Understanding the Different Coffee Roast Levels

These days, there are a lot of coffee varieties to choose from, with almost as many types of roasts. People who cannot go through a day without their caffeine fix, or those mostly referred to as the coffee lovers, have gradually developed the ability to distinguish what type of coffee they are drinking. They can identify the coffee roast levels that have been ground and brewed for them as well.

Actually, though more and more people have started to grow fondness with coffee making, they fail to recognize the importance of understanding the processes that coffee beans go through. From harvesting them, processing and drying, to roasting, grinding and brewing, all must be understood to know where your coffee actually came from. You must be knowledgeable on the coffee roasting aspect, as it will determine the taste that the beans will offer you. This will let you identify which one suits your palate the most. 

As a coffee buyer and consumer, it can take less time to understand the different coffee roast levels. This will help you find the right level that you can enjoy the most. Actually, the coffee roasting process is in charge of bringing out the aroma and the flavors that are locked inside the green coffee beans. It causes numerous chemical changes to take place. The process includes transforming raw beans into the fragrant and flavorful dark brown beans we usually see before going through the grinding process. And each factor, such as the length of the roasting process, can affect the body, acidity, and flavor of your tasty beans. Thus, to get the perfect cup of any roast you prefer, you have to go through an extensive preparation, and mastering the roasting process.

The different coffee roast levels of the beans fall under either light roasts, medium roasts, medium-dark, and dark coffee roasts. As coffee roasts get darker, they lose the original flavors of the bean. This becomes the reason why all the roasts differ in taste. If you do the roasting process of your beans, you can experiment on which method you think is best for you to achieve the unique flavor and the best taste of your preference.

Light Roast

Most of the people who love coffee prefer this level of coffee roast the most. They are intended to retain the coffee bean’s natural and original aromas and flavors. This tends to have a brighter flavor profile, in contrast to the darker ones. Light roast coffees, coming from its name, are light brown in color, and typically have no oil on the surface of the beans because they have not been roasted at a high enough temperature.

Moreover, the longer a bean is roasted, the more the heat pulls out the caffeine and the acidity. With this, light coffee roasts have the most caffeine by volume, and have the most acidity. The light roasts may have a different taste profile. Mainly because it goes through a shortened roasting process compared to other levels. During the short roasting process, it fends off the chemical changes that occur inside the bean. Thus, the original and natural flavors of the beans are more recognizable. Moreover, the acidity in this level of coffee roast comes with a citrus or lemon tone. Some people find them pleasing to the palate.

Medium Roast

When the beans are roasted in a quite longer process than of the light coffee roast, it is then identified to be a medium roast coffee bean. They still preserve the bean’s natural aromas and flavors. But then, they typically change the brightness produced for the light roast with a sweeter caramelization. It is primarily because of the longer roast time. As mentioned above, the longer the duration of the roasting, the lesser the acidity of the beans would be. Therefore, with medium coffee roast, it goes through a longer roasting time. This means it reduces the acidity and bright notes which are typically found in light-roasted coffees. They remain fairly dry, and rarely have an oily surface. It also looks a shade darker than the lighter ones, which is considered to be more brown in color.

Medium roasts have a rounded flavor profile, with a balanced taste, slightly darker and sweeter. This type preserves many of the unique flavors of the coffee’s origin. Then, it gradually begins to taste sweeter because of the longer roasting time. Some of the coffee enjoyers prefer this coffee roast level because they tend to be more approachable than light roasts. They are considered to be less acidic and intense, while still holding the coffee’s natural flavor profile.

Medium-Dark Roast

Next to medium roasts would be the medium-dark level. It has a richer and darker color. This means it contains more oil on the surface of the beans than the medium and the light ones. Additionally, when compared to the two levels above, it has a heavier body, with a fuller flavor and lesser acidity. The common examples of this type of coffee roast would be the Vienna Roast, Continental, Full City, Light French, and Light Espresso. You may think that darker roasters have stronger taste. However, in actual fact, the darker the roast, the lighter the taste of the brewed coffee would be.

Dark Roast

The sweetest among the levels of coffee roast would be the dark roast. This is because the sugar in the beans has a lot of time to caramelize. This is produced by going through a long roasting process. It develops a richer flavor and full body, which then often leads to having a buttery finish. And as mentioned above, more heat pulls out the caffeine and the acidity when the bean is roasted too long. This makes the dark coffee roast have the least acidity and the least amount of caffeine of all the levels produced.

Though it may seem that because the dark roast appears darker in its actual form, it has the strongest taste of all the coffee roast levels. However, it is actually the sweetest as it tends to not have many of the origin and natural characteristics left. But then, it does not mean that darker roasts are bland and boring in taste. Some coffee variations really lend themselves to a dark roast. It is because they are going for a chocolate-y, nutty, and caramel flavors.

Key Takeaway

Coffee roast levels hold an essential role in a coffee’s flavor and aroma. All of the cups that are being made and consumed differ in terms of the origin and how they were processed. Which is why you need to understand the different levels, and compare all of the coffee you taste, to know which level suits your palate the best. But then, as long as the beans have been well-grown, processed, and roasted properly, they can produce a wide selection of flavors, aromas, aftertastes, and beyond.