For pour-over brewers, the first thing to consider before creating a brewing plan is the roast level of the coffee beans, as extraction performance varies across different roast levels. Light roast beans, due to their lighter roasting, retain more floral and fruity aromas, making them highly favored by coffee enthusiasts. So which coffee beans are light roasts? Today, Front Street Coffee will introduce them to you.

What Does Light Roast Coffee Bean Mean?

During the process of roasting green coffee beans into mature beans, they gradually undergo dehydration and yellowing as moisture is lost, followed by first crack and rolling first crack. Because the moment first crack begins, it means the coffee beans have matured. If we decide not to stop at this point and still want to continue roasting, the beans will then go through second crack and rolling second crack.

Light roast coffee refers to beans removed from the roaster during the period from the middle of first crack to just after first crack ends! At this stage, because the organic acids within the beans have not been fully broken down, we can perceive a distinct acidity in the coffee, with relatively little bitterness, a gentle aroma, and rich flavors.

Light Roast Coffee Bean Recommendations

If you usually enjoy drinking light roast coffee, you will find that a good light roast coffee is not simply sour; rather, it has sweetness amidst the acidity and a low-bitterness mouthfeel. Therefore, it is recommended to prioritize coffee beans with distinct fruity flavors, as this makes it easier to extract the elegant aromas of light roast coffee. The following four coffee beans are all light roasts and are very suitable for beginners to brew :

1. Front Street Coffee Fruit Ding Ding Coffee Beans

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Yirgacheffe

Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom

Altitude: 2300 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Flavor: Bright fruity aroma, citrus, blueberry, honey, green tea flavors, prominent acidity

2. Front Street Coffee Little Tomato Coffee Beans

Country: Kenya

Region: Thika

Processing Station: Asali Honey Processing Station

Altitude: 1550–1750 meters

Variety: SL28 and SL34

Processing Method: K72 Washed

Flavor: Cherry tomato, smoked plum, snow pear, brown sugar, plum

3. Front Street Coffee Butterfly Coffee Beans

Country: Panama

Region: Baru Volcano, Boquete
Altitude: 1600m
Processing Method: Washed
Variety: Geisha, Caturra, Catuai

Flavor: White floral, orange, nuts, tea-like

4. Front Street Coffee Flower Queen Coffee Beans

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Guji, Hambela

Altitude: 2300 meters

Processing Method: Natural

Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom

Flavor: Cream strawberry, citrus, light floral, berry, black tea

5. Front Street Coffee Emerald Red Label Geisha Coffee Beans

Country: Panama

Region: Baru Volcano, Boquete

Altitude: 1700 meters

Processing Method: Natural

Variety: Geisha

Flavor: Mango, guava, rose, fruit candy, citrus, berry, black tea

Pour-Over Suggestions for Light Roast Coffee

Based on past brewing experience, Front Street suggests that newcomers just starting out use a three-stage pouring method. Three-stage extraction helps more fully dissolve flavor compounds during extraction, adds layers to the mouthfeel, and at the same time avoids over-extraction caused by too long a soaking time.

If using 15 grams of coffee grounds, a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, and 225ml total water, the three-stage water amounts are: 30ml, 95ml, 100ml, and the scale readings are: 30g, 125g, 225g.

Here, Front Street uses its own roasted washed Yirgacheffe Fruit Ding Ding Cooperative coffee beans, paired with a Hario V60 dripper for brewing. The V60's spiral rib design allows the coffee grounds to degas better, maximizing the activation of the volatilization and dissolution of aromatic acids. Because Yirgacheffe is a light roast and the beans are harder in texture, hot water at 92°C–93°C is needed to bring out the floral and fruity notes in the coffee.

For grind size, Front Street recommends a medium-fine grind (78% passing through a Chinese standard No. 20 sieve), about the same coarseness as fine granulated sugar. If the grind is too coarse, it cannot extract the rich, rounded flavor compounds, and the brewed coffee will taste thin; if the particles are too fine, it is easy to over-extract at high water temperatures, and the brewed coffee is prone to bitterness.

Regarding the brewing ratio, Front Street believes 1:15 to 1:16 are both acceptable. If you want a richer mouthfeel, use 1:15; if you want to perceive the floral sweetness more clearly, use 1:16 to let the flavors spread out more.

First, place the folded filter paper into the dripper and fit it snugly. Pour 15 grams of ground coffee into the dripper and tare the scale.

For the first stage, pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. Start timing as you begin pouring, using a small stream at the center point and then spiraling outward, making sure to wet the entire coffee bed.

After 30 seconds, begin pouring the second stage of 95g of water with a slightly larger but steady stream. The purpose is to raise the entire coffee bed. The water stream should be poured vertically and evenly. At this point the scale reads 125g, and pouring should be completed in about 55 seconds.

When the liquid level drops to about halfway, begin pouring the third stage of 100 grams in a small stream in small circles, trying to keep the stream from becoming too large, as it can easily disturb the coffee bed and cause under-extraction. The final total water amount is 225 grams, and the drip should finish in about 2 minutes. After removing the dripper, swirl the coffee in the server to mix it evenly and it is ready to taste.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.