The Roasting Process:
The roasting process of making coffee produces the flavor of the coffee. This is done by transforming the chemical properties of the coffee beans into actual roasted coffee.
Have you ever had someone ask you at a coffee shop how you would like your coffee: light, medium or dark roast? This is because there is a difference in the taste of the coffee depending on how you roast it. Roast levels are mostly a personal preference because at each level there is a different, unique flavor added to the coffee. It is important to know which roast level you prefer because it may help you find new coffees you may want to try.
Types of Coffee Roast Levels:
Light Roast Coffee gives off a light bodied, high acidic flavor. Because you want to be able to taste the true origin of the coffee bean, this is the ideal roast for you because it retains most of the original coffee characteristics. The common roast names for light roast coffees are Cinnamon Roast, American Roast, New England Roast, Half City Roast, and Moderate Light Roast. Most light roast beans are dry and have a light brown, tan color.
Medium Roast Coffee allows you to still taste the original coffee but the beans’ will have a fuller body taste by creating a balance between the acidity and body of the coffee. This is done by the sugars being further caramelized to give the coffee a higher body while muting the acidity. At this level, the coffee begins to give way to flavors and aromas. Therefore, a medium roast coffee will have a darker brown color than a light roast coffee. It may also look richer due to the coffee’s oils on the beans. The common roast names for medium roast coffees are city roast, City + Roast, Full City Roast, Breakfast, Regular, and American roast.
Dark Roast Coffee contains very little, if any, original characteristics of the coffee bean. You will mostly taste the rich aromas and flavors from the bean with a bittersweet flavor being most prominent. Dark roast coffee tends to be bold in body and rich in taste. The oils tend to be seen on the dark roasted coffee beans and the beans are dark brown, sometimes black, in color. Common names for this type of roasted coffee are Full City + Roast, Italian Roast, Vienna Roast, and French Roast.
Coffee Roast Tip
Take the time to try each type of coffee roast to see what you most prefer. This will help you down the line with your coffee buying purchases of specialty coffees and more.
If you would like to learn how to roast your own coffee beans at home, check this out!
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