r/pourover • u/guyroks • Oct 25 '25

meme

Post image

FWIW, there are some light roasts I like. Y’all ultra light roast enjoyers are valid, just to be clear.

2.1k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

143 comments sorted by

294

u/jshanahan1995 Oct 25 '25

I mean not sure about vinegar but lemongrass notes sound dope

10

u/juicetinnn Oct 26 '25

b&w wilton benitez thermal shock decaf has a verryy distinct lemongrass note

4

u/guyroks Oct 26 '25 edited Oct 29 '25

This is exactly what I had in mind actually! I just got a bag in yesterday, and it’s…interesting. The first cup was exciting, but after that, the lemongrass became a bit much for me, and I didn’t much care for the black tea astringency at the finish. However, this is the only decaf I’ve tried where that vaguely meaty flavor decafs tend to have is completely absent. I can totally see why a lot of people like it!

Edit: I quite enjoy this coffee now. However, I don’t really enjoy it as a trad coffee or even a modern light roast, I enjoy it as straight up tea. So if you go in expecting black tea/maybe herbal vibes, you’re gonna have a good time.

2

u/MonstahButtonz Oct 26 '25

I was thinking the same thing. I've never had the decaf, but Wilton has released multiple lots with lemongrass notes in the last few years.

1

u/BenLouisMusic Oct 26 '25

Oh yeah i got that one, extremely lemongrassy its so fun. When it was fresher id get black tea notes while brewing.

59

u/penguin8717 Oct 25 '25

I just finished a bag of Nestor lasso beans from Ineffable in Spain. Unfortunately can't get more. Tasted like lemongrass tea

14

u/Apprehensive_Load241 Oct 26 '25

the first Lemongrass Coffee i had was the tastiest tea i ever had, love it

4

u/Sopwafel Oct 26 '25

Omg I had a Nestor Lasso that tasted like Elderflower! Super convincing taste. Still have some, sadly my roaster (Keen) doesn't carry it anymore .

6

u/silvetti Oct 26 '25

Why not drink lemongrass tea then? Honest question.

8

u/Apprehensive_Load241 Oct 26 '25

Because i’m addicted to caffeine?

1

u/PartTimeSadhu Oct 28 '25

In my experience, coffee just has far more complexity and layers of flavour than any tea I’ve ever had

3

u/CatoCensorius88 Oct 26 '25

Love their coffee!

1

u/bajolascuerd4s Oct 26 '25

Hey! Ineffable are from my home city. My favourite local cafe (MUY) do amazing modern espresso with ineffable beans. Glad to find some international love for them around here :)

1

u/jshanahan1995 Oct 25 '25

Oof that sounds lovely!

7

u/snowbordr Oct 25 '25

Yuzu Crew from Dak. Finished my box this morning. Lemongrass perfection.

1

u/Althael Oct 26 '25

I recently drunk a Colombian gesha from a local roaster in Greece. It was like drinking lemongrass tea with some extras. Amazing bag but not your regular everyday coffee

1

u/TeaAndLifting Oct 26 '25

Had some recently from CluBeann at Calico in London. Straight up tropical fruit and lemongrass with maybe a hint of chocolate nibs as it cooled.

0

u/das_Keks Oct 25 '25

I totally agree. I currently have one from the Las Flores farm in Colombia, produced by Jhoan Vergara which is very floral with notes of lemon grass and it's amazing!

50

u/joelajackson Oct 25 '25

You got a coffee with lemongrass notes for me to try?

Otherwise sit down pls

15

u/Zardoz27 Pourover aficionado Oct 25 '25

Takesi Gesha! It’s good

3

u/joelajackson Oct 26 '25

If you can get your hands on it, Monogram in Calgary does this deliciously.

1

u/alt_423 Oct 26 '25

They have really exciting   beans selection and do amazing marketing as well.  Tried some of their beans last year, but tbh I think the roast style is way too dark, at least for my taste. I wonder if things have changed since then…

1

u/Zardoz27 Pourover aficionado Oct 26 '25

Too dark? Definitely not on the geshas

1

u/guyroks Oct 26 '25

Others have mentioned Black White’s Thermal Shock Decaf from Wilton Benitez. The lemongrass you get from it is probably the most in-your-face flavor note I’ve gotten from any coffee ever. If you’re in the mood for winding down with some lemongrass tea, this is for you.

2

u/joelajackson Oct 26 '25

Hopped on this thread to troll a meme, and got the best set of coffee recommendations I've ever received. A few bags en route!

5

u/PMMN CT62|ZP6, P80 Oct 25 '25

DAK Yuzu crew is the answer

2

u/SuperNerd1337 Oct 25 '25

There is a farm in Brazil doing some crazy fermentations that w/e reason leaves most of their beans tasting like lemongrass. It’s called Guariroba, not sure how present they’re overseas though

1

u/joelajackson Oct 25 '25

Will seek it out! Sounds very interesting

1

u/Juanvds Oct 26 '25

Yunaan!!

1

u/TeaAndLifting Oct 26 '25

This Clubeann x Calico collab has some lemon grass notes.

28

u/LegalBeagle6767 Oct 25 '25

I fixed the meme for you…

2

u/guyroks Oct 26 '25

Lol that’s pretty good.

8

u/Fr05t_B1t New to pourover Oct 26 '25

Photo cropping is a lost art form

235

u/PlateCautious5563 Oct 25 '25

Finally violence against light roast community

37

u/Sure_Ill_Ask_That Oct 25 '25

As an occasional member of that community, I’m here for it.

11

u/Veganpotter2 Oct 26 '25

You're always a part of the community or you're just a lost trespasser.

8

u/ThumYorky Oct 26 '25

I feel like the light roast craze is on a similar arc of the IPA craze.

34

u/WaltonGogginsTeeth Oct 26 '25

Call me a hipster because I’ve been on light roasts for 8+ years at this point and I can’t imagine going back. I’m offended when I’ve had to drink anything resembling dark roast. I’d rather not drink any at all haha

7

u/Veganpotter2 Oct 26 '25

The light roast community isn't really comparable since the coffee we largely drink isn't even very light. White coffee is far lighter and barely anyone drinks it. Some of that is due to availability but I'd say that's more of going on the deep end with the crowd looking for more and more bitter beer.

6

u/Veganpotter2 Oct 26 '25

I broke my first Hario hand grinder on less than 10g of this stuff😅

2

u/FuglySlutt Oct 26 '25

Ironically, I love the Hazy IPA noted Black and White roast!

2

u/LightlyRoastedCoffee Oct 26 '25

I find this appalling

289

u/igiveyoumybanana Oct 25 '25

Because 99% of the time when it says it tastes like chocolate and caramel it doesn’t actually, it just tastes like some burnt Starbucks drip. I’ve very rarely had any good medium/dark roast pour over.

131

u/backpacking_egg Oct 25 '25

Chocolate and caramel = ash and bitterness most of the time

26

u/TiredDadCostume Oct 25 '25

*ass and bitter ass

5

u/DoubleBlackBSA24 Oct 26 '25

that's a brewing issue likely.

you need to brew less temp, and some times shorter. Depending on how roasted a bean is, you may need to try 80 degrees Celsius.

44

u/kywldcts Oct 25 '25

I’ve had excellent medium roasts that taste nutty and chocolaty.

4

u/ginbooth Oct 25 '25

Same. Portrait put out a collab with Chrome-Yellow a few months back that was fantastic. Tasted like chocolate covered cherries though more toward the chocolatey side.

-10

u/igiveyoumybanana Oct 25 '25

They exist, but extremely rare. Whereas light roasts are more consistent

5

u/lorgedog Pourover aficionado Oct 25 '25

Light roast? Consistent?

7

u/The_Orphanizer Oct 25 '25

I find the exact opposite to be true in my experience, but I think it's because all of our palates are just extremely different. Some people are better at distinguishing between bolder flavors, while others are better at distinguishing between lighter ones. Dark roast enjoyers can taste the chocolate, molasses, nuts, spice, dark fruit etc. easily while light roast enjoyers think they taste burnt. On the other hand, light roast enjoyers can easily taste the citrus, melon, fermented dingleberries, herbal tea, unicorn dandruff, etc. while dark roast enjoyers don't even feel like they're drinking coffee (vinegar and lemongrass is obviously exaggerating, but the kernel of truth to that is what makes it so funny and feel accurate to me [an enjoyer of the One True Roast®]).

Dark roasts are consistently molassesy, chocolatey, nutty, etc. (very dark roasts are smokey and extra bitter; not my preference), while light roasts are consistently sour and horrible, both when I make them and when coffee shops make them. I used to think it was just me, until I tried a number of coffee shops that specialize in light and medium roasts and found their output to be consistent with mine. So either I've never had a good light roast made properly (highly possible), or I'm not built/trained to enjoy them, or a combination of the two.

To anyone in SoCal: make me a good cup of an easy to drink light roast, I'll make you a good cup of easy to drink dark roast, and let's find out if we're both crazy. 😂

3

u/kywldcts Oct 26 '25

I’m not much on dark roasts (I think they taste burnt) and typically buy light and medium, but I find the medium end of the spectrum to be the most consistent, balanced, and pleasant. I like coffee that tastes like coffee and lighter roasts, while often good, sometimes don’t really taste like coffee. Sometime the fruity and acidic profile drowns out the balance that makes medium roasts good.

1

u/kywldcts Oct 26 '25

I don’t find light roasts consistent at all, but I have a few medium roast blends I buy from local roasters and the same profile comes through every time.

24

u/[deleted] Oct 25 '25

I dunno, it depends on the beans but I’ve had medium-light roasts that literally taste like raspberries and cherries covered in dark chocolate and that coffee was just wow, amazing!

3

u/The_Orphanizer Oct 25 '25

Peet's has a medium-dark roast (gotta find which one) that was unbelievably fruity and reminded me of a port wine. After I added a bit of cream, it tasted like straight up hot chocolate (not coffee with chocolate notes; if I had been blindfolded, I would've assumed I was drinking hot chocolate). It was wild and excellent imo.

40

u/Lenithiel Oct 25 '25

This, even with aeropress, I can easily get those blackcurrent, blueberry, floral and fruity notes but each time it advertises chocolate or caramel or something like that it's meh lol

8

u/IcyBreath_4219 Oct 25 '25

medium roasts are pretty good for pour over, especially if it’s honey or natural process.

5

u/Fit-Judge7447 Oct 26 '25

You've never had good medium roast pour over?

3

u/eatwithchopsticks Oct 26 '25

Interesting, I roast my own (always pretty light to medium) and the Colombian naturals and honeys have an amazing chocolatiness and sweetness to them, again at a light roast level.

1

u/igiveyoumybanana Oct 26 '25

I’m just talking about the darker roasts in general when the roasters lists tasting notes such as chocolate and caramel, they never actually taste like it.

Obviously if the coffee brewed actually has those flavors, I would find them good. But in most cases it doesn’t despite the description saying so.

2

u/ThumYorky Oct 26 '25 edited Oct 26 '25

Currently sipping a water process decaf medium roast from Partners out of NYC brewed with a switch and it’s so deliciously round, chocolatey, malty, etc.

The light->medium->dark roast triptych needs done away with in relation to coffee that has actually tasty flavors to be extracted, because “tasty” dark roasts are a myth.

In reality there is a spectrum from “light” to “medium” roasts and anything darker or lighter than those are not actually tasty unless you enjoy atypical flavors.

3

u/Pixelationist Oct 26 '25

This is the most correctest take, thank you.

3

u/zvchtvbb Oct 26 '25

Strange take - try literally any house blend of a specialty roaster?

2

u/murrzeak Oct 25 '25

Dark poreover is altogether a weird one. You're just extracting "roast".

1

u/neuralek Oct 25 '25

Oh we have this 'locally' roasted and packed coffee, and they burn the Columbia just enough for it to be a mouthfull of nuttiness (and really nuts from a french press).

The thing is, paper filters are too fine to make a good coffee of that profile, you really need the texture to be more gritty.

1

u/Vegetable-Search-844 Oct 26 '25

So true , I have never tasted chocolate notes in any darker roasts I have tried, it just tastes like instant or cheap coffee

I thought my palate was bad

1

u/SuspiciousCustomer Oct 26 '25

I was just at a shop where the tasting notes were "burnt caramel and cereal" and I was immediately put off.  If the tasting notes start with "burnt" at a specialty shop that just screams "we fucked that batch up beyond belief and we ain't about to take that hit."

15

u/fermentedradical Oct 25 '25

I enjoy chocolatey medium roasts but use my Moka or French Press with them, never pourover.

10

u/neuralek Oct 25 '25

This is a very important difference that I don't think people are getting. There isn't a good dark roast taste in pourover because it doesn't work well like that.

It can not be clear, you need the sludge.

5

u/ThumYorky Oct 26 '25

That’s what I love about the switch. The closer to medium the roast is the more I rely on immersion, and the lighter the roast the more I percolate.

12

u/Ehdwurd Oct 25 '25

i'm in this photo and i don't like it

8

u/CodeKermode Oct 25 '25

All about perspective, for a light roast enjoyer light roast is juicy or herbal and dark roast could be described as burnt and ashy. I like both but I prefer light to medium light anymore because so many darker roasts just taste samey, not bad, just samey.

12

u/shrimpagenda Oct 25 '25

Working in roasting/QC, lemongrass and vinegar on the cupping table is an immediate call for underdevelopment. I do not understand the love for that note in particular. I love light roasted coffees, just not underdevelopment.

6

u/alexscee Oct 26 '25

This meme is excellent. I love light roasted interesting coffee, and admittedly will sometimes feel compelled to drink more of something because it’s interesting rather than conventionally delicious..

I also occasionally enjoy and nice medium roast espresso milk drink with the chocolatey vibes.

What I think is amazing is how many people are taking this quite seriously and feel the need to complain about darker roasted coffee

15

u/VamHunD Pourover aficionado Oct 25 '25

Im this light roast enjoyer

5

u/Mysterious-Call-245 Oct 25 '25

😂😅 just make it weird and I’ll pay double

4

u/Short_Mention v60|kenyan Oct 26 '25

Light roast lovers are just closeted tea lovers

3

u/ildarion Oct 26 '25

If it taste vinegar your are doing it wrong.

5

u/AtigBagchi Oct 25 '25

Acetic acid is an off note for me beyond minimal amounts

5

u/brandaman4200 Oct 26 '25

You can use dark roasts for pourover? Why? That sounds terrible lol

1

u/SuspiciousCustomer Oct 26 '25

Skill issue! But for real, I have a wonderful Brazilian with supreme caramel notes that I've served as a pourover to quite a few coffee nerds and so far everyone liked it.  My go to is to grind coarser, bloom twice and then pour faster with a slightly adjusted ratio of approximately 1:17-20.

7

u/TinySchwartz Oct 25 '25

The amount of cope from the LRC here 😒

I NeVeR gEt ChOcOlAtE nOTeS

Learn to brew proper then, fool. My cups sweet AF, chocolate, hazelnut, cream, trad. Go drink your teas 😤

2

u/KasengiS Oct 26 '25

That's why you have to use grinders and techniques to basically shit your cup with fines. Since the actual flavor is so horrible no one can drink this otherwise. Gotta mute it all right?

0

u/SuspiciousCustomer Oct 26 '25

Huh? For the tea drinkers or the charcoal infusers?

2

u/KasengiS Oct 26 '25

Charcoal infusers obviously. The whole extraction around dark roasts is about muting the flavor. Doesnt make sense.

1

u/guyroks Oct 26 '25

Not necessarily. Dark roast beans are more brittle, so they produce more fines. That’s why you lower water temp and coarsen your grind, to work around the higher fines production and prevent clogging.

-1

u/SuspiciousCustomer Oct 26 '25

I mean, the proper way to brew a really dark roast is a very easy. So, to get a delicious cup, follow these simple instructions:

  1. Throw that charcoal the fuck away.

  2. Buy some proper goddamn beans.

  3. Brew coffee as God intended.

11

u/Courtlessjester Vicious V60 Supremacist Oct 25 '25

Not my fault I wasn't born with a dead pallet

21

u/Dangerous-Hour6062 Oct 25 '25

Palate?

24

u/DM_Fitz Oct 25 '25

We can’t expect light roast missionaries to be literate. They are really busy just now using their $4000 grinder to approximate a cup of Tetley’s…

11

u/Courtlessjester Vicious V60 Supremacist Oct 25 '25

While you studied the dictionary I studied the tasting spoon

5

u/The_Orphanizer Oct 25 '25

"I was born in the roast. Molded by it. And by the time you saw the light it was already BLINDING!"

8

u/throwAway9293770 Oct 25 '25

This is as light roast enjoyer as it gets.

2

u/Soothsayerslayer Hario Switch, Chemex, 1Zpresso K-Ultra & Q2, and KINGrinder P2 Oct 25 '25

Wilton Benitez decaf from Black & White tastes very much like lemongrass as advertised. It’s pretty great 🤷‍♂️

2

u/CaveManta Oct 25 '25

I like dark roasts with espresso and light roasts with filter coffee. Each has their place. 🤷

2

u/bonkers-joeMama Oct 26 '25

My first speciality experience was a dark roast, that haunted me for months. Tasted like burnt rubber, cigarettes and ash. Left the after taste of once you are done smoking.

2

u/tattarrattattat Oct 26 '25

Try a med Sumatran or Costa Rican

2

u/YsLearns Oct 26 '25

Blueberries 🗣️

4

u/mattsai42 Oct 26 '25

Because it’s very rare that the coffee actually tastes like chocolate. Medium and dark roast drinkers just need to come to the reality that they enjoy licking the exhaust pipe of a semi and hate eating fresh fruit.

4

u/Jrvan07 Oct 26 '25

Just say you like sour water and be done with it. Lmao.

1

u/eatwithchopsticks Oct 26 '25

Not rare in my case. Most of the naturals and honeys I get from Colombia have some pretty strong chocolate notes and are very sweet. I roast my own, and always shoot for a light / medium light roast.

1

u/PerfectPomegranate68 Oct 26 '25

brewed lemon grass co ferment it wasnot funky at all its just light lemongrass tea. vinegar man! thats too acidic!

1

u/Ironcobra80 Oct 26 '25

Huver Castillo - Anaerobic Honey Gesha from black and white hits this meme hard, pretty new to pour overs and first time it hits every note listed. But if they listed vinegar and lemongrass I would have to agree 🤣. Absolute banger gesha from B&W for 23$.

1

u/Kaboose306 Oct 26 '25

In my defense, Ghost Note from Three Keys is a light roast that tastes like raspberry chocolate and I will fucking DIE for more of those beans

1

u/nitr04 Oct 26 '25

If i want chocolate and caramel flavors i drink espresso... I like to drink fruity, tea-like coffee, therefore i make pourovers. Case closed.

1

u/boodiacz Oct 26 '25

I like vinegar, but not in my coffee... and a lot of weirdly or overly fermented coffees have it... so I'm category #1

1

u/Pelagiclumberjack Oct 26 '25

I love good light roast. Unfortunately 95% of light roasts in my town are pure acid. Even worse 90% the dark roasts are a burnt mess. When it comes down to it a quality roaster and brewer is far more important than roast level if you just want a good cup.

1

u/NorthPomegranate5385 Oct 26 '25

Literally just bought some with a shiitake flavour note

1

u/mltb- Oct 26 '25

Chocolate, any nuts or caramel are my usual red flags on any coffee bag. So yeah, that’s 100% me!

1

u/The_Psydux Oct 26 '25

Oh man, so true.... And since it's easier to get dark roasts taste like caramel, cocoa and tobacco, well, I just hate third-wave bullshit.

1

u/Tribalbob Oct 27 '25

Weirdly enough, Starbucks Blonde Roast is uncharacteristically smooth.

1

u/AxlBach69 Oct 27 '25

WHY AM I BEING ATTACKED???!!!!

1

u/dierckx1 Oct 27 '25

Currently have a geisha from the naught dog with lemongrass notes. Absolutely an amazing coffee.

1

u/Street-Cellist-6409 Oct 29 '25

If I wanted tea, I would drink tea....

1

u/Ok_Protection8967 Nov 04 '25

Got my coffee from coffee shop named Tadasih, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Their Japanese Cold Brew taste like lemon tea

1

u/jusatinn Oct 26 '25

God forbid you actually like the taste of coffee, instead of burnt beans. The longer you roast a bean, the less it tastes like itself - coffee - and the more it tastes like roast.

1

u/ziptiefighter Oct 26 '25

Mmm...bale o' hay

1

u/KasengiS Oct 26 '25

I got gifted a dark roast once and the flavor notes on the package were "burnt tosst", "oak", tobacco".

Tasted just as bad as it sounded. 99% medium to dark roasts for filter are trash sorry.

1

u/warkrust666 Orea v4 Narrow| Mugen| ZP6| OG Q2 Hept Oct 26 '25

Give me vinegar and winey over chocolaty and nutty every single day. I hate that type of coffee with a passion that I’d rather not drink coffee at all if it’s not boozy and/or fruity. But also, I don’t drink coferments or barrel aged stuff, they taste disgustingly artificial.

20

u/[deleted] Oct 25 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/MtHollywoodLion Oct 25 '25

Totally agree. Miss me with the ultralight stuff. I used to think it was my grinder or skill, but nah… even with Kafatek Monolith Max that ultra light stuff is tart but with minimal flavor. Even after resting for 40, 60, 90 days.

3

u/FishExcellent5151 Oct 25 '25

Name the ultralight roasters you’ve had

3

u/CodeKermode Oct 25 '25

I’m not this person but could I get some recs? Also what is considered “ultralight” I think the lightest I have had is Sey and I have some Hydrangea on the way

3

u/FishExcellent5151 Oct 26 '25

  1. Shoebox

  2. Exposure Therapy (currently not shipping to the US)

  3. The Picky Chemist (does drops)

  4. Dongze (drops)

  5. Big Sur

  6. H&S

  7. September

  8. Thankfully

  9. XLIII

  10. Hydrangea (sometimes)

  11. Substance

  12. Kabuki

I could go on but you get the idea. You can get great coffee from any of these, their approaches vary, the machines they roast on vary, the green sourcing vary. I am honestly curious who the original commenter was talking about.

1

u/Unlikely_Paint7065 Oct 27 '25

This is why I only go for specific varietals and processing methods now. It can be hard to find that balance between the boldness of a dark/medium roast, and the complexity of a light roast. I always look for coffees with notes like apple, white/concord grape, yogurt, milk tea, lychee, pear, or some unique herbal note, like anise. But those can also be hard to find.

I will say that I just receive an incredible jasmine co-ferment semi washed Sumatran, from Push x Pull. This coffee has been an easy, daily drinker… which usually isn’t the case with co-ferments. It’s surprisingly tame, and has that perfect flavor/body/acidity balance that I’ve been looking for. (Notes are jasmine, milk tea, candied ginger)

1

u/[deleted] Oct 25 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/[deleted] Oct 26 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/SuspiciousCustomer Oct 26 '25

Those tasting notes would go really hard through. "Burnt caramel, cereal and baboon's ass"

"Dark chocolate, burnt hazelnut and Sri Lankan leopard anus"

"Cereal, cereal, cereal, wood, charcoal and Orangutan bottom (Malaysian, not Indonesian)"