This "How to Buy Coffee Online" article at Serious Eats probably deserves some attention

#1: Post by **SJM** » October 21st, 2022, 1:34 pm

https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-buy- ... ne-6751339

#2: Post by **yakster** » October 21st, 2022, 4:10 pm

Interesting article, but I was hoping for more than just a sentence or two on anaerobic processing.

#3: Post by **edh** » October 21st, 2022, 4:51 pm

How much credibility should you give a "coffee writer" who uses Stumptown Hairbender as an example of a classic dark roast?

Ed

October 21st, 2022, 6:09 pm

edh wrote:How much credibility should you give a "coffee writer" who uses Stumptown Hairbender as an example of a classic dark roast?

It's a classic West Coast dark roast - not Italian, of course.

I thought that the article was quite good for non-coffee-geeks and the author did talk to some good people like Chris Kornman.

About the only quibble I had was that "Light roast coffees tend to finish roasting right after the "first crack," ..." Again, I guess that is the historic American definition, but geez, I haven't roasted or purchased a "light roast" coffee that's seen the end of first crack in years ...

#5: Post by **another_jim** » October 21st, 2022, 7:09 pm

baldheadracing wrote:About the only quibble I had was that "Light roast coffees tend to finish roasting right after the "first crack," ..." Again, I guess that is the historic American definition, but geez, I haven't roasted or purchased a "light roast" coffee that's seen the end of first crack in years ...

In their defense, they didn't say "after the first crack ends." Given that their informant was Kornman, it may have meant after it starts. My guess is that the author didn't know the first crack in a larger batch can run over four minutes, and that a lot is happening to the flavors during that time.

My eyebrow was raised by the article suggesting subscription services are good for single origins, while roasters are good for blends. Is this becoming a thing?

#6: Post by **Milligan** » October 21st, 2022, 7:41 pm

another_jim wrote: My eyebrow was raised by the article suggesting subscription services are good for single origins, while roasters are good for blends. Is this becoming a thing?

I dislike the "curator subscription" services. Like coffee needs another middleman between the farmer and customer.

#7: Post by **edh** » October 21st, 2022, 7:50 pm

I'm a big fan of Hair Bender, it's my go to for pour overs, and PNW "medium" roast espressos. To me, Hair Bender is a medium roast in both looks and flavor. It has a pronounced, but well balanced acidity/citrus note. Stumptown's FAQ says medium for their blends. They call their French Roast a classic dark roast.

Attached is a photo of Vita, one of the lightest PNW medium Italian roast(no oil on the beans) espressos, and Hair Bender. To me, there's no way Hair Bender is a dark roast. What is your assessment of the roasts? I know it's subjective, and as you pointed out about the definitions of light roasts, they change with time. I'm sure that by Third Wave definitions, Hair Bender is burnt to a crisp.

Ed

#8: Post by **jbviau** » October 21st, 2022, 9:02 pm

Aside: do we not know/remember who Jesse Raub is, y'all? He's been in coffee for a loooong time (Intelligentsia educator/trainer, sales at Ruby, etc.). No infallibility implied...

October 22nd, 2022, 12:13 am

edh wrote:... Attached is a photo of Vita, one of the lightest PNW medium Italian roast(no oil on the beans) espressos, and Hair Bender. To me, there's no way Hair Bender is a dark roast. What is your assessment of the roasts?

Um, that they're vac-packed?

Anyhow, to me, if a coffee has "dark chocolate" as a tasting note, then it's a dark roast, as is "bitter chocolate." "Milk chocolate" would be medium, and no chocolate would be light. I realize that "dark chocolate" could be another person's medium - there is a lot of overlap.

#10: Post by **Mat-O-Matic** » October 24th, 2022, 3:05 pm

Agreed that this seems like a reasonably detailed overview, palatable for non-nerds and the curious or bored. I enjoyed it.

Also agreed on pegging roast level to chocolate descriptors but would add that roast smoke--that late-second-crack phenomenon--is a distinct descriptor of a very dark roast that is still found in many popular coffees. Not my thing, but still a thing.