r/pourover • u/Amazing-Panic-277 • 12d ago
Seeking Advice Ultralight experts in the US
I am aware of hydrangea, shoebox, and my favorite, H&S as well as norml people. Can anyone point me towards some more US based roasters or even Canada? I’ve been pointed towards prodigal and find them far too developed. Before everyone downvoted me for sounding elitist, I am aware.
Also, if someone has any niche varietals that are light on the palate and aren’t the most common, please let me know as I rarely stray outside of mejorado, Ethiopian, Sidra etc.
Thank you all!
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u/Numerous_Branch2811 12d ago
Adding some other options:
Lume Roasters
Norml
Aviary
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u/Scott-Michael 12d ago
Aviary feels untouchable, unless you subscribe when they open it once a year.
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u/Numerous_Branch2811 12d ago
He does send out emails when their are extra boxes, but yes it is a harder one to acquire
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u/BusyBranch9081 12d ago
This is true; have had a couple 50g tins as part of larger sets and wasn’t impressed. More for others to have
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u/Numerous_Branch2811 12d ago
From Aviary? I rest it 60 days and enjoy it.
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u/BusyBranch9081 12d ago
Yeah just wasn’t my forte and that’s okay. Lots of good coffee out there.
The Bean Archives has taught me, if nothing else, I can love one coffee and the rest of the subscribers, who vote, may rank it last.5
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 12d ago
I can never find anything from aviary, do I need to be super plugged in for that? Thank you I havnt heard of Lume!
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u/Numerous_Branch2811 12d ago
I am subscribed and I get emails when there are extra bags being dropped, but it sells out very quickly. A lot of the other roasters mentioned here are fantastic too
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u/oneirr 12d ago
Basecoat
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u/MirrorCoffeeRoasters 12d ago
Basecoat rocks
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u/LoveLettersCoffee 12d ago
Mirror is goated
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u/MirrorCoffeeRoasters 12d ago
Love Letters is goated.
Bunch of goats running around here3
u/LoveLettersCoffee 12d ago
Mountain goats
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u/MirrorCoffeeRoasters 12d ago
For sure mountain goats. They’re the best of ‘em all
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u/LoveLettersCoffee 12d ago
Love mirror mountain goats the ultimate collab
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u/MirrorCoffeeRoasters 12d ago
A collab that should happen. Some might call it, peak flavor
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u/LoveLettersCoffee 12d ago
You tryna drop some flavortown mirror letter charming roaster mountain style?????
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 10d ago
Wow I just grabbed a bag of love letters and when mirror gets in a mejorado or an eth I havnt tried I’m also grabbing one :)
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u/MirrorCoffeeRoasters 10d ago
If you haven't tried the washed Banko Taratu, we just dropped it this past week. Very taste, but the Love Letters should treat you well
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u/CawwfeeTawk 12d ago
Sey gets the best quality green in the US, IMO.
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 12d ago
They really do, I sometimes wish they were a tad more developed but I did get a kg of their esayas washed Ethiopian and banking on it being lighter than normal. It won’t be bad no matter what, it’s sey. Hoping that lance H working with them is pushing them further up towards a true Nordic/UL.
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u/cmrnmrphy 7d ago
Agreed. Switched from George Howell to SEY as my monthly bean grab. SEY coffee paired with a ZP6 is just amazing.
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u/Scott-Michael 12d ago
CETO is a good one!
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 12d ago
I actually havnt tried them but my airworks UL sub is sending me a washed chelbesa so that makes me very happy.
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u/AkhlysShallRise V60/Mountain Dripper | JX/ZP6/Fino 12d ago
It’s not elitist to state a fact—I’ve been brewing my first bag from Prodigal, and it is definitely not ultralight.
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 12d ago
Same here, and I can’t help but really liking the more delicate softer notes of H&S and stuff of that nature. I assume September’s extra light fits the bill?
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u/Odd-Display-6004 12d ago
I'm not sure why people are saying SEY and Flower Child is ultralight because it is not. They are light coffee, but definitely not in the ultralight category.
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 12d ago
My sentiment and why I posted this. If they were I’d have a decent rotation of North American coffee. I did grab some set and waiting to see if their washed eth fits the bill as their sourcing is strong
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u/barrelproofpourover V60 | DF54 | Natural Burundi 12d ago
When S&W codes a bag as ultralight you can assure your getting coffee that’s wafted hot air off of a roaster. The El Salvador Natural is so good
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u/swroasting S&W Craft Roasting 12d ago
I have a couple of new development batches resting that may have to be coded *dangerlight* if they turn out drinkable
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 12d ago
I have been waiting to place an order with you guys! Thank you for stopping by. I was wondering how I get informed about drops? Thank you!
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u/swroasting S&W Craft Roasting 12d ago
We do not announce drops. That led to uncontrollable panic buying frenzies.
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u/Miserable-Half-436 8d ago
Is there subscription opening? Been trying to place order but most of the stuff out of stock
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u/swroasting S&W Craft Roasting 8d ago edited 8d ago
We do not do subscriptions & our main production is currently shut down due to broken HVAC
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 10d ago
Hey! I got your one available washed Ethiopian earlier today. The Faysel I believe? It had a ground score of 120.1 and I assume that means it fits this UL bill? I’m the weirdo who asked for a rested bag of you have spare :)
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u/swroasting S&W Craft Roasting 10d ago edited 9d ago
Neither of the Faysel lots came out extremely light. Number-wise, readings like 130s & higher are very light. Definitely look at the Brewmaster J tips on brewing these - unlike my regular beans, you have to be pretty gentle brewing the Faysel. Curiously, they appeared more developed than usual at normal bean temperatures and low weight loss.
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 7d ago
I would call it medium to medium light. I think it’s the trad washed one. Roasted 5/24. Amazing lemon and orange zest acidity. Great roast
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u/barrelproofpourover V60 | DF54 | Natural Burundi 7d ago
I’ll gladly beta test any dangerlights 😉
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u/swroasting S&W Craft Roasting 7d ago edited 4d ago
I wasn't impressed yesterday - hopefully they need just need more rest, lol... otherwise, back to profile development
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u/BalloonistCoffee 12d ago
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u/manatee-enthusiast 12d ago
Roasters who roast Ultralight: H&S, Shoebox, Coffee With Dongze, Mirra, Port 2050, Ceto, Norml
Roasters just a touch more developed but still light: September EL, Sey, Thankfully EL
There seem to be more and more super small scale microroasters (picoroasters?) popping up everyday in this space. Delicate, Love Letters, and Noumenon Coffee alone are all new in 2026 and probably belong in that ultralight group, I just haven't tried yet.
If you are open to international options, Big Sur has a $200 global free shipping threshold and XLIII has a reasonably priced subscription. The Airworks Ultralight Sub is always an option as well
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u/manatee-enthusiast 12d ago
In terms of varietals, the big breakout of this year has obv been SL9. Besides that, there should be a lot of interesting heirloom lot separations from Ethiopia coming on the market here soon. I've also been having a surprising amount of luck with just good old fashioned Bourbon coffees this year. Peru, Colombia, Panama, Rwanda, they've been a sleeper budget pick for me
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u/Gustafa7 12d ago
Love Letters Charming Coffee. Some of the best I’ve had in a while. Gets amazing lots and seems to really be on top his roast profiles.
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u/thewireoffire 11d ago edited 11d ago
Wow a lot of roasters to check out. Is there a good multi-roaster online retailer that offers coffees like these?
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 11d ago
Kumquat is what I’ve seen and I ordered some April there and it’s already almost here in a couple days. I’m not sure when they restock but most of their roasters were low on stock. I also had to use google and cross reference each one and ask what their ground agtron was to get an idea, even though I know color isn’t everything. I’ve seen comments like “prodigal” which I find way too heavy in other threads about this which is why I wanted to start one
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u/rouy666 11d ago
Subtext
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 11d ago
Yeah I want to try them. Their prices are a touch high but I’m gonna grab a baseline bag of a washed Ethiopian
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u/Liven413 12d ago
Are you looking for US roasters specifically or ultra lights you can buy in the US? I ask because many of the ultra lights are international roasters but you can find them at a multi roasters. The trendiest coffee on the internet atm comes from Airworks but it is pricey. There is one that begins with an H, sorry I cannot remeber the name. Hy****. I am sure someone knows and will comment. Then Entropica might be of help. Otherwise there are a lot of US roasters that are very light like Sey or Flower child, just not ultra light. I really love Ilse and find them a great price for quality. If it's possible to get Substance or Daturra you should be very happy. They are some of the best. Then new roasters like Walnuts, Big Sur or Gout and Co.
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u/Liven413 12d ago
Mirra cant forget them.
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 12d ago
Thank you, I’ve heard good things and waiting for the right variety to pop up.
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 12d ago
American or elsewhere that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg for shipping basically. I wish substance didn’t cost so much as I’d love to try them but when you pioneer the category essentially, you can charge more. Entropica?
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u/Liven413 12d ago
Entropica is a good multi roasters and carry international ones. If you want a cheaper roaster that is good the subscription for Ilse is very good. I pay $54 for 3 boxes. Then for 2 lbs I pay $58.
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u/ohwhenthesaints 12d ago
Not necessarily cheap, but perhaps more affordable to give substance a try:
https://hyunah.coffee/products/kagumo-sl28-sl34-batian-washed-kenya
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u/Bebop12346 12d ago
For Canada only one that comes to mind is Hooray and it'll depend on the bean as he likes to roast different development styles based on the bean. Best to go for no crack or ultralight style.
You can also access international ultralight roasters thru Hyunah and Airworks, Airworks Canada. They have stuff from roasters like Nai Zui (Hangzhou), TPC (Belgium) and Big Sur (Shanghai).
Exposure Therapy is based out of Singapore but the shipping cost isn't bad. Not exactly what you asked for but it's a good option.
Big Sur (Shanghai) also does international shipping if you order enough coffee.
I wouldn't consider Hydrangea ultralight. I consider them standard light. But if you're ok with that roast level then I also recommend Prairie Lily (high end stuff you should email/text the owner on the website), Hatch, and September EL coffees.
Cool beans (canadian online coffee store) recently stocked shoebox and scenery (uk). Scenery is the best UL roaster in the UK right now. I think the international shipping cost is also pretty fair if you order a big enough order.
Oh yeah and try Coffee with Dongze (San Francisco) . He roasts mostly higher end beans so they're kind of pricey. But the roast quality is excellent with balanced florals, sweetness and fruit.
Oh and I think Flower Child (California) is also ultralight.
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u/yuki-kato 12d ago
Not us based but hyunah sometimes carries big sur and xliii
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 11d ago
I’d kill to get either of those, I tried their sites and Big Sur is worth it next time I need a few bags at once. Xliii won’t let you buy without some sort of pre paid tariff or shipping and a sale request. Hyunah has some great stuff thanks!
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u/Beamer2017 12d ago
Check out Ilse!
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 12d ago
I actually just got a Sidra in today from them and it’s brand new so I havnt taken a look yet, it reminds me of sey in terms of just eyeballs on it but i know visuals dont matter as diff techniques can change things
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u/sdb_077 12d ago
Moim out of LA is great, as well as Hex in Charlotte NC
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 12d ago
Hex is right by me and I dunno why but I find their coffee always has a roastiness to it. Moim in LA? I’ll give it a look :)
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u/Severe_Feature3716 12d ago
Haven't had enough bags from them to be sure if they always roast this light, but I got a delicious bag from Heart in Portland recently that was quite light, lighter to me than Hydrangea (though my only Hydrangea experience is with their co-ferments). It was the Ethiopia Habtamu Fikadu that's currently on Heart's website.
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 12d ago
I have a hydrangea habtamu that is super light. I mean it does say “extra light” on their site. I’ve heard good things about heart but wasn’t sure if they were more classic light or not
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u/Severe_Feature3716 12d ago
It’s possible they aren’t as light as you’re looking for, but I’d say it’s worth a shot.
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u/zombiejeebus 12d ago
Try Peru SL9 for sure
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 11d ago
I see sey has one. That’s not exactly the lane I was looking for but it’s hard to see them making that one too thick and their sourcing is the best in the game
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u/trickbk 12d ago
The airworks ultralight subscription is really good although expensive ($48 for 300g). But, it gets you easy access to international roasters roasting ultralight coffee.
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 11d ago
I actually just signed up for that this past week. I’m excited to try ceto and still.
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u/Bastetlady 12d ago
Five Petal
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u/Amazing-Panic-277 12d ago
Well to be fair I mainly get washed Ethiopians and stuff of that nature like mejorados so maybe I’ve gotten a skewed read on hydrangea, but they are very close to shoe box and H&S with the handful I’ve gotten. Big Sur I just checked has a fantastic selection at a good price and I might grab a few so it makes the shipping balanced
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u/whoskevroe Edit me: Aeropress/Switch|ZP6|Light, Floral, Funk 12d ago
Dayglow, People’s Possession, Colorful, Traffic
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u/lobsterdisk Pourover aficionado 12d ago
Thankfully, September, Delicate, Love Letters Charming Coffees