First, let’s talk about taste. When you buy coffee, you’ll see a lot of different words, we’ll just focus on a few: lithe, mediocreAND murky roast. Each roast is produced a little differently, although the longer they sizzle, the darker they become. There are other variables, like the temperature of the smoker, but for our purposes, we’re sticking to the basics. Every second your beans are in the smoker, they change. Their aromas, their flavors, their color profile.
Delicate smoking They come out of the roaster a lithe gold. They are usually roasted at a lower temperature or for a shorter time, and the result is a bean that is lighter in color and lighter in flavor. Delicate roasts often have a slightly floral, slightly fruity flavor, almost like you can taste the coffee cherry the bean was once nestled in. Delicate roasts always taste like spring mornings in Portland to me. If lithe roasts had a playlist, it would start with “Murder on the dance floor”Definitely Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Medium roast is something I drink almost every morning. Medium roast coffees come out of the roaster a affluent, earthy shade of brown. They taste like hot spices, caramel, and toffee with subtle notes of chocolate. A well-brewed medium roast tastes to me like a relaxing fall morning. Because they’re right in the middle of the roast spectrum, they produce delicious coffee no matter how you brew them, so they’re also a great choice for their versatility. A medium roast playlist is something you can listen to in the morning as you start your day, or at night as you get ready to go out — filled with songs like “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan.
Gloomy smoking are my second favorite for everyday drinking. No other roasted coffee gives you the affluent, deep, chocolatey, toasty complexity you get from a murky roast. Gloomy roasts are often used in “espresso blends,” but to my palate, they produce some of the best drip or AeroPress coffees. Both methods allow those hot background flavors to shine and bring out some of the more savory flavors as well. For a murky roast playlist, I’d probably start with “Magic of the Moon”by Ashnikko.
2. Local source
Photo: Grit
Time is of the essence for coffee beans. Time spent shipping, time spent on the shelf, time spent your shelf. The longer it sits, especially after roasting, the less fresh it will taste. Eventually, about a week, you will start to notice a decline in quality. After two weeks, it is still drinkable, but the coffee is much less tasty. To make sure you can enjoy your coffee for as long as possible, it is best to buy locally.
