Roast styles
Note: the following examples are fairly subjective. They don’t aim to be 100% accurate, and boundaries get fuzzy.
While many roasters have a general style they abide by, other roasters like Tanat roast all over the place.
Ultralight
Meme-levels of lightness. Generally has a distinctive “blotchy” appearance and a more tightly shut crease due to lack of internal expansion. Overall, fruitiness and body are reduced in exchange for greater florality and clarity. Brightness tends to be mild, and sweetness tends to be minimal. Can easily sit on a shelf for half a year with no flavor loss.
In my experience, there are 2 “styles” of ultralight, with most sitting somewhere in the middle:
- Higher solubility / more internally developed. Usually roasted using an air roaster like Loring or Stronghold. Examples are Aviary, and The Picky Chemist. Can have a “rounder” mouthfeel due to more time in development and thus caramelization. Generally does not need specific recipe adjustments and brew similarly to regular light roasts. Less subject to the “rest for 2 months or get peanuts” rule — can get good results at ~4 weeks, usually ideally 5+.
- Lower solubility / less internally developed. Usually roasted hot and fast using a drum roaster like Probat. Because drum roasters apply heat less uniformly, the interior is less developed and can feel rock hard. Examples are H&S (ultralight) and Shoebox. Needs more extensive pushing to get good results, and is IMO the source of the “skill issue” meme for ultralight roasts. Can be grainy, twiggy, etc. Needs extensive rest, and recipes might need high agitation and/or temperature. Often needs minimum 6-8 weeks rest.
Examples:
Nordic