I only like light to medium roast coffees, anything dark tastes like brewing cigarette ash to me and I can't stand it and all the coffee flavors are destroyed.

Between light and medium I normally prefer light roasts but there are some medium roasts I like better than other light roasts.

I find it strange that dark roasts are often considered the "only" roast to make espresso. I can't stand a dark roast espresso.

I've also read an article explaining that there's so much marketing for dark roast coffee because since it's nearly burnt to ash they can use the cheapest coffee there is since there's practically no coffee taste left. The article also said that light roasts require the absolute best coffee beans because the bean taste isn't destroyed like in dark roasts so they can't get away with using low quality coffee in light roasts. Maybe that explains why light roasts are my favorite.

Since most here know a lot more to coffee than I do, what do you think about the idea that espresso should only be done with dark roasts? Do you make light or medium roast espressos like I do?

I should mention I still haven't ever tried fresh roasted coffee so I'm talking about beans bought in bags at the grocery store which I think taste great (the light-medium roasts). I can't wait to try fresh roasted.

What "opinion I stated" are you referring to? Do you mean when I said "what do you think about the idea that espresso should only be done with dark roasts"?

I do not think that AT ALL, I said that meaning that most people think that and I find it stupid that most people think espresso can or should only be done with dark roast. In fact right after that I said I use light to medium roast.

If this isn't the opinion you thought I stated let me know, but again I was saying that as in most people think that, but I definitely don't.

John Smith,

The opinion you stated was

aab1 wrote:...dark roasts are often considered the "only" roast to make espresso.

No one said it was your opinion, but you're the one who asked for comments on that opinion. I think you'll find once you do some more reading of the site that there's a lot of opinions, but this one is by no means the predominant one of the members of this site.

As for dark roasts being used to hide defects, that might happen occasionally, but others (Starbucks) have accused roasters of roasting light to save money by reducing weight loss and maximizing investment, but this really only applies to the large scale commercial roaster. I think you find that certain beans work well across the range of roasts while others favor certain roasts. In fact, most of the discussions on this site will talk about smaller-scale, freshly roasted coffee from quality focused roasters such as those on the List of our Favorite Roasters thread.

John,

I assume you do not mean to come across like you appear to be...stating opinions from unknown/unidentified sources as being the opinions "most" people have. As you may have seen if you have indeed looked around this site and its various forums, the average skill/knowledge level of the "repliers" is quite high.

No one is saying "newbies" can't ask questions, its just that many of us would prefer you do some research before just stating some opinion that isn't yours as being a commonly held view of everyone on this site. Then you compound it by taking offense at those who suggest you do some basic research before beginning a debate with the users who are taking the time to reply to you...particularly their almost universal response of on how you might best use this sites resources rather than just expecting someone else to do it for you.

If you sit back and reflect, take the time to do some research, you may find that this site and its members can be quite helpful in clearing things up and guiding you once you've actually experimented and understand some of the basic elements of espresso brewing.

steve

I'm sorry for any confusion, when I said "most people", I was absolutely not referring to people here, but the average public that barely knows what an espresso is if at all.

I did read through the FAQ and didn't see mentions of roast types for espressos. What section would this be in?

I also didn't get any personal responses as I was hoping about what roast levels you guys normally use for espresso which is what I was mostly looking to know by posting this.

Thanks

HB wrote:With many great roasters just a click away, that's a crime.

I know, I know, but as I've said in another post literally the day I was going to order fresh roast my grocery store had a special for their 2 lbs bags of beans reduced from $15 to $9 and it's really good coffee for non fresh roast.

I'll get some fresh roast soon though even though I got many bags of the beans on special, I vacuum seal what I don't put in my machine's hopper anyway. I was actually a hair away from buying their bag of dark roast as I smelled it through the valve and it didn't smell as smoky/burnt as others and I thought it could be worth a try on special. If I don't like it I can keep it for guests

I think I will get it soon though to try while it's still on special.