The truth is "dark roast" is treated like a faux pas in coffee, like a dirty set of words. Dark roast coffee in specialty is new and complicated, so what should we do about it?
To make it easy we need to figure out the "why" in specialty. If specialty coffee is synonymous with ethical sourcing and high quality, then why can't dark roast offer that? Truth be told, I'm not a fan of dark roast coffee but many people in my family and friends circle swear by it. As an industry we can leverage the popularity of dark roast coffee to introduce people to specialty. Maybe we can go as far as treating dark roast like a gateway drug to more "serious" lighter roasted coffees with crazy tasting notes.
GATEKEEPING IN COFFEE CAN KICK ROCKS! As long as we preserve the standard of high quality and fairness from producer to consumer, than everything else should be fair game in my opinion. We are in an exciting time in coffee and should be less concerned about what people are drinking and more concerned about where that coffee comes from!
Love you all!