Talked to a barista who said lighter roasts are overrated

I was at a shop in Portland last week and got into it with this barista who swore medium roasts are where it's at. He said light roasts just taste sour and thin to him, and he's been roasting beans for 12 years. At first I thought he was crazy because everyone online hypes up light roasts for flavor. But he pulled me a shot of their medium roast Ethiopian and it hit me different. It had this smooth chocolate note I never get from light roasts. Now I'm wondering if I've been missing out on something basic for too long. Has anyone else had a moment where a pro changed your mind on a popular opinion?

2 comments

2 Comments

drew_west8d ago

Started nodding halfway through reading this cause I've had the same thing happen with espresso. It's like everyone gets stuck on what's trendy and forgets that basic stuff done right can be just as good or better.

dakota7878d ago

Yo same here! I got really into pour overs last year and was buying all these fancy single origin beans thinking that was the only way to get good coffee. But the other day I ran out and just used some store brand medium roast I had laying around. Brewed it the same way I do my expensive stuff and honestly it was still really good coffee. Like yeah the fruity notes weren't as strong but it was totally drinkable and didn't deserve the hate people give it.