TYPES OF COFFEE ROASTS: FROM LIGHT TO MEDIUM AND DARK
Do you think you know everything about coffee roasts? I bet you don’t. Let’s find out.
Coffee roasting is an art form that can make or break the flavor of your favorite brew. A skilled roaster knows exactly which coffee roast level optimizes the taste and aroma of a coffee bean.
In this article, I’ll focus on different types of coffee bean roasts to help you understand what they mean and pinpoint the one that excites your senses. Light, medium, and dark sounds pretty vague. So, here’s a quick list to guide you. We also described each type below.
- Cinnamon
- Light City (aka Half City)
- New England
- Blonde roast
- City roast
- Breakfast roast
- American
- Full City
- Continental
- Viennese
- New Orleans
- French Roast
- Italian Roast
- Spanish Roast
What Are The Different Coffee Roast Types?
In the roasting process, unroasted coffee beans are heated to between about 350 and 475 ℉, a range we subdivided broadly into:
- light, medium, medium-dark, and dark roasts.
“It’s a raw green bean… There’s nothing you can do with it. It’s only the roasting that puts the flavor into the coffee.”
Within these basic types are more specific roast levels with their own names. However, there are no hard-and-fast roasting rules within the coffee industry, so prepare to encounter some variation between roasters.
Light Roasts
Light roasts range from about 350 to 405 ℉. These roast coffee beans are light brown in color, and when brewed, produce a light-bodied coffee (1). The taste should have little caramelized flavor from the roast.
Light roasting is often called “first crack” because the beans are in the initial expansion stage. Roasters hear an audible crack as gases and moisture inside the bean heat up and release.
First crack results in a light yet aromatic roast, with distinct fruity or floral coffee notes and bright acidity. Because the roasting time is short, light roasts retain a lot of the original flavors of the green coffee beans. These characteristics make best light roast coffee beans and some of my favorites for pour over specialty coffee.
Types Of Lighter Coffee Roasts
- A Cinnamon roast is the lightest roast, occurring just at the beginning of first crack. It is named for its light brown color, not its flavor.
- A Light City roast (or Half City roast) is slightly darker than Cinnamon but lighter than City.
- A New England roast is a light roast named for its popularity in the North Eastern US.
- The Blonde roast is a relatively modern term popularized by Starbucks because customers were confused by “cinnamon” roasts.
Note: Coffee beans that are lighter than light roasts are called white coffee. You can learn more about those in our guide: What is white coffee and how to brew it.
Medium Roasts
Medium roast beans occur between about 410 and 430 ℉. They are medium brown in color, but there is still no oil on the surface.
Medium roasts have a sweeter profile and a more powerful aroma than lighter roasts. The longer roasting brings more caramelized flavors to the beans and results in less acidity. You get a fuller body and more condensed flavor profile.
These crowd-pleasing roasts work well for coffee enthusiasts whose palate craves a distinct balance between sweetness, acidity, and bitterness. It is the roast type preferred by most Americans.
The best medium roast coffee is very versatile and suitable for nearly any brewing method.
Types of Medium Roasts
- A City roast is one of the lightest medium roasts, often described as light-medium. The term City+ is sometimes used for a slightly darker variation.
- A Breakfast roast usually refers to a light-medium roast blend of coffee crafted to be smooth and easy-drinking, perfect to ease into your morning.
- The American roast is associated with the American palate. It’s usually a classic medium roast, like the drip coffee you find in nearly every American diner.
Medium Dark Roasts
Medium-dark beans are characterized by a dark brown color and some oil on the surface. I love this roast for Aeropress and espresso.
The flavor profile is deep with limited acidity and a touch of bittersweet aftertaste, and the aroma is rich. The body is heavy but not to the same extent as the darker roasts. Full City and Continental roasts are examples of medium-dark roasts.
Dark Roasts
Dark roast coffee beans begin around 445 ℉ and continue until your coffee is essentially char, around 490 ℉. The beans are black, shiny, and quite oily, which hints at their unique flavor profile.
This range is also known as second crack, as you’ll hear another popping sound as the beans get hot enough to release their oils.
Darker coffee roasts have a more pronounced bitterness, with thick flavor notes that are often a bit spicy on the tongue. Expect a heavy body and oily mouthfeel. Generally, dark roasts don’t have much acidity; the rule of thumb is that the darker the roast, the less acidic the beans.
Great-tasting dark roasted coffees are excellent with brewing methods that showcase their full body, including French press, Moka pot, and espresso.
Types of Dark Roasts
Compared to light and medium roasts, there are far more sub-categories of dark roasts, most named for the regions where they are common.
- The Viennese roast is one of the lightest dark roasts, popular in (you guessed it) Vienna.
- The New Orleans roast isn’t a specific temperature but refers to dark roasts in general, which are popular in the city of New Orleans.
- A French roast is an extra dark roast, well past second crack. Learn more about it here: What is French Roast Coffee?
- An Italian roast is slightly darker than a French, often used for traditional Italian espresso.
- Spanish roasts are the darkest roasts, just short of lighting your coffee on fire.
Related: French Roast vs Italian Roast: What’s the Difference?
Why not try to learn how to roast your own beans using one of these home coffee roasters? Try to make each roast type! You never know what might become your new favorite.
On another note, here’s where you can learn about all the different coffee types.
Coffee Bean Color Chart
A coffee bean color chart is an easy visual way to identify roast levels, note their differences, and ensure consistency between batches. If you want to try your hand at home roasting, here is my handy guide to popular roast levels.
Final Thoughts
Now, you are well-acquainted with different roasts and how they impact your cup of coffee. Did you discover any surprises? Chances are your palate is already accustomed to medium or medium dark, the most popular varieties.
FAQs
Medium dark has arguably the richest flavor. During the roasting process, the beans reach 450°F which results in a full-bodied flavor profile. There is much less acidity than in lighter types and the coffee has a pleasant bittersweet tang. This is one of the reasons medium dark is often used for espresso. (2) However, if you like adding interesting tastes and aroma in you drink, here’s our list of the best flavored coffee.
As a rule, darker roasts tend to be more bitter. However, roasting is not the only thing that affects the bitterness. It is also affected by the unique properties of the soil the coffee is grown in, so the region it comes from also plays an important role.
The types of coffee roasts include light, medium, medium dark, and dark. There is also a double roast where the beans get roasted to the point of being smoked. Of course, each type comes with a unique flavor profile. For example, light roast tends to be the most acidic.
Yes, you can buy green coffee beans. Sweet Maria’s is one of the most popular green beans sellers online. But there are also some amazing sellers you can try. Read our roundup of the best unroasted coffee beans to know where to buy them.
References
- 2018 World Coffee Roasting Championship. (2018). Retrieved June 30, 2019, from https://www.worldcoffeeroasting.org/
- Ackerman, K. (2018, April 27). Everything You Need to Know About Coffee Roasts. Retrieved June 30, 2019, from https://foodal.com/drinks-2/coffee/guides-coffee/the-influence-of-roasting-on-flavor-profiles/
