Showerthought: The whole 'burnt coffee is just strong coffee' thing is a lie.

I keep hearing people at my local spot in Springfield say their bitter, ashy cup is just 'bold'. It matters because it means they're drinking stale, over-roasted beans and thinking that's the goal. Anyone know a good roaster that actually explains roast levels on the bag?

3 comments

3 Comments

cameronjenkins19d ago

Yeah, and it's not just coffee... it's like how dark toast got trendy as 'artisan' when it's just burnt bread. People get sold a worse version of something and told it's fancy. I see it with craft beer too, where 'hoppy' can just mean they messed up the balance. A good roaster should tell you what you're actually buying, not hide behind words that sound tough.

terryk2819d ago

Wait, hold up. Dark toast is actually different though, lol. Burnt coffee tastes like ash because the beans are roasted too long, destroying the flavor. But dark toast is just the Maillard reaction going further, it's still caramelizing sugars, not straight up burning. I've had amazing dark rye toast that's deep and sweet, not bitter. They're not the same thing.

davis.adam19d ago

Terry's right about the chemistry being different. Cameronjenkins has a point about marketing, but a good dark roast coffee shouldn't taste like ash if it's done right. It's about control, not just burning stuff.