Does it ever happen that you get a burnt taste in your coffee? This could be because the beans weren’t roasted well. Besides the variety of beans and the coffee-making process, the type of roast plays a massive role in determining the taste of your coffee. Coffee gets a lot of its flavors and aromas during the roasting process. The duration of roasting coffee beans determines the body, flavor, and acidity of your delicious (or foul if not roasted well) brew.
The types of roast matter and it is important that you know what you like so that you don’t find yourself all puzzled when juggling between the huge variety of coffee lying in the grocery store. You will need to read about the types of beans, for roasting we’ve got you covered.
There are 4 types of coffee roasts, namely, light coffee roasts, medium coffee roasts, medium-dark coffee roasts, and dark coffee roasts. Each of these differs in aroma, flavor, and even appearance. Scroll down for all the details.
- Light Coffee Roasts: As the name suggests, light roasts undergo the least amount of roasting. The beans generally reach a temperature of 365-400℉ in light roasts—this is right after the first crack. Since the beans are not roasted at a high temperature, these do not have oil on them; the same is with caffeine and acidity.
The longer the coffee beans are roasted, the more it is able to release the acidity and caffeine with heat. Since light roasts undergo the least roasting, they are packed with a high volume of acidity and caffeine. Also, since they go through minimal processing, they flaunt the original flavors of the beans the best. This is why the true flavors of beans are most recognizable in light roasts. The high acidity in light roasts often results in subtle flavors of citrus which people find pleasing on the palate.
- Medium Coffee Roasts: When the coffee beans reach the temperature of 410-428℉, it is a medium roast. This is the stage when the first crack has already happened and the second crack is just about to take place. When compared with light roasts, they have a heavier body and less acidity.
Medium roasts are the preferred brew of an average American coffee drinker, as they boast of balanced flavors, acidity, and aromas. These are known for chocolaty and nutty notes and are extremely versatile. The acidity and body of different medium roasts can vary from one another, but both are not too high, nor low in volume. It is popularly used for a variety of coffee styles like espresso, Moka pot, pour-over, and automatic drip.
If you are planning to go for a medium roast in a pour-over or automatic drip, you must opt for a medium grind to avoid the unwanted bitter taste from over-extraction.
- Medium-Dark Coffee Roasts: To kick your brew up a notch, you can try medium-dark roasts that flaunt a bold body and rich flavors. Also commonly known as Viennese, continental, full city, light French, and light espresso, medium-dark roast beans are prepared by roasting the coffee until it reaches 437°F – 446°F—this is usually during or right after the second crack occurs. Since the beans are roasted for a longer period of time, they release oils, giving a rich texture to the coffee. These beans have a fuller and richer flavor, less acidity, and more body. Some common flavors that you might notice in a medium-roast coffee are dark-roasted almonds and bittersweet dark chocolate.
If you are planning to make a French press with your medium-dark roast coffee beans, it is advised to select the coarse grind; this way your coffee does not become overly bitter upon extraction.
- Dark Coffee Roast: Are you a fan of Starbucks and espresso? Then you’re definitely going to love this one. Prepared by roasting the beans until they reach an internal temperature of 464°F – 482°F, these showcase plenty of oil on the surface released in the roasting process. Typically, it is not possible to retain the origin coffee bean flavors in a dark roast—what you taste is the impact of roast on the type of beans.
Also commonly known as Dark French, Turkish, Heavy, Italian, Espresso, and French, a dark coffee roast flaunts sweet notes due to the caramelization of sugar present in coffee beans during the roasting process. The longer roasting process also results in a fuller body and richer flavors, all of which culminate into a long and buttery finish. They have the least amount of caffeine and acidity. Amongst the popular coffee types, the French roast is one of the darkest roasts known for its smoky flavors. The barista needs to be extremely careful in the case of a dark roast as even a little more than 482°F can lead to undesirable burnt flavors in coffee. Usually, dark roasts are more popular in Europe and hence, mostly have European names.
Have you been having your coffee without knowing the roast until now? The type of roast plays a huge impact on the final brew, thus if you are a regular coffee drinker, then it is important to know exactly what goes in the cup. Hope that this read helped you find the right roast for you—the next time you go grocery shopping, you will now know which one to pick from the shelf that matches your tastebuds. For more such insightful reads, stay tuned!
