Coffee Roasting Styles
Coffee roasting is a chemical process by which aromatics, acids, and other flavor components are either created, balanced, or altered in a way that should augment the flavor, acidity, aftertaste and body of the coffee as desired by the roaster.
Coffee Roast Degrees
In general, lighter roasts are sharper and more acidic than the darker roasts. Darker roasts have a fuller flavour. Beans that have been over-roasted will take on a burned, smoky or charcoal flavour. Also, there is less caffeine in the darker roasted coffees than in the lighter ones. The roast alone doesn't determine the resulting coffee taste or quality. The origin of the beans makes a big difference. A bean from Ethiopia will taste differently than a bean from India, even if they are both French roast.
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Aliases |
Roaster Watch |
Flavor |
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Light |
Cinnamon roast, Half City, New England |
After about seven minutes the beans "pop" and double in size, and light roasting is achieved. American mass-market roasters typically stop here. |
Light-bodied and somewhat sour, grassy, and snappy |
Medium |
Full city, American, Regular, Breakfast, Brown |
At nine to eleven minutes the beans reach this roast, which U.S. specialty sellers tend to prefer. |
A bit sweeter than light roast with caramel or chocolate undertones. Full body balanced by acid snap, aroma, and complexity |
Dark |
High, Viennese, Italian Espresso, Continental |
After 12 to 13 minutes the beans begin hissing and popping again, and oils rise to the surface. Roasters from the U.S. Northwest generally remove the beans at this point. |
Somewhat spicy; complexity is traded for rich chocolaty body, aroma is exchanged for sweetness |
Darkest |
French, Spanish |
After 14 minutes or so the beans grow quiet and begin to smoke. Having carmelized, the bean sugars begin to carbonize. |
Smokey; tastes primarily of roasting, not of the inherent flavor of the bean |
