I went in expecting pretty packaging and an average coffee. I came out having brewed the same beans as espresso, V60, V60 Switch and finally as a Soup Shot, just to do them justice.
Pink Lemonade from Grey Soul Coffee Roasters is a beautiful light roast. Stubborn, but beautiful.
About the Roaster
Funny how I landed on their page. I was just in a pit, searching for speciality coffee in India, and Grey Soul popped up. Kudos to the Grey Soul SEO team.
Usually, when I come across brands like these (unknown to me, that is), my first thought is: how good could it be, other than the packaging? Because believe it or not, most of the people I meet judge a coffee by its packaging (yes, you).
And the packaging here is very elegant. To my sense it is beautiful, modern and informative. Unboxing it, I was greeted by an outer triangular cardboard box, and inside sat a plain white pack which holds the coffee. This is a very good trend and I hope more roasters follow it. In addition to keeping sustainability first, it keeps the coffee fresh and away from light and heat, which substantially lengthens its life.
Despite all that prettiness, the coffee was honestly a bomb. It truly blew my expectations.
About the Beans
| Bean Characteristics | Description |
| Roast Level | Ultra Light Roast as per the label. By my reckoning, a very light roast (more on that below). |
| Bean Appearance |  |
| Roast Consistency | Evenly coloured beans. Very lightly roasted, preserving all the natural aromas of the coffee and never heading towards those chocolaty notes which are usually the sign of a medium or darker roast. |
| Origin | Tsiesema Village, Kohima, Nagaland |
| Varietal & Altitude | Chandragiri, grown at 1350 MSL |
| Process | Sun-Dried Anaerobic Natural with Raised Bed Drying |
About the Brewed Coffee
| Characteristics vis-à-vis Brewing Methods | Espresso | V60 / V60 Switch | Soup Shot |
| Recipe | – | – | 15.5g in – 60g out (1:4) (No Pre-Infusion, straight ~1 bar shot) Grind setting ~24 on the Baratza Encore ESP AeroPress filter paper tamped on top of the puck |
| Taste & Texture | Grinding finer bumps up the extraction, but channeling creeps in and consistency goes out of the window. | The higher amount of water dilutes the essence of the coffee for my palate. More sips, less coffee. | All the clarity of a V60, with the strength, texture and body of an espresso-style drink. |
| Tasting Notes (in order of perception on the palate) | – | – | Pineapple, maybe some apple, maybe a bit of orange. Definitely no chocolate. |
| Visuals | – | – |     |
My Honest Review
First, the roast. I would not call this an ultra light roast as the packaging suggests. I have had ultra light roasts and this was not it. I would not call it developed either. It sits at a very light roast, and a well-done one.
The issue with light roasts is that they are harder to extract, and this one made me work for it.
For espresso, I can grind as fine as possible and it may bump up my extraction, but getting a consistent result was an issue. At finer grind settings channeling happens, and that just ruins this beautiful expression.
The issue with the V60 or the V60 Switch is that the higher amount of water, to my palate, dilutes the essence of the coffee. You are getting more sips, but this is not a coffee you want to dilute or chug down. It is like a fine scotch (not that I know anything about whiskeys, I don’t drink). You just want a large ice cube, maybe some orange peel expressed over it, and to sip it at your leisure.
The best extraction method I found, after a lot, a lottttt of experimentation, was to brew it as a Soup Shot. The best part is that you get all the clarity of flavours as if you were brewing a V60, while the strength, texture and body of an espresso-style drink are still present. It beautifully brings out all the complex, citrus, fruit-forward flavours.
Here is how I did it. I ground the coffee on my Baratza Encore ESP at a grind setting of ~24, placed an AeroPress filter paper on top of the puck and then tamped it down so that the paper would stick. The paper may come loose, but once it is moulded into shape it is pretty easy to put it back. Then I pulled the soup: no pre-infusion, just a straight 1 bar shot. I used ~15.5 grams of coffee and got around 60 grams out, a ratio of 1:4.
What do I get in the cup? Some pineapple, maybe some apple, maybe a bit of orange. Definitely no chocolate, whatever the label suggests.
Is it an easy coffee? Not really. If you want something chocolaty and comforting, or a bag that behaves itself at the first grind setting you try, this is not for you. If you like your coffee light, fruity and citrusy, and you do not mind experimenting to get there, it is such a beautiful coffee.
Should you have the inclination to try it, head over to greysoul.coffee. I have absolutely no affiliation with them, but I feel it is worth sharing.
Grinder used: Baratza Encore ESP.
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