I had to bite my tongue. Light roast isn't about strength, it's about keeping the bean's own flavors. I brew a Yirgacheffe at home with my V60, using 22 grams of coffee to 350 grams of water. That's a strong ratio. The cup is bright and fruity, not weak. It matters because this idea pushes people toward dark, bitter coffee and they miss out on so much. How do you explain this to someone who thinks dark equals strong?
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nora1101d ago
Watched my buddy do a taste test with his dad using the same brewer and same dose. The old man was shocked the light roast had more caffeine.
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rubyshah2d ago
Oh man, that makes me so mad! I had a friend just like @sarah818's uncle. I finally got through by making two cups side by side with the exact same amount of coffee grounds. I used a light roast and a dark roast, brewed them the same way. When they saw the same amount of grounds go in, they finally got that "strong" isn't about the roast color. It's a brewing thing. They still liked the dark one better, but at least they stopped calling my coffee weak!
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sarah8182d ago
Ugh, that reminds me of my uncle who only drinks that oily, burnt French roast. I made him a cup of a really nice washed Colombian light roast once, same ratio you use, and he said it tasted like hot water. I tried to explain it was like comparing a dark chocolate bar to a fresh lemon, different flavors not different strengths, but he just wanted his "coffee that tastes like coffee." Some people just have a mental block about it.
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