WTF is Ultralight Roast Coffee? Roasting, Brewing, and Resting Discussion

[@Andrew-wp1bz]

If you hear first crack, you just made a dark roast.

[@ahpadt]

just brew green beans bro

[@ferologics]

i pour boiling water into my mouth as i chew on raw beans, this gives me best extraction results and sensory experiences without wasting any beans.

[@gregolgratis]

Ultra-light seems just specific to certain coffees, like the tiny and delicat natural Ethiopian landraces. For example, last year in the EU it was the Arbegona from Daye Bensa Coffee (Sidama). The Agtron Gourmet color was outside of the official limits around 130-135 😊

[@dr7246]

I look at the “how light can I go” trend with considerable skepticism, a fair amount of amusement, and a touch of annoyance. I will say, that I was pleased that the roaster in this video indicated that he likes to let the beans dictate roast level, and that he sees the “ultralight” thing as a challenge for him. I respect that. Where roasters lose me, is when they are, what I call “ideological light roasters”. Where every coffee in their line up is light (or less). Indeed, I’ve had several light roasts which have been wonderful. However, I’ve also had too many that were just warm, pyrazine soup. Coffees that tasted of smugness, and like a cup of frowns. The often recited statement that light roasts definitively are the best expression of what a bean, and place, are about, is a statement delivered as fact, with really nothing other than imagination to back it up. There is an analog here, for me, in the wine world. Many producers wanted to dial back the hyper ripe wines which had become so popular; a sentiment with which I agree. However, many got caught up in a sort of contest of who could pick at the lowest brix, often resulting in ugly unpleasant wines, which had scant connection to the places that the grapes were grown, as the climate often would not give the producer their predetermined idea of final ABV, yet still yield grapes that achieved enough physiological ripeness to display any real character. A full pendulum swing is not necessarily the way to fix a trend that is perceived to be problematic, as it does not seek balance and harmony first As for coffee, I am far more likely to try a light - or perhaps “ultralight” roast from a roaster who shows that they roast to varying levels, determined by how they interpret the beans, than from roasters who’s offerings are all light or less.

[@timothytreciokas8073]

I'm starting to feel a similar way about the fermentation/processing debate, coming from the beer world it seems weird to me something fermented is seen as covering up or obscuring an expression of terroir

[@MoonwakeCoffeeRoasters]

This is an incredibly articulate comment that captures the essence of our roasting approach! (we chuckled at cup of frowns😛). The potential of each coffee is different, and part of the fun and challenge for us is determining the best way to unlock that potential - whether that means less, or possibly even more development.

[@glimps84]

Got my bag at 4 weeks today. 20g in 42 out 24 secs 88C. Hited all your taste notes. Awesome product. Great job

[@efafe4972]

i ordered some of this. I hope you make a vid dialing this one in. not sure how to approach this after seeing your thoughts lol

[@BrianQuan]

It'll probably be a few weeks before we do that cause the coffee will still be resting 😂

[@audioman99]

Silly me, I always had just thought I under roasted the coffee :-) I love this video Brian. It’s something I will definitely want to try and I would love to see more roasting videos in general bean quality is not discussed enough. I guess it’s subjective, just like Audio :-)

[@The_Ubatron]

So, definitely past first crack? Does that mean the first single crack, the first time you hear three cracks in quick succession, or what might be described as a rolling first crack? Also, is ultra-light what some have referred to as Nordic roast?

[@Andrew-wp1bz]

It’s definitely possible to roast ultralights without hitting first crack (usually these are being doing on hybrid roasters like loring or stronghold). It’s all a spectrum. You could probably call Nordic roasts ultralights, but generally I’d think ultralights are a bit lighter than typical Nordic roasts. It’s really hard to put labels on this stuff.

[@BrianQuan]

Pretty much what Andrew said!

[@ConstantMotionJS]

Really interesting! Thanks for the share

[@BrianQuan]

Thanks for watching

[@keithpoolehomecoffeeroasti489]

What is a typical weight loss for ultra light? Thanks for the video.

[@cryptocontractor7983]

I use a kaffelogic roaster and i can set it for a low altitude and lowest light roast setting and get an ultra light roast.

[@FernandoHernandez-xq1zi]

Iconik Coffee did a very very light version of this coffee too and it was UNBELIEVABLE

[@BrianQuan]

This coffee is incredible. I had a previous lot from Regalia that I was very impressed by.

[@FernandoHernandez-xq1zi]

@@BrianQuan also where is his first crack stethoscope from? That’s nuts and I need it

[@arlow7705]

Picked up a bag of the ultralight bag. Would love any help dailing in for filter coffee either a V60 or Kalita Wave!

[@BrianQuan]

We probably will post a video about brewing in a few weeks when the coffee is rested!

[@kimoi.coffee]

this ultralight targets lighter than the typical nordic roasters

[@veganpotterthevegan]

I definitely miss coffees this light. But I live at 4300' now and my boiling point is too low for these coffees. One local cafe will pull shots with an ultralight roast but they're very big shots and more like an americano. Its definitely still grassy too

[@mack6861]

I'm at about 7200 feet, boiling at 93C. These kinds of coffees can be stellar at those temperatures. I know others who have had experience brewing at sea level and elevation and still prefer around 93 for even the lightest coffees in the world. Don't let it stop you!

[@veganpotterthevegan]

@@mack6861 I've had zero success brewing my own or buying great, very light coffee here(I'm a roaster myself). Also, this coffee in the video is darker than the light roast I really miss

[@mack6861]

​@@veganpottertheveganwho have you been ordering from? how have you been brewing them?

[@veganpotterthevegan]

@mack6861 the best I've had is from Anodyne coffee in Wisconsin but that was many years ago. I don't support the idea of ordering coffee over supporting local businesses and a place called Cupa(Salt Lake City) is the only local shop that roasts this light. I have my own, very small, high end coffee roasting business and I only sell locally. I can roast my own as light as I want and I roast as light as I can extract to my preferences.

[@mack6861]

@@veganpotterthevegan that's awesome! If you're ever curious, know there are ways to make even better coffee than you remember! Best of luck!

[@peterr8538]

I was super confised, thats how always roasted my beans, but then again, I am from Denmark in Scandinavia 😅

[@stonedsurvival]

Hi. What is the sensor that the roaster use in the trier port towards the end of the roast. Curious to know what it does!!

[@MoonwakeCoffeeRoasters]

It's actually a mechanic's stethoscope that we use to help detect first crack when it's harder to hear first crack - if the sound is really soft, and/or it's loud in our surrounding environment (i.e. the super loud VortX EcoFilter). These Ethiopian landrace varieties are sometimes challenging to detect first crack because the beans are very small and often vary in sizes.

[@BrianQuan]

an extremely advanced piece of technology 😂

[@Scandinavianalpscoffeeroasters]

Why not use the loring there?

[@kimoi.coffee]

Loring is bad 👹

[@pablojimenez1423]

maybe its a very expensive coffee and needed to do a smaller batch.

[@MoonwakeCoffeeRoasters]

@@pablojimenez1423 yup, basically the answer -- the co-roastery has different size roasters: Probat: 5kg Loring: 15kg and 35kg So we're limited to what roaster we can use based on our batch size and order volumes.

[@BrianQuan]

Loring one day

[@dpac9579]

How is this sold out already!?

[@MoonwakeCoffeeRoasters]

We just maxed out roasting capacity for this week, but we’ll be opening up more orders next week for our next roast!

[@BrianQuan]

People fiending for the wheatgrass 😂

[@barjee8965]

So Nordic style roast??

[@BrianQuan]

Often times lighter than Nordic imo

[@barjee8965]

@@BrianQuan Dayum!

[@Nondescripthumanoid]

I roast with a link roaster and most of it is geared towards this type of roasting lol the guide drives you there automatically after using the app. The profiles are meant to be ready to drink immediately but I find it tastes best in 2 to 3 days.

[@Nondescripthumanoid]

I do a lance Hedrick samo bloom for pour over. Bloom is at only 122 degrees F. Keeps the delicate volatiles in the cup. Then the rest is at full boil

[@Nondescripthumanoid]

I grind pretty fine. On my baratza esp its just to the right side of the third filter grind side bubble if anyone has that grinder.