My barista buddy in Seattle proved me wrong about dark roasts

At a tiny shop off Pike Street last month, I told my friend Mark that dark roasts just taste like ash to me, and he handed me a Kenyan AA he pulled at 202 degrees. He said, "It's not the roast level, it's how you treat the bean," and that cup had this sweet, smoky finish I never expected. Has anyone else had a roast they swore off completely turned around by someone's pour method or grind size?

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1 Comment

wright.richard16d ago

That roast story fits a bigger pattern I notice all the time, where people blame the thing itself instead of how it's handled. Same with cheap guitars that sound fine after a proper setup or tough cuts of meat that turn tender with the right low heat. Most stuff has more range than we give it credit for, we just need someone patient enough to show us the right way.