The coffee industry is in the midst of a roast level renaissance. If you’re confused about roast levels, you’re not alone. The coffee industry is going through a renaissance of sorts when it comes to roast levels.
If you’ve ever been overwhelmed while trying to choose a coffee at the grocery store, you aren’t the only one. There are hundreds of different types of coffee, from city to French to Viennese to Cinnamon, and almost as many types of roasts!
Light roast coffee is becoming more popular because it is not as strong as dark roast coffee and does not have the same heavy feeling in the stomach. There are now more options for light roast coffee than ever before!
You can have your cake and eat it too with these new lighter roasts. These coffees will satisfy any palate – no matter how they prefer their beans roasted!
Why are coffee roast level changing?
There is not a lot of agreement about how coffee should be named according to how dark it is roasted. If you buy coffee that is labeled “light roast” from the grocery store, it is likely to be darker than coffee beans that are sold by specialty coffee companies.
One roasters ‘dark’ roast could be another roasters ‘light’ roast and vice versa. It can be quite confusing trying to figure out which is which.
Here’s why it’s happening…
Coffee farmers are becoming increasingly skilled at growing coffee beans, leading to a higher availability of beans with exceptional flavors.
Since coffee quality is improving, roasters don’t have to mask bad flavors with dark roasts anymore.
Lighter roasts now have the ability to showcase more intricate flavors that were hidden before. This is due to advances in roasting technology that allow for a lighter roast without sacrificing flavor. As a result, coffee roasters are now able to highlight the unique, wild flavors found in high-quality beans.
This means that the color palette of the beer can range from dark to light, while still maintaining flavor.
Which has the most caffeine?
While dark roast coffee does have more caffeine than light roast coffee, the difference is slight. A cup of dark roast coffee has about 9-12mg more caffeine than a cup of light roast coffee. That’s not even a full mg/ounce difference. A common belief is that dark roast coffee must be stronger and have more caffeine than light roast coffee. However, this is not always the case. Although dark roast coffee does have a bit more caffeine, the difference is very small. For example, a cup of dark roast coffee typically has 9-12mg more caffeine than a cup of light roast coffee.
Both light and dark roast coffee beans contain approximately the same amount of caffeine. The amount of caffeine in coffee is not affected by the roast level.
However, this caffeine myth does have an understandable origin.
Light roast coffee beans have more caffeine per bean than dark roast coffee beans.
If you measure coffee beans by volume rather than weight, you don’t take density into account. This is where the myth comes from. For example, one scoop of light beans may contain 70 mg of caffeine, while one scoop of dark beans may only contain 65 mg.
The caffeine content in coffee is determined by the amount of coffee used, not the roast level.
In addition to the type of bean used, coffee’s aroma and flavor are heavily influenced by the roasting process. The length of time the beans are roasted can affect many aspects of the coffee, including its body, acidity, and flavor. To help you learn more about coffee, we’ve put together this guide to the four major types of coffee roasts.
The 4 types of coffee roasts:
1. Light Coffee Roasts
The beans are roasted to preserve their unique characteristics. The size, shape, and variety of bean will produce different flavors. The roast master has to be careful not to overcook the beans, as this will produce a uniform flavor.
The light roasting style is favored by the specialty coffee industry for its ability to bring out more vibrant and unique flavors in coffees. This roasting style is better at highlighting the unique characteristics of a coffee’s origin than any other roast style.
Lightly roasted coffee beans have an internal temperature of 356°F – 401°F and do not have the oils on them because they have not been roasted at a high enough temperature.
As a bean is roasted for a longer amount of time, the heat causes the caffeine and acidity levels to decrease. This means that light roasts usually have the highest levels of caffeine and acidity. The shorter roasting process for light roasts can result in a different taste profile because it prevents some chemical changes from happening to the bean. The light roast is often able to maintain more of the original flavors of the bean because the flavors that come from the roasting process are not as strong. In addition, the light roast is often characterized by a citrus or lemon tone which some people find to be enjoyable.
The internal temperature of light roasted coffee beans is usually between 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit. These beans barely reach the “first crack” stage, where the vapors inside the beans break through the outer wall and create a “cracking” noise.
Other names include: cinnamon, light city, and half city.
2. Medium Coffee Roasts
The color of medium roast coffee is brown, and the surface is rarely oily. These coffees have medium acidity, body, and flavor.
Coffees that are roasted to this level are balanced and have a deep caramel sweetness. These coffees are slightly darker and sweeter.
A light roast eliminates some of the brightest notes, but it’s a trade-off for a more balanced flavor.
Middle roasted coffee beans are heated to 410°F-428°F, which is just after the first crack and before the second one. They have a little more body than light roasted beans and less acidity.
Medium roasts are the most common type of coffee beans consumed by Americans. These roasts have well-balanced flavors and moderate acidity and body. Common examples of medium roasts include House blend, Breakfast roast, and American Roast.
Specialty coffee roasters prefer medium roasts because they appeal more to the average coffee drinker than light roasts. They are less acidic and intense, but still retain the coffee’s natural flavor profile.
Coffees that are medium roasted reach 400-430 degrees Fahrenheit. They are usually roasted a little past first crack, but not all the way to second crack.
Other names include: regular roast, American roast, city roast.
3. Medium-Dark Coffee Roasts
The most common names for types of coffee are Viennese, Continental, Full City, Light French, and Light Espresso.
If you roast your beans to a medium-dark level, they will reach an internal temperature of 437-446 degrees Fahrenheit. This is during or just after the second crack. At these temperatures, the oils on the beans’ surface will start to become visible.
coffees that have been roasted to a medium-dark level have a richer, fuller flavor with more body and less acidity.
4. Dark Coffee Roasts
Dark roast coffee beans are roasted for a longer time than light roast beans. This gives the coffee a dark brown color and sometimes an oily surface. The coffee has a low acidity and a heavy body. The longer roasting time also brings out deeper, darker flavors in the coffee.
Specialty coffee roasters typically only offer 1 or 2 dark roast coffee beans. Since dark roasting coffee beans increases uniformity in flavor, there is no need to offer more than a few.
Dark roast coffee is roasted at between 464°F and 482°F. You’ll be able to see oils on the beans, and typically the coffee will just taste like the roasting process, rather than having any origin flavors.
The darker the coffee roast, the sweeter the flavor will be. This is because the sugars in the coffee beans have time to caramelize. The longer roasting process also helps to develop a richer flavor and full body, often giving the coffee a buttery finish. coffees that are dark roasted will also have the least amount of acidity. The reason for this is that they are roasted for the longest amount of time, meaning that they will have the least amount of caffeine.
French roast coffee is the darkest type of roast and has a strong smoky taste. If the coffee beans are roasted for longer than a French roast (482°F), the oils and sugars will start to burn. This type of coffee is called dark roast because it is popular in Europe, especially in Italy.
For a long time, dark roast coffee has been the most popular type of coffee. This is because the quality of coffee wasn’t very good in the past. Roasters would use a lot of low quality coffee in order to find deeper, more uniform, and more appealing flavors.
This used to be a way to improve coffee quality, but it’s no longer necessary. There is now an abundance of specialty grade coffee available to roasters. The goal of a specialty roaster is to bring out the deeper, darker pleasant flavors of a particular coffee, rather than masking bad flavors.
Dark roast coffees are roasted at 430-450 degrees Fahrenheit and typically reach second crack or beyond.
Other names include: Full city, Vienna roast
Other types of roast levels
These Coffees are roasted to a level that is darker than dark. These coffees are often black as night and are very oily on the surface.
Coffees roasted to these levels do not taste like they are from a specific place. Most of the time, they just taste burnt and ashy.
Specialty roasters never roast their expensive, carefully chosen beans this dark because it would be a waste of excellent tasting coffee. We advise against buying beans roasted this dark because they will taste like liquid charcoal.
If you’re used to buying beans from the grocery store, you won’t believe how much flavor specialty-grade, freshly roasted coffee can have. This is because the coffee beans are roasted fresh and are of a higher quality than those from the grocery store.
What does the roasting process do?
Coffee beans are the seeds of coffee cherries. They are green and have almost no aroma before they are roasted. The roasting process is what makes coffee beans into the delicious cup of coffee you’re drinking.
The roasting process toasts the coffee beans, darkening their color and giving them chocolatey, caramelized flavors. At higher temperatures, oils appear on the surface of the beans. At 401°F, the beans crack for the first time and start to expand. Around 437°F, they crack a second time. High-quality coffee beans are never roasted above 482°F. Beyond that temperature, they will start to thin out and get a burnt taste. You don’t want to drink charcoal!
Different coffee roasts have different names and descriptions, and roasting coffee is both an art and a science. This variation can make it difficult to choose the right bag of beans. However, you should be able to tell the roast level by the color of the bean and its flavor.
4 types of coffee roasts
Equipment
Coffee roaster
Ingredients
Green coffee beans
Instructions:
To reach light roast (also called New England, Half-City, or Cinnamon), roast your beans just past the first crack. That’s an internal temperature of 356 to 401 F.