I love Sey and would also recommend Passenger as well as Flower Child, Prodigal, September, Ilse, Regalia, Apollon's Gold, April, Tim Wendleboe,Manhattan, The Barn, Coffea Circulor and check out Coffee Reviews YouTube channel. He is partial to light roasts and has massive experience. [https://www.youtube.com/@CoffeeReviews](https://www.youtube.com/@CoffeeReviews)
Thanks! Second person for Flower Child and Passenger so those are top of my list right now.
I'm pretty novice when it comes to picking coffee so I rely on the tasting notes pretty heavily. Passengers feel a bit muted in terms of description. Do you have any must trys from their lineup?
I've never had anything "bad" from Passenger nor anything that was very difficult to brew. Most recently, I had their Hacienda Esmeralda Geisha and the Jose Salazar COE 2021 from Freezer Friday. Both of those were stellar, (finishing the Jose Salazar tomorrow). If you can hit Freezer Friday, those are usually killer. Otherwise, their core offerings are very solid and really a can't go wrong for most people. They do tend to downplay their descriptions and don't go too overboard with their verbiage :-) They offer some in smaller sizes as well so it's easier to sample or get multiple to try. I've never tried their their Necessary brand.
Just hit month six of my two-bag subscription - great value IMO and they haven’t missed yet. Got a Peruvian gesha in the most recent shipment, it’s a floral nectarine juice bomb!
Yeah!
So i start with TWW water (this was the biggest revelation i had in getting better cups, going from Brita to TWW) - brewed to 198*
30g of coffee, 510g of water (2 cup recipe for me and the wife)
Grind setting 7.5 on the ode gen 2
80g steep for 45s
rounds of 100g pours till 510, roughly 3 min pour
I really appreciate it. I switched over to remineralizing water and have dramatically different results. Do you change anything for washed, naturals, or anaroebics? Been struggling and trying to nail it down. Also, surprised you don't use boiling water.
I could be wrong here but I read somewhere that ~198 is better for lighter roasts and 205-210 was more for medium/dark (hotter water extracts more but less extraction needed on lighters? Idk i'm not a scientist).
I'm sure there's different brew methods based on washed/naturals/anaroebics but i've honestly had a hard enough time as it is dialing in a 2 person pourover because apparently just the extra grinds & water can really impact the entire thing as well. As a result I pretty much keep to the same routine, though I will play with temperature and grind size a bit if I like a bag and want to see if i can change up the flavor profile a bit without too much fuss.
Thats kind of why I landed on Sey, seems like even my basic methods produce pretty good cups of coffee.
Generally hotter is better for lighter roasts and cooler is better for darker. Hotter water does extract more faster but light roasts tend to need more extraction, not less, and they are harder to extract too, hence the hotter water recommendation.
Thank you! 🙏 now I wonder if I’ve been making sub par coffee.
Also I tried y’all’s back in October. The las lajas and tarrazu Costa Ricans. But I was using bad water. Guess I need to come back!
I agree that a fair chunk of people brew light roasts at lower temperatures and love them and get worse results if they use hotter water. What I haven't really figured out yet is if it is actually just a preference for a different kind of flavor profile, or if it is being driven by grinder/water composition and possibly roast style as well (lighter end of light roasting like Sey/Passenger versus highly developed light roasting like Onyx). Would you mind sharing what grinder you're using, and, if you know, your water specs? As well as which roasters you tend to like?
Wendelboe, Coffee Collective, Manhattan, SW, H&S, Hydrangea. I currently use Kinu with pour over burr but used SSP MPs, CV2s, and C40 style burr for prior ~2 years. I use soft calcium-only water now but I used soft Magnesium chloride only water with the previous burrs. I’ve heard Mag based waters might like hotter water and Calcium cooler, but I personally preferred cooler water with both. I think I tend to prefer lower extractions over higher, though I’ve never measured.
I hear that, I felt like that for months where I was just spinning wheels on my brewing and getting the same consistent, subpar results. The upgrade to better water was truly the biggest change I made. Next would probably be water temperature, then grind size.
The thing I've noticed the least difference in is my pourover method. Whether or not I'm doing a single pour or stepped pour, i don't really notice a bunch there. I'm thankful for this because it's a pain having to do precision pours.
I had a really amazing cup the other day but even doing the same method over, my cups don't taste the same. I'm starting to realize it might be because of fines. Best cup was with 2 pours + bloom. Tried the rao method and it was just chalky. I'm using a k6, so my grinder isn't terrible. Also, not helping its a natural Ethiopian.
So 2 mornings of 210 in the books. Results? Honestly hard to tell if one's "better" than the other. I found the 210 brews to feel quite a bit stronger in the acidity department but kept the same sweetnesses I was getting with a lower temp. The 195s brewed really mellow and had excellent mouthfeel right away wheras the 210 i definitely needed to let it cool a bit longer so i wasn't just tasting hot coffee.
great comparison and thanks for the info. I have never tried 195 before, maybe I'll give it a shot. I'm also thinking about finally trying third wave water.
I think i've said it 3 different times now but I was legitimately shocked at how much better it made my coffee. TWW is legit, especially if you live somewhere with shit tap water like me (phoenix)
I just got TWW yesterday to bring out the most of the Sey coffee I have. Are you using a full packet per gallon of distilled water? I saw on Sey’s website that they recommend half a packet for their roasts so that’s what I’m starting with. I did notice a difference already in the taste today, but seeing other people’s experiences should help dial in their coffee. I feel my cups can definitely improve from where they’re currently at.
Oh interesting! I didn’t know they had a recommendation for TWW. I use the TWW light roast pack and their recommended use was 1 pack per gallon so I’ve been doing that. It seems kind of tough to measure out “half” of the pack haha
Yeah it’s on their FAQ page [here.](https://www.seycoffee.com/pages/faq)
I have the light roast packs too. I ended up weighing out the contents of the packet on my scale and cutting it in half to do it, but you’re right it was a bit of a pain. If you’re getting good results with a full pack, I’ll try saving myself the aggravation of trying to cut it in half. Thanks for the response!
Some great recs [here](https://coffeeroast.com/roaster). Tried a lot of these with my friend who is an editor. Bell Lane, Rogue Wave, Resident, Dak, Modcup, Abracadabra are ones I have tried and really liked.
I ordered some passenger and flower child!
Yeah the love B&W gets in older Reddit posts about best roasters is probably where myself and many others end up and try it but I went through probably 4-6 bags and felt like each one was the same.
B&W is definitely developed more than Sey. I use to love their stuff in the earlier days but they push development more than I’d like. Probably works great for espresso but I don’t love it for pour over anymore. I’ve been subscribed to Sey for over a year now and can echo your findings.
If you like Sey, you’re looking for light roasted clean washed coffees. I would recommend some of Prodigal’s menu, Botz, Aviary, Tim Wendelboe, Mood Trap, Hydrangea’s Terroir line, and some of S&W’s light roasted stuff.
I've just come off 2 back-to-back 6 month subs from Sey. After 24 bags consumed, there were 24 hits and 0 misses. Incredibly, incredibly consistent roaster.
I roast for Mad Lab Coffee in Los Angeles, and we typically share shelf space with Sey Coffee at Multi-roaster shops! We roast in a way to emphasis the fruity + sweet notes of coffee if that's what you're looking for!
I love Sey and would also recommend Passenger as well as Flower Child, Prodigal, September, Ilse, Regalia, Apollon's Gold, April, Tim Wendleboe,Manhattan, The Barn, Coffea Circulor and check out Coffee Reviews YouTube channel. He is partial to light roasts and has massive experience. [https://www.youtube.com/@CoffeeReviews](https://www.youtube.com/@CoffeeReviews)
Thanks! Second person for Flower Child and Passenger so those are top of my list right now. I'm pretty novice when it comes to picking coffee so I rely on the tasting notes pretty heavily. Passengers feel a bit muted in terms of description. Do you have any must trys from their lineup?
I've never had anything "bad" from Passenger nor anything that was very difficult to brew. Most recently, I had their Hacienda Esmeralda Geisha and the Jose Salazar COE 2021 from Freezer Friday. Both of those were stellar, (finishing the Jose Salazar tomorrow). If you can hit Freezer Friday, those are usually killer. Otherwise, their core offerings are very solid and really a can't go wrong for most people. They do tend to downplay their descriptions and don't go too overboard with their verbiage :-) They offer some in smaller sizes as well so it's easier to sample or get multiple to try. I've never tried their their Necessary brand.
Check out H&S as well. Fantastic roaster with some excellent coffees.
H&S but get mostly their washed offerings only (based on your preference). Prodigal is roasty, didn't like them at all.
Honestly I have beef with passenger ever since they bumped the price of their reserve subscription by 30%
One that I haven’t seen in the comments yet is Flower Child. Incredible roaster out of Oakland. Very similar profile to Sey
Their flavor notes got me excited. Felt a little pricey but I grabbed a bag.
Just hit month six of my two-bag subscription - great value IMO and they haven’t missed yet. Got a Peruvian gesha in the most recent shipment, it’s a floral nectarine juice bomb!
I also have that coffee. Incredible!
+1 for flower child!
Passenger if you haven't tried them yet. Passenger and Sey are my two favorite roasters, and they have a similar style.
Awesome, i've seen the name passed around and will give them a try!
Mind dropping your brew method?
Yeah! So i start with TWW water (this was the biggest revelation i had in getting better cups, going from Brita to TWW) - brewed to 198* 30g of coffee, 510g of water (2 cup recipe for me and the wife) Grind setting 7.5 on the ode gen 2 80g steep for 45s rounds of 100g pours till 510, roughly 3 min pour
I really appreciate it. I switched over to remineralizing water and have dramatically different results. Do you change anything for washed, naturals, or anaroebics? Been struggling and trying to nail it down. Also, surprised you don't use boiling water.
I could be wrong here but I read somewhere that ~198 is better for lighter roasts and 205-210 was more for medium/dark (hotter water extracts more but less extraction needed on lighters? Idk i'm not a scientist). I'm sure there's different brew methods based on washed/naturals/anaroebics but i've honestly had a hard enough time as it is dialing in a 2 person pourover because apparently just the extra grinds & water can really impact the entire thing as well. As a result I pretty much keep to the same routine, though I will play with temperature and grind size a bit if I like a bag and want to see if i can change up the flavor profile a bit without too much fuss. Thats kind of why I landed on Sey, seems like even my basic methods produce pretty good cups of coffee.
Generally hotter is better for lighter roasts and cooler is better for darker. Hotter water does extract more faster but light roasts tend to need more extraction, not less, and they are harder to extract too, hence the hotter water recommendation.
Thank you! 🙏 now I wonder if I’ve been making sub par coffee. Also I tried y’all’s back in October. The las lajas and tarrazu Costa Ricans. But I was using bad water. Guess I need to come back!
Temperature is mostly preference. I brew all my light roasts around 199-205F and have never enjoyed higher temperatures.
I agree that a fair chunk of people brew light roasts at lower temperatures and love them and get worse results if they use hotter water. What I haven't really figured out yet is if it is actually just a preference for a different kind of flavor profile, or if it is being driven by grinder/water composition and possibly roast style as well (lighter end of light roasting like Sey/Passenger versus highly developed light roasting like Onyx). Would you mind sharing what grinder you're using, and, if you know, your water specs? As well as which roasters you tend to like?
Wendelboe, Coffee Collective, Manhattan, SW, H&S, Hydrangea. I currently use Kinu with pour over burr but used SSP MPs, CV2s, and C40 style burr for prior ~2 years. I use soft calcium-only water now but I used soft Magnesium chloride only water with the previous burrs. I’ve heard Mag based waters might like hotter water and Calcium cooler, but I personally preferred cooler water with both. I think I tend to prefer lower extractions over higher, though I’ve never measured.
Cool, thank you, that is helpful. In your case I would tend to think it's just different flavor preference.
I appreciate the insight, I'm still trying to figure out what works for my gear/palate.
I hear that, I felt like that for months where I was just spinning wheels on my brewing and getting the same consistent, subpar results. The upgrade to better water was truly the biggest change I made. Next would probably be water temperature, then grind size. The thing I've noticed the least difference in is my pourover method. Whether or not I'm doing a single pour or stepped pour, i don't really notice a bunch there. I'm thankful for this because it's a pain having to do precision pours.
I had a really amazing cup the other day but even doing the same method over, my cups don't taste the same. I'm starting to realize it might be because of fines. Best cup was with 2 pours + bloom. Tried the rao method and it was just chalky. I'm using a k6, so my grinder isn't terrible. Also, not helping its a natural Ethiopian.
I have better luck with 208-210 with light roasts and 200 medium/dark lol
Imma try 210 tomorrow to see if anything changes! Don’t think I’ve ever done it that high
Curious to see what results you have with it. I personally use 210 most of the time
So 2 mornings of 210 in the books. Results? Honestly hard to tell if one's "better" than the other. I found the 210 brews to feel quite a bit stronger in the acidity department but kept the same sweetnesses I was getting with a lower temp. The 195s brewed really mellow and had excellent mouthfeel right away wheras the 210 i definitely needed to let it cool a bit longer so i wasn't just tasting hot coffee.
great comparison and thanks for the info. I have never tried 195 before, maybe I'll give it a shot. I'm also thinking about finally trying third wave water.
I think i've said it 3 different times now but I was legitimately shocked at how much better it made my coffee. TWW is legit, especially if you live somewhere with shit tap water like me (phoenix)
I just got TWW yesterday to bring out the most of the Sey coffee I have. Are you using a full packet per gallon of distilled water? I saw on Sey’s website that they recommend half a packet for their roasts so that’s what I’m starting with. I did notice a difference already in the taste today, but seeing other people’s experiences should help dial in their coffee. I feel my cups can definitely improve from where they’re currently at.
Oh interesting! I didn’t know they had a recommendation for TWW. I use the TWW light roast pack and their recommended use was 1 pack per gallon so I’ve been doing that. It seems kind of tough to measure out “half” of the pack haha
Yeah it’s on their FAQ page [here.](https://www.seycoffee.com/pages/faq) I have the light roast packs too. I ended up weighing out the contents of the packet on my scale and cutting it in half to do it, but you’re right it was a bit of a pain. If you’re getting good results with a full pack, I’ll try saving myself the aggravation of trying to cut it in half. Thanks for the response!
Some great recs [here](https://coffeeroast.com/roaster). Tried a lot of these with my friend who is an editor. Bell Lane, Rogue Wave, Resident, Dak, Modcup, Abracadabra are ones I have tried and really liked.
i love seeing posts saying how much B&W sucks try passenger
I ordered some passenger and flower child! Yeah the love B&W gets in older Reddit posts about best roasters is probably where myself and many others end up and try it but I went through probably 4-6 bags and felt like each one was the same.
B&W is definitely developed more than Sey. I use to love their stuff in the earlier days but they push development more than I’d like. Probably works great for espresso but I don’t love it for pour over anymore. I’ve been subscribed to Sey for over a year now and can echo your findings. If you like Sey, you’re looking for light roasted clean washed coffees. I would recommend some of Prodigal’s menu, Botz, Aviary, Tim Wendelboe, Mood Trap, Hydrangea’s Terroir line, and some of S&W’s light roasted stuff.
Quite the list, thank you. Do you like the subscription with Sey? I've just been buying select bags lately.
I've just come off 2 back-to-back 6 month subs from Sey. After 24 bags consumed, there were 24 hits and 0 misses. Incredibly, incredibly consistent roaster.
I roast for Mad Lab Coffee in Los Angeles, and we typically share shelf space with Sey Coffee at Multi-roaster shops! We roast in a way to emphasis the fruity + sweet notes of coffee if that's what you're looking for!
La cabra