Have you ever embarked on a coffee journey that was meant to be a simple exploration but ended up becoming a profound self-discovery process? That's exactly what happened with my "Clarity" project—an ongoing experiment to understand not just coffee, but my relationship with it.

Confronting My Light Roast Bias

After years of brewing and roasting, I decided to challenge my preferences head-on. Despite being firmly in the medium-to-dark roast camp, I committed to a two-week light roast immersion. I wanted to understand what draws so many coffee enthusiasts to these Nordic-style, lightly developed beans.

The verdict? I still don't love light roasts—and that's perfectly okay.

What I did discover was fascinating: extremely light roasts (those with just 30-45 seconds of development time) lack the sweetness I crave. But this realization has inspired my next experiment: attempting slightly longer development times while still keeping the roast profile light. The goal is to coax more sweetness while maintaining brightness.

Perhaps the most valuable lesson here is that coffee preferences are deeply personal. The industry sometimes speaks as though certain preferences are more "correct" or "sophisticated," but the truth is much simpler: you don't have to like every coffee, even the ones everyone else is raving about.

The Complexity of Acidity

One aspect of light roasts that continues to intrigue me is their acidity—how it shifts and transforms as the coffee cools. Unlike medium or dark roasts that tend to reveal their character in more predictable ways, light roasts present a constantly evolving puzzle of flavors.

This complexity makes evaluation challenging. What you taste in the first sip might be entirely different from what you experience three minutes later. It's a dance of perception that requires your full attention, which can be either fascinating or frustrating, depending on your perspective.

Water: The Silent Flavor Modifier

Water quality has emerged as a crucial factor in my brewing process. Third Wave Water (a mineral supplement that optimizes water for coffee extraction) has dramatically changed my results. It provides a baseline that helps me understand what a coffee can taste like under optimal conditions.

Yet I find myself wondering: is there something even better? At the upcoming SCA event in Houston, I'll be exploring more water treatment options to see if I can push flavor extraction even further.

The importance of water quality sometimes feels like a double-edged sword. On one hand, it's incredible how much flavor the right water can unlock. On the other hand, it's frustrating that we need to work so hard for marginal improvements. This reality was highlighted when I recently used tap water in a percolator experiment—it worked, but lacked the vibrancy I've grown accustomed to.

The Equipment Paradox

Coffee equipment can be an endless rabbit hole. I frequently reflect on whether all these gadgets are truly necessary when a simple Hario V60 can produce extraordinary results. My Fellow Ode grinder works perfectly fine with its standard burrs—do I really need to upgrade to SSP burrs?

In perhaps my most controversial brewing approach, I've discovered something about myself: I hate changing grind sizes. With my King Grinder K2 (for pour-overs) and K6 (for espresso), I've found my "perfect" settings and I stubbornly refuse to change them. Instead, I manipulate brew ratios—adding more coffee or water—to achieve the extraction I want.

Is this unorthodox? Absolutely. Is it lazy? Perhaps. But it works for me, and it allows me to focus entirely on tasting rather than constantly tweaking variables. This insight speaks to a broader truth in coffee: the best method is the one that consistently gives you results you enjoy, not necessarily the one that follows conventional wisdom.

Finding Balance in the Journey

As I continue this coffee clarity journey, I find myself gravitating back toward medium roasts that offer balance—the harmony of acidity, sweetness, and body that feels like home to me. I appreciate the complexity of light roasts intellectually, but medium roasts speak to my soul.

What makes this journey worthwhile isn't just the coffee itself, but the community around it. The different opinions, preferences, and approaches remind me that I'm not alone in this exploration. Social media, podcasts, and blogs create connections through shared curiosity, even when our taste preferences differ dramatically.

Looking Forward

Three months into this project, I'm still discovering new aspects of coffee that surprise me. I've learned that you can push extraction with light roasts far beyond what conventional wisdom suggests without introducing bitterness—something I wouldn't have believed before trying it myself.

As I look ahead, I plan to continue experimenting with development times in light roasts to find that elusive sweetness. I'll keep manipulating variables in unconventional ways and questioning established practices. Most importantly, I'll keep sharing these reflections, not as gospel, but as one person's experience navigating the wonderful, complex world of coffee.

Coffee clarity, as it turns out, isn't about finding definitive answers—it's about embracing the questions and enjoying the journey, one cup at a time.

What aspect of your coffee routine are you most stubborn about? Have you ever forced yourself to try a brewing style or bean origin that you initially disliked? Share your experiences in the comments below.