Explaining the types of coffee roasts
Raw coffee beans are usually kept in a green state to preserve their qualities. In this state, the coffee beans have little to no taste. It is the roasting process that changes the colours of the raw coffee beans and unleashes the flavours and aromas that create that unique personal tasting experience.
There are 4 levels of coffee roast:
- Light Roast
- Medium Roast
- Medium/Dark Roast
- Dark Roast
Light Roast
Colour code
Light brown with a light body and no oil on the surface of the beans
Taste notes
Toasted grain taste and pronounced acidity
Also known as
Light city roast, half-city roast or cinnamon roast
Roasting process
Light roasted beans generally reach an internal temperature of 180°C – 205°C.
At or around 205°C, the beans pop or crack and expand in size. This is known as the “first crack”.
So, a light roast generally means a coffee that has not been roasted beyond the first crack.
High caffeine
The original flavours of the beans are retained to a greater extent than in darker roasted coffees and light roasts also retain most of the caffeine from the coffee bean.
Medium Roast
Colour code
Medium roasted coffees are medium brown in colour with more body than light roasts. Like the lighter roasts, they have no oil on the bean surfaces
Taste notes
Medium roasts lack the grainy taste of the light roasts, exhibiting more balanced flavour, aroma, and acidity
Also known as
Regular Roast, American Roast, City Roast and Breakfast Roast
Roasting process
Medium roasts reach internal temperatures between 210°C and 220°C, between the end of the first crack and just before the beginning of the second crack
How about caffeine?
Caffeine is somewhat decreased, but there is more caffeine than in darker roasts
Dark Roast
Colour code
Dark roasted coffees are dark brown in colour, like chocolate, or think almost black. They have a sheen of oil on the surface, which is usually evident in the cup when the dark roast coffee is brewed
Taste notes
The coffee’s origin flavours are eclipsed by the flavours of the roasting process. The coffee will generally have a bitter and smoky or even burnt taste.
Also known as
French Roast, Italian Roast, Espresso Roast, Continental Roast, New Orleans Roast, and Spanish Roast
Roasting process
To reach the level of a dark roast, coffee beans are roasted to an internal temperature of 240°C, about the end of the second crack or beyond.
They are seldom roasted to a temperature exceeding 250°C, at which point the body of the beans is thin and the taste is characterized by flavours of tar and charcoal.
Many dark roasts are used for espresso blends.
How about caffeine?
The amount of caffeine is substantially decreased.
Unroasted beans
Colour code
Dark roasted coffees are dark brown in colour, like chocolate, or think almost black. They have a sheen of oil on the surface, which is usually evident in the cup when the dark roast coffee is brewed
Taste notes
The coffee’s origin flavours are eclipsed by the flavours of the roasting process. The coffee will generally have a bitter and smoky or even burnt taste.
Also known as
French Roast, Italian Roast, Espresso Roast, Continental Roast, New Orleans Roast, and Spanish Roast
Roasting process
To reach the level of a dark roast, coffee beans are roasted to an internal temperature of 240°C, about the end of the second crack or beyond.
They are seldom roasted to a temperature exceeding 250°C, at which point the body of the beans is thin and the taste is characterized by flavours of tar and charcoal.
Many dark roasts are used for espresso blends.
How about caffeine?
The amount of caffeine is substantially decreased.