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That barista at Blue Bottle told me to ditch my dark roast and I actually listened
I used to be one of those people who only drank dark roast because I thought that's what coffee was supposed to taste like, you know, strong and bitter. Then this barista named Jess at the Blue Bottle in my neighborhood (in Austin) talked me into trying a medium roast Ethiopian bean. She said the dark roast was just covering up old or low quality beans most of the time. I was skeptical because I'd been buying the same dark roast bag for like 3 years. But I tried it and honestly the first sip was a shock - I could actually taste blueberry and citrus notes instead of just burnt toast. Now I experiment with light and medium roasts from different regions and I can't believe I wasted so much time on that dark stuff. Has anyone else had a barista completely change their coffee preferences?
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alex30724d ago
Man I had pretty much the same thing happen to me but it was at a local shop not Blue Bottle. The guy straight up told me I was drinking charcoal water and handed me a light roast from Kenya. First sip I thought he was messing with me because it tasted like fruit punch almost. But yeah now I can't go back either. Big thing I learned is that dark roast isnt bad itself but a lot of roasters use it to hide crap beans. If you want to keep exploring try asking the shop for a single origin from Central or South America next time. Those tend to have chocolate and nut flavors which are a little easier to jump into if the Ethiopian was too fruity for you. Also don't be afraid to mess with your brew method a little lighter roasts sometimes need a slightly finer grind or a tiny bit hotter water to really pop.
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milessmith21d ago
I dunno man, I still drink dark roast almost every day. That charcoal water thing is funny but my local roaster in Portland does a dark Sumatra that's got this deep smoky sweetness and it's never tasted burnt to me. Maybe the whole "dark roast hides bad beans" thing is overblown and people just wanna feel superior for drinking sour fruit juice.
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reeseperez24d ago
Charcoal water" is a great band name though, not gonna lie.
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