With the delicate notes that come with light roasts, it’s important to seek out the best of the best when it comes to Light Roast Coffee. A light roast should be consistent in its thinner body and higher acidity. The notes are very important as well as they help highlight those very characteristics.
What is Light Roast Coffee?
Light Roast Coffee means shorter roasting time at a lower temperature that produces a more dense bean. That bean is more acidic but also full of benefits, as compared to a dark roast. Light roasts are complex because when the bean is roasted for less time, it has to depend on what flavors are natural to the bean rather than what flavors come from the caramelization in darker roasts. The light roast beans have to be the best from the start!
Read our full article, What is Light Roast Coffee, here, for a more in depth- look at our beloved light roast coffee.
Tim Wendelboe— Finica Tamana
Norwegian roasts are infamously light, and this roast is no exception. Tim Wendelboe is a coffee brand, a coffee shop, and a world champion barista. The man himself, Tim, has been winning barista international competitions for years. All of those competitions have aided him in having the knowledge to make the best coffee.
Notes of brown sugar, stone fruit, and herbal combines some classics with something more innovative. Although the beans are grown all the way in Colombia, Tim has a big part in their production. The farmers and him have worked to perfect the entire process of getting this blend to be what it is. Everything from the fertilizers to weeds control to milling. The current harvest of Finica Tamana is something that Tim is very proud of.
When it comes to brewing this delectable light roast, Tim highly recommends purchasing a coffee scale, like this one, to ensure consistent results with each brew. Find out why we recommend using coffee scales also, in our article 3 Reasons Why You Need a Coffee Scale.
Counter Culture— La Golondrina
One of the all time favorites, not even just for the light roast, can be found here. They are serving us those milk chocolate, cherry, and nutty notes all while maintaining a 78/100 on Counter Culture’s light roast scale. The beans are kosher and organically grown in Colombia, and have been since 2007. A prime example of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
Similar to a number of coffee brands on this list, Counter Culture is considered a part of the third wave of coffee. They provide a lot of information on each blend in order to be transparent, as well as more sustainable and educational.
Bulletproof— Luminate
Bulletproof is another brand that is held to high standards for the quality of their “clean“ coffee. They are known for their sustainability and boasting Rainforest Alliance Certification on all of their coffee products.
Already finding this roast interesting? Find them on Amazon, here!
This light roast option of theirs is a classic with its milk chocolate, orange, berry, and citrus notes. The notes are considered “vibrant“, and rightfully so. We found that this type of coffee is best for pour over or drip coffee maker.
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La Colombe— Malawi – Mzuzu Union
Papaya, molasses, and lavender are not very common notes, but they shine in this light roast with a bit fuller of a body. It is sold as a “lighter roast“, with its “light tropical acidity”, so this could be the perfect roast to ease you in to the world of light roasts.
Purchase this roast and read up about the bean on La Colombe’s website, here.
Take note of the namesake of the coffee, for the Mzuzu Coffee Planters Cooperative Union was created in 2007 in order to produce the best coffee possible.
CREMA— San Judas
CREMA is a small business that you may or may not have heard of. They are notable because they have been second in the SCAA’s Roasters Choice Competition two different times before. They only trust the best farmers to grow the beans that they later roast. Rather than taking a trip to visit CREMA in Nashville, Tennessee, although it is the perfect reason to, order this roast, here.
Tasting with a mellow, mandarin, orange acidity, it also has notes of nougat and golden raisin to look out for. They recommend certain filter brewing techniques in order to get the most flavor out of this light roast coffee. That means it’s time to whip out a Chemex or Kalita wave!
Koffee Kult— White Lightning
This very light, light roast is described as “not for everyone“. Only give it a try if you love all that light roasts stands for, meaning a higher caffeine content and even earthier flavoring as far as the fruity notes are concerned. If you’ve been looking to try something more extreme, this one is for you. If you think you’re ready to try it, you can find it on Amazon, here! The flavors of this coffee are smooth and can taste for yourself on purchase.
Tiny Footprint Coffee— Ethiopia Guji Suke Quto
One can’t talk about how great this coffee is without talking about the mission behind it first. It is “carbon negative coffee“, meaning a particular amount of money is donated for every pound of coffee that is made. The donations fund the reforestation of Ecuador’s Mindo cloud forest, or easier said, they are used to plant trees. One day, those trees will remove the CO2 produced during the coffee distribution process.
The process that it takes to make this light roast is completely guilt free. The notes are orange zest and lemon accented acidity but with milk chocolate and some spice in the finish and body as well. Bring this light roast full circle by making use of the grounds from the coffee as well!
Check out Tiny Footprint Coffee’s varieties, like this light roast, on Amazon or view them on their website!
Thanks for reading up on a few brands out there that are the best light roast coffees on the market. Be sure to pick a few up and try them out for yourself, or check out these medium roast and dark roast options instead. There is sure to be a new coffee that becomes your go-to.
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Brew ya later! ☕️
