I don’t mean for this to sound satirical or sarcastic. I’m asking it in all seriousness, even if I might be pushing the boundaries of hypothetical coffee pondering. The fact is that I was genuinely inspired by a recent quick question posed by another coffee blogger which asked whether you would prefer a higher quality roast of a lower quality bean or a lower quality roast of a higher quality bean. As someone who regularly tastes coffee brewed for me by cafes, I often am confronted by the challenge of interpreting what to make of a cup of coffee that I find somewhat sub-par. Or, for that matter, one that is truly amazing. How much can I attribute the bad (or good) quality of a given cup of coffee to the bean (green quality and roast combined) and how much to the quality of the brew. So, without too much explanation, here goes:
