
If you’re talking about individual beans, the caffeine level is the same whether it is light or dark roasted. Caffeine is very stable through the roasting process. While some say that light roasts have more caffeine because it’s roasted for a shorter period of time, this is not completely true. It also has a full-body and longer aftertaste. It’s also a great choice for coffee recipes with milk and iced coffees.Įxamples: Stumptown French Roast, Verve French Roast, Death Wish Coffee, Starbucks Sumatra, Starbucks French Roast, Folgers Black Silk, Maxwell House Dark roast, Green Mountain Sumatran.Ĭorrect, dark roast coffee has a much stronger taste than light roasted coffees. Of course, if you love your coffee black and strong, dark roast is perfect. The mouthfeel is very deep, bold, and smoky.įor light roast fans, dark roast is usually too strong or bitter. Usual notes: dark chocolate, cocoa, almond, brown sugar, pepper. Instead of fruity notes, dark roasts bring deep woody, ashy and earthy tones. They usually have full-body, complex taste, and lasting aftertaste. The best part about dark roasted coffees is their strength and deepness. Most house blends are medium roasts.Įxamples: Stumptown Hair Bender, Verve Seabright House Blend, La Colombe Nizza, Starbucks House blends, Green Mountain Vermont, Maxwell House House Blend, Folgers House Blend. In fact, medium roast is the most popular roast in the US. Medium roast keeps origin characteristics and it’s well balanced: sweet, deep, fruity and creamy. This roast has a certain level of acidity but it’s well balanced, has complexity and deepness. Usual notes: cherry, blackberry, plum, caramel, toasted nuts, chocolate, maple. Medium roasts are a perfect combination of floral and fruity notes and caramelized chocolate flavor. When you see words morning or breakfast blend, that’s usually a light roast.Įxamples: Green Mountain Breakfast Blend, Starbucks Blonde roast, Folgers morning blend, Seattle’s best levels 1 and 2, Maxwell House Breakfast Blend, Blue Bottle Guatemala Huehuetenango La Esperanza, Verve La Candelaria, Stumptown Guatemala Semillero.Īlso, most flavored coffees are light roasts. However, due to a fact that short roasting time keeps all the origin characteristics and flavor notes, some of the most popular coffees at specialty coffee shops are actually light roasts. The lack of body and deepness gives “weak coffee”. If you love your coffee black and strong you probably won’t like light roasts. Usual notes: lemon, peach, grapes, green tea, lime, vanilla, melon, honey. The mouthfeel is clean with a sharp aftertaste. It does not have too much sweetness but highlights origin characteristics and fruity, citrus notes. The roast level is the first indicator of what the coffee is going to taste like.īright, crisp, and acidic. Now you understand why knowing the roast level is important when buying coffee. Dark roast coffee will produce a strong, bold cup of coffee, chocolate and nutty notes, with a long aftertaste. When you use light roast coffee, the coffee will have a light body, floral and citrus notes, a short aftertaste, and more acidity. Why is this important? Different roast types will give a different tasting coffee.


Depending on the roast temperature and color of beans, the coffee will have a different roast type. Coffee Roast TypesĪs mentioned, the three basic coffee roast types are light roast, medium roast, and dark roast. Learning about these categories will help you understand the difference between the coffees you purchase and the taste you can expect from each roast level. The most basic level to divide coffee roasts is into these three categories: light roast, medium roast, and dark roast. However, if you’re a regular coffee drinker, you don’t need to know all the details about the process. Here’s a great in-depth guide about coffee roast levels if you want to learn all the details about the roasting process. Roast levels of coffee are determined by a variety of factors including roast temperature, roast time, and bean color.įor those who work in the coffee industry or want to roast their own coffee beans at home, terms like Cinnamon Roast, Light City Roast, City roast, are more important. In this article, you’ll discover everything you need to know about coffee roast levels and how they taste like. Wondering if a light roast coffee has more caffeine than a dark roast? You’d like to learn more about coffee roast differences?
