Best Light Roast Coffee Beans
August 20, 2023 4:35 PM Subscribe
What are your favorite light roast coffee beans? I live in San Francisco and would buy from a store or would order online. I grind them myself, make drip coffee, and add almond milk and sometimes a bit of sweetener. I am not interested in roasting my own beans.
For me, coffee begins and ends with Peet’s. That is all.
posted by scratch at 4:57 PM on August 20, 2023
posted by scratch at 4:57 PM on August 20, 2023
There’s a roaster here in Bremerton that does a lighter roast I’ve been using for pour over, and I *love* it. It’s got hints of cocoa and isn’t bitter at all. I buy whole beans, but they will also grind to order.
The coffee I buy is Monsoon Malabar. I should show up preselected in the link.
Ootopia Coffee
posted by dbmcd at 5:14 PM on August 20, 2023
The coffee I buy is Monsoon Malabar. I should show up preselected in the link.
Ootopia Coffee
posted by dbmcd at 5:14 PM on August 20, 2023
I’ve been drinking Heart Roasters single origin coffee for years, it’s next level delicious. I live in Portland so I buy it from the shop, but I see they (claim to) have carbon neutral shipping.
posted by outfielder at 5:16 PM on August 20, 2023
posted by outfielder at 5:16 PM on August 20, 2023
My go-to roaster is Topeca Coffee. My favorite is Ethiopian Shakiso. The nice thing about Topeca, besides the amazing coffee, is that every bag is labeled on a light-to-dark scale and I've found it to be very accurate.
posted by bluesky43 at 5:23 PM on August 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by bluesky43 at 5:23 PM on August 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Boy you are gonna be spoiled for great local options in SF. We have a subscription to Cute Coffee; Bird and Bear is based out of Cole Valley and is great. Linea is also local and does a great bean.
In general, I'd say that great coffee is like great bread: locally roasted is usually fresher and better. SF has many great options beyond what is listed above; any fancy market like Bi Rite, Gus's or Other Avenues will have lots of options. Same goes for any great 3rd wave coffee shop like Linea, Coffee Movement, etc.
posted by billjings at 5:29 PM on August 20, 2023 [3 favorites]
In general, I'd say that great coffee is like great bread: locally roasted is usually fresher and better. SF has many great options beyond what is listed above; any fancy market like Bi Rite, Gus's or Other Avenues will have lots of options. Same goes for any great 3rd wave coffee shop like Linea, Coffee Movement, etc.
posted by billjings at 5:29 PM on August 20, 2023 [3 favorites]
Castro Coffee in the Castro has a variety of light roasted beans, and at very good prices.
posted by blob at 7:16 PM on August 20, 2023
posted by blob at 7:16 PM on August 20, 2023
No idea if Peet's is still roasted in the bay area, but if you are going to go with them, I really like their Luminosa Breakfast Blend.
posted by mmascolino at 7:27 PM on August 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mmascolino at 7:27 PM on August 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Locally, Andytown is fantastic; they're the best roaster I buy from in the city. It's worth buying direct as the beans stocked in local supermarkets are often quite old. I also really like Verve, Four Barrel, and Grand Coffee (on Mission). I've heard great things about St Frank's but haven't made it over to check their stuff out. Some of my friends really like Ritual but I've found them to be inconsistent and difficult to extract properly, though I might give them another go.
You might check out The Coffee Movement, which has a reputation as a great cafe with highly skilled baristas and a wide selection of beans from roasters across the country.
You can also check out the Coffee forum on Home Barista and they'll have plenty of advice for roasters across the world. Onyx and Black and White are perennial favorites over there but I haven't tried them out yet myself.
posted by kdar at 7:39 PM on August 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
You might check out The Coffee Movement, which has a reputation as a great cafe with highly skilled baristas and a wide selection of beans from roasters across the country.
You can also check out the Coffee forum on Home Barista and they'll have plenty of advice for roasters across the world. Onyx and Black and White are perennial favorites over there but I haven't tried them out yet myself.
posted by kdar at 7:39 PM on August 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
I came to recommend Bird and Bear, but billjings already beat me to it. You can even buy the beans from their garage if you are able to show up the few hours a week they do a popup shop (which is right off the N.)
posted by aspo at 8:37 PM on August 20, 2023
posted by aspo at 8:37 PM on August 20, 2023
Ditto Bird and Bear. If you miss them at their garage, Lukes up the street carries the full selection of their beans.
posted by niicholas at 8:54 PM on August 20, 2023
posted by niicholas at 8:54 PM on August 20, 2023
You're in SF, so do youyrself a favor: walk to Pinhole or Sextant or Four Barrel or whichever is your nearest third wave coffee place and ask the people working there.
You're also going to have two broad categories of options: commodity coffee (i.e. big name brands, which are blends of beans from many sources that are titrated for consistency around a single, broadly-appealing flavor profile at a consistently low price) and specialty coffee (small brands that are often from a single plot of land, producer, region, etc. that are appreciated for their unique flavor/aroma profile). The really great thing about the latter category is that the beans are often roasted locally, so the coffee cup experience is as fresh as it gets. But that also means it's hard to recommend a specific specialty coffee because it's kind of like eating vegetables that are in season. Unlike the vegetables that are produced at massive scale because they're easy to transport and are consistent, you just have to go to the market and see what's available.
Your local barista will be happy to have you ask, what's a light roast that goes well with milk that you've got around right now?
Gosh I miss Pinhole...
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 12:27 AM on August 21, 2023
You're also going to have two broad categories of options: commodity coffee (i.e. big name brands, which are blends of beans from many sources that are titrated for consistency around a single, broadly-appealing flavor profile at a consistently low price) and specialty coffee (small brands that are often from a single plot of land, producer, region, etc. that are appreciated for their unique flavor/aroma profile). The really great thing about the latter category is that the beans are often roasted locally, so the coffee cup experience is as fresh as it gets. But that also means it's hard to recommend a specific specialty coffee because it's kind of like eating vegetables that are in season. Unlike the vegetables that are produced at massive scale because they're easy to transport and are consistent, you just have to go to the market and see what's available.
Your local barista will be happy to have you ask, what's a light roast that goes well with milk that you've got around right now?
Gosh I miss Pinhole...
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 12:27 AM on August 21, 2023
I LOVE Chesapeake Bay Coffee Roasters, especially their Diamondback light roast. They do flat rate shipping.
posted by whitetigereyes at 8:33 AM on August 21, 2023
posted by whitetigereyes at 8:33 AM on August 21, 2023
.Coming at this from a different angle: Do you know what it is you like about light roast? Light roast from Colombia tastes very different than light roast from Tanzania. Once I figured it out for myself, almost any brand that has those qualities is delicious to me. For myself, I like sun-dried or verrrry lightly roasted beans from parts of Ethiopia (but not yirgacheffe), Tanzania, and Burundi. They tend to be described with these words: fruit, stone fruit, blueberry, citrus, wine. Ceremony is an example of a brand that sells beans described like this. Maybe you can narrow it down for your own taste. Good luck!
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 9:11 AM on August 21, 2023
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 9:11 AM on August 21, 2023
Verve coffee are based out of Santa Cruz and are one of my favorite light roasts
posted by TwoWordReview at 11:32 AM on August 21, 2023
posted by TwoWordReview at 11:32 AM on August 21, 2023
I’ll take a different tack and mention you can roast your own at home. I got an SR-800 last fall and have been home-roasting light roasts since then and it is both cheaper and more fun. Though I can only roast a half pound at a time so it’s a three-times-a-week deal.
Light roasts are easier than dark ones, though there is still a little learning curve. Sorry I have no insight into the S F scene being in the Midwest. I bet there are some local shops that would sell green beans just on the principle that they like to support local coffee enthusiasts.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 6:30 PM on August 21, 2023
Light roasts are easier than dark ones, though there is still a little learning curve. Sorry I have no insight into the S F scene being in the Midwest. I bet there are some local shops that would sell green beans just on the principle that they like to support local coffee enthusiasts.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 6:30 PM on August 21, 2023
Onyx is my absolute favorite. Black and White, Driftaway, and Sey are also great. More recently I've discovered and loved duck-rabbit and Dak.
If you happen to visit NYC, Villager tends to have many of these beans in stock.
posted by 168 at 4:57 AM on August 28, 2023
If you happen to visit NYC, Villager tends to have many of these beans in stock.
posted by 168 at 4:57 AM on August 28, 2023
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My local food co-op carries them, I bet yours might too (or could if you asked). You can also mail order and it comes pretty quick.
I'm partial to their Prairie Monk blend of light and dark roasts, but they have plenty of great light roasts too.
https://justcoffee.coop/
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:42 PM on August 20, 2023 [1 favorite]