Some say theres only three types of coffee roast. Well, I’m about to tell you theres four! Light roast, medium roast, medium-dark roast, and dark roast. Each of these roast levels has a different aroma, appearance, and flavor.
Though the quality of the bean itself is very important, coffee gets a lot of its aroma and flavor from the roasting process. The length of the roasting process can affect many things, including the body, acidity and flavour of your beans.
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Light Roast are roasted for the least amount of time. Lightly roasted beans generally reach an internal temperature of 356°F – 401°F, right after the first crack occurs. These beans tend to not have the shiny oil gloss on them because they haven’t been roasted at a high enough temperature.
The longer a bean is roasted the more the heat pulls out the caffeine and the acidity. This means light roasts have the most caffeine and the most acidity. Light roasts can have a different taste profile because the shortened roasting process prevents some chemical changes from occurring inside the bean. Origin flavors of the bean are more recognizable in light roasts as the flavours drawn out by roasting aren’t prominent.
Medium Roast reaches internal temperatures of 410°F-428°F. They have a little bit more body than a light roast and less acidity and usually what most cafes favour. They are also generally well balanced in flavour. Factors like acidity and body tend to sit somewhere in the middle. - Medium-dark roast reach an internal temperature of 437°F – 446°F. This roast will also start showing the oils on the beans’ surface because the temperatures are high enough to draw the oils out. These roasts have a richer, fuller flavor, more body, and less acidity.
- Dark Roasts are roasted between 464°F – 482°F. There are visible oils on dark roast making the beans appear more shiny. Dark roasts have sweeter flavors because the sugars in the coffee beans have time to caramelize. The longer roasting process helps it to develop a richer flavor and full body, which often leads to it having a buttery finish. They also have the least acidity of all coffee roasts. Dark roasts have the least amount of caffeine because they’re roasted the longest.
