Brew guides
Brewing ultra-light, without the guesswork.
Very light roasts are dense and less soluble than darker coffee, so they usually need more energy to extract: hotter water, finer grinds, softer water. These are our starting points. Always check the roaster’s own recipe first, and let taste decide.
Temperature
96–100°C
Just off the boil. Light roasts rarely suffer from water that is too hot.
Ratio
1 : 15–17
Start at 1:16, e.g. 15 g coffee to 240 g water.
Grind
Finer
Go finer than you would for a medium roast. Adjust by taste and drawdown time.
Before you brew
Rest is part of the recipe
Ultra-light coffees often taste closed, sharp or flat right after roasting and open up over the following weeks. Some roasters recommend resting their coffees for several weeks. Follow the roaster’s guidance and brew a cup every few days to find the peak.
Once a bag is at its best, you can portion it into airtight containers and freeze it to hold that point for longer. Many ultra-light roasters and cafés freeze their coffee for exactly this reason.
House recipe · flat-bottom or conical dripper
Pour-over starting point
- 15 g coffee, ground medium-fine. 250 g water at 96–100°C. Rinse the paper filter.
- Bloom: pour 45 g, swirl to wet all the grounds, wait 40 s.
- Pour steadily to 150 g by 1:15.
- Pour to 250 g by 1:45. Give a gentle swirl to flatten the bed.
- Aim to finish draining around 3:00–3:45. Faster and sour? Grind finer. Slower and dry? Grind coarser.
Espresso
Ultra-light espresso
Ultra-light espresso usually works best with longer ratios than traditional espresso, so the shot can extract enough sweetness. Use the highest brew temperature your machine allows, a fine grind and a ratio around 1:2.5–1:3 (e.g. 18 g in, 45–54 g out). Treat these as starting points and adjust one variable at a time.
Don’t put magnesium-only DIY water recipes in an espresso machine. They contain no calcium, and Barista Hustle advises against them for machines because of possible corrosion. Follow your machine maker’s water guidance.
Troubleshooting
What your cup is telling you
| Taste | Likely cause | Try |
|---|---|---|
| Sour, thin, salty | Under-extracted | Grind finer, use hotter water, swirl more, or brew longer |
| Grassy, green, peanut-like | Coffee too fresh, or the roast itself | Rest it longer; if it persists, it’s probably the roast |
| Dry, bitter, astringent finish | Over-extracted or uneven extraction | Grind coarser, pour more gently, check your grinder’s consistency |
| Flat, muted acidity | Too much buffer in the water | Lower KH, e.g. our 50/15 starting point |
| Harsh, sharp acidity | Too little buffer | Raise KH by 5–10 ppm |