JenniW's Profile

This reminds me of the neighborhood I grew up in. My best friend was 2 houses down from me, and since we knew all of our neighbors, they didn't care if we played on they front lawns. I was like having our own personal park. My mom would always garden, and when she was out, and neighbor that was walking by would stop and say hi, and check in with us. It was such a supportive and close community, you knew when a neighbor's mother died, and you knocked on their door to check in with them. I remember times I would come home from my friend's house, and my mom would shout over at me because she was across the street drinking iced tea with the elderly couple that lived across the street. That same elderly couple came to my high school graduation party, even though we didn't live in that neighborhood anymore. I hope someday that I am lucky enough to raise my kids in a similar environment.

For 5 years I worked at a coffee shop that brewed their coffee by the cup, meaning I could try light roast with dark roast back-to-back. A dark roast is simply roasted longer, meaning you will get more of a "coffee" taste. Lighter roast retain more flavor from the individual beans, meaning you will get a wider range of flavor. Personally, I think lighter roast are much better, it is a much more delicate can complex flavor.

A common misconception, a darker roast does not mean more caffeine. The longer a bean is roasted, the less caffeine it has, meaning that lighter roasts actually have more caffeine. Dark roast just taste stronger because they have more of that coffee flavor (as I said above).

I would encourage everyone to try local roasters. I can't stand the standard Starbucks drip. Their coffee's are all very dark, which is probably because their beans are all blends, and not single origin beans. If you do go to Starbucks, go for a single origin bean on their clover machines, you will get a much better cup of coffee. Most local roasters/coffee shops will have a wider range of beans available.

If starting out on light roasts, I suggest you ask the baristas what they recommend, I was always happy to recommend roasts to customers when I was one. Also, I've found that Kenyan roast tend to be a good light roast almost anywhere you go (and it's one of my favorites!).

Ultimately, it is less about the type of roast and more about where you get it. If you are getting your coffee from a respectable coffee shop, anything you buy is going to be good. If you are getting it from those bins in the supermarket, the darker is going to taste better than the lighter because the roasting will mask the lack of taste in the beans. But there is nothing wrong with that- When I go out for coffee I go local, but at home I usually make Folgers, a girl's gotta stay on budget! Drink whatever you like, but next time you go out for coffee, splurge a little and get a nice light roast!

My old roommates would never believe me that this worked. I would set out a glass with wine and dish soap, and they would put paper cones in it. Now that I live in my own place, I've never used a barrier and it has never failed me. It may take a little longer, but it is worth it to not have to look at a gross jar full of fruit flies slowly approaching death.