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Topic: Does espresso coffee have to be dark roasted? (6 msgs / 86 lines)
1) From: James 
Can anyone tell me Does espresso coffee have to be dark roasted?
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2) From: Gary Zimmerman 
 
James wrote:
<Snip>
Nope.  Try different roasts to find what suits your tastes.
-- garyZ
Whirley-drip(paper)-black
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3) From: cationic 
James wrote:
<Snip>
Gary replied:
<Snip>
I agree. I used to think that you needed a dark roast for espresso, but
after experimenting quite a bit I came upon lighter roasts (for some beans)
that work quite well (for me) in espresso.
Regards,
Rafael
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4) From: Gloria Hoover 
cationic wrote:
<Snip>
Some of the more successful espresso stands in our area use a lighter roasted
coffee. Customers seem to like it fine - those stands always have a line of
cars.
Gloriahttp://natures-emporium.com/Jewelry, jade, quartz, decor items, bookends
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5) From: EuropaChris 
Yes, this is very true.  It's a matter of personal taste, really.  In Italy, the roasts range from Full City all the way to charcoal depending on region.
I find, for straight espresso, that a Full City + roast gets me what I like.  Chocolate brown with a bit of oil developing after half a day or so.  This means I roast about 1-1/2 to two minutes into second crack with my Poppery II, for about 8 minutes total roast.  I roast in a 62 degree basement, so that slows it down a bit.
The best gauge of roast for me is whether the shot is sour.  If it is, the beans are too light.  I'm not fond of overly bright espresso as I don't add sugar usually.  For straight shots, Tom's Moka Kadir blend is the bomb.  Amazing stuff in the cup, giving you a blast of fruit (plum jam to me) and chocolate notes.
Have fun!
Chris
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6) From: Dave Clark 
EuropaChris wrote:
 
<Snip>
That sounds about right to me. I do full city for my espresso roasts,
but sometimes I'll use coffee that was roasted for vacpot or drip. 
When I use lightly roasted coffees for espresso, sourness is often
the prevailing characteristic, much like the time I used 100% Harar... 
Egads, I'll never try that again! Like a sourball!
-- 
Dave Clark                                             Austin, Texashttp://www.jump.net/~davec                            N 30d 27.526m
mailto:davec                                  W 97d 48.826m
     My gastronomic rapacity knows no satiety - Homer Simpson
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