Light Roast

11 articles

Central America: Six Countries, One Mountain Spine

A guide to coffee from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama, with flavors, harvest times and brewing tips.

A guide to bright, juicy Kenyan coffee: growing regions, SL28 and SL34, processing, what AA and AB mean, auctions and brewing tips.

What to know about Bourbon coffee (not the whiskey): its history, red, yellow and pink types, where it grows, flavor and how to roast and brew it.

Why Gesha coffee costs so much: its path from Ethiopia to Panama, how it grows, its floral flavor, what you will pay and how to brew it.

What SL28 and SL34 are, how they differ, why they define Kenyan coffee, how they taste and how to read a Kenyan bag and brew it well.

What to know about Typica coffee: why it matters, its path from Ethiopia to the Caribbean, how it tastes and how to roast and brew it.

How to taste coffee with the flavor wheel: what to look for in a cup, a simple tasting method and practice exercises you can do at home.

A beginner's guide to pour-over coffee with the V60 and Kalita Wave: choosing a dripper, gear, a simple recipe and fixes for common problems.

How coffee roasting works: what happens in the roaster, roast levels and their names, caffeine, espresso roast and which roast to buy.

What light roast coffee is, how it tastes, which beans suit it and how to brew it well, so you can tell if it is for you.

Why Ethiopia is the place to start with coffee: its origin story, regions, heirloom varieties, washed vs natural and how to brew a first bag.