Dispatches
Essays on craft, roasting, and the world behind the books. Written when there is something worth saying.
Dark roast has been dismissed as the cheap option, the burnt option, the option for people who don't know better. That reputation is wrong — and it's worth explaining why.
Cold brew is not just iced coffee. It is a different extraction method that rewards dark roasts in ways hot brewing cannot. Here is how to make it properly — and how Ali Chalmer Roast performs in it.
Explore how mountain terrain, endurance, silence, and story connect the Ali Chalmer books with three bold, small-batch coffee roasts.
Learn three reliable ways to brew Ali Chalmer Roast while camping or traveling, with clear, field-tested ratios.
Learn how hardness, alkalinity, temperature, and filtration change Ali Chalmer Roast, with a practical three-water test.
Learn why freshly roasted coffee releases gas, when Ali Chalmer Roast is ready to brew, and how to adjust the first cup after roasting.
Use this practical coffee grind size guide to fix sour, bitter, weak, or slow brews and dial in Ali Chalmer Roast one step at a time.