When it comes to choosing the right beans to convert into a fantastic light roast coffee there are no wrong answers. Everything is subjective, but the bean choice does influence the roasting techniques and inevitably the flavors.
Light roasts chemically hold on to more caffeine. Sorry, dark roast fans, the taste may embolden, but the chemistry says you are getting close to a fourth of the total CQA content.
The following defines terms and concept so that you can better understand the essential flavors. All this before their translation from luscious green coffee cherries to a finely roasted bean.
Light Roast Coffee Flavors
Choosing the right beans means knowing how the beans will transform in flavor profile through a roasting process. It also means knowing what qualities they start with.
Each country that grows coffee beans does so in different soils and at different elevations. Each of these broad categoric variations creates a different bean.
The differences between coffees may be subtle, and for some, not noticeable. However, coffee tasting isn’t wine tasting. The people that know their business actually know their business.
Longstanding love for Kona beans from Hawaii point to a clear distinction in the flavor of the heavy acid volcanic soil grown beans.
Aftertaste in light roasts is sometimes ignored. While a dark roast may boast a rich aftertaste or even leave room for a chaser (cookies and biscuits exist for reasons), light roasts get ignored. The clean and often delicate aftertastes should be noted when present.
The width and breadth of coffee selection shows just how many differences can stack up quickly. Selecting the right beans for your roasting purposes also takes into account the price.
Region Selection
Coffee coming from specific continents, and furthermore, regions within those continents, are grouped together in descriptive indexes. This is because the conditions, even over the space of a continent, have some similarities that run as an undercurrent through the beans.
Not all areas in the world are suitable for growing coffee naturally. This list comprises the three major coffee growing areas and their diverse regions.
Asia
Asian coffees provide the lowest acidity while maintaining deeper earthen tones. Body of Asian coffees come across as strong and spicy. However, Asian coffees don’t do well in a light roast. Much of the flavor is in the oil, which isn’t expressed in a light roast.
The exception being the Indian region which produces a smoother and mild bean which works with lighter roasting and comes out as a pale, but pleasing color. The paleness comes from moisture added after processing but before roasting.
Papua New Guinea is an offshoot and almost classified as Oceania. Much like Hawaii, the remote nature of the place offers up new flavors. The volcanic soils yield beans with a sweet flavor and relatively free of other dominating flavors.
These beans work well in blends and to brighten up deeper flavors.
Africa
African beans bring out bright and fruity flavors. Some regions are smoother and others bring in the sweet in addition to acidic qualities.
In general, the floral capacity of African beans makes them excellent candidates for light roasts. The roasting preserves much of the more delicate flavors and doesn’t intrude so much acid as to ruin the sweet undertones.
Tanzanian beans, in particular, offer a more broad citrusy flavor which enhances the jasmine notes in the aroma. These beans work for long light roasts and blur the line into medium roast beans.
Rwanda offers some of the best floral and fruit notes, especially the Rift Valley. Increasing support for the growing infrastructure continues to drive Rwanda prices down as supplies increase.
South American
The Americas provide a larger tapestry of coffee bean types. The soils of South America are rich for growing coffee faster and in higher quantities. Millions of acres of mountain soil tracts produce some of the most well-known beans.
The flavor profile brings in chocolaty and nutty qualities, not surprising in the land that produced the cacao plant.
Quality of aroma excels from the chocolate undertones and the sometimes bright and fruity finishes.
South American beans work well for light, medium, and dark roasts because the layers of flavor touch on several palettes. Each roast emphasizes a different quality of the beans.
The Costa Rica area produces brighter and smoother beans which lend more to light roasting. The Brazilian area gets into nuttier flavors which can be hard to tease out in a light roast, but worth it if you have the skill.
Hawaiian
Fruity, mild, delicate are all descriptors of Hawaiian coffee, especially the Kona region. These flavors fade under heavy roasting and are the hallmark for light roasts for a reason.
Raw Tasting
Coffee roasters are familiar with the concept of cupping and tasting evaluations. These tastings rely on light roasts to show off the more authentic flavor of the beans.
Green coffee is often presented alongside the light roasts to give additional information on the aroma. Gaining a sense of green coffee is essential to understanding the roasting process and the resulting flavor.
Even though this is common, the lesson is lost on many. Roasters get lost in a “trees for the forest” style ideology that their roasting acumen can make any bean viable.
While proper roasting will bring out a flavor and can transform even sad beans into a workable brew, there is no reason to start there.
Picking the best beans for your purpose makes more sense than grabbing any beans and forcing them to behave in a particular way.
Brew it Up
You take pains to craft a carefully controlled environment and roasting technique. You work hard to issue a flawless presentation to bring consumers an idealized cup.
Taking that process one step backward to selecting the best light roast coffee beans enhances the experience that much more.
Contact us for information on how to get started with deliveries big and small, blended and single origin. We do it all.