COFFEE ROAST DIFFERENCES
Light Roast Coffee
Bright, crisp, and acidic. It does not have too much sweetness but highlights origin characteristics and fruity, citrus notes. The mouthfeel is clean with a sharp aftertaste.
Usual notes: lemon, peach, grapes, green tea, lime, vanilla, melon, honey.If you love your coffee black and strong you probably won’t like light roasts. The lack of body and deepness gives “weak coffee”. 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. When you see words morning or breakfast blend, that’s usually a light roast.
Also, most flavored coffees are light roasts.
Medium Roast Coffee
Medium roasts are a perfect combination of floral and fruity notes and caramelized chocolate flavor.
Usual notes: cherry, blackberry, plum, caramel, toasted nuts, chocolate, maple. This roast has a certain level of acidity but it’s well-balanced and has complexity and deepness.
Medium roast keeps origin characteristics and it’s well balanced: sweet, deep, fruity, and creamy. Medium roast is the most popular roast in the US. Most house blends are medium roasts.
Dark Roast Coffee
The best part about dark-roasted coffees is their strength and deepness. They usually have full-body, complex taste, and lasting aftertaste. Instead of fruity notes, dark roasts bring deep woody, ashy, and earthy tones.
Usual notes: dark chocolate, cocoa, almond, brown sugar, pepper. They are rarely acidic. The mouthfeel is very deep, bold, and smoky.
For light roast fans, dark roast is usually too strong or bitter. Of course, if you love your coffee black and strong, dark roast is perfect. It’s also a great choice for coffee recipes with milk and iced coffees.
FAQs
Is dark roast coffee stronger?
Correct, dark roast coffee has a much stronger taste than light-roasted coffees. It also has a full body and longer aftertaste.
Does a light roast have more caffeine?
While some say that light roasts have more caffeine because it’s roasted for a shorter period of time, this is not completely true. Caffeine is very stable through the roasting process.
If you’re talking about individual beans, the caffeine level is the same whether it is light or dark roasted. But since darker roasted coffee is less dense, it actually has more caffeine by volume. But these differences are very small and hardly noticeable outside of a lab.
What is French roast coffee?
French roast is considered to be a double roast coffee. This is a category of dark roasted coffee characterized by an intense and smoky-sweet flavor but accompanied by a thin body and mouthfeel.
What is a Blonde roast coffee?
Starbucks popularized the term Blonde roast. This is actually a light roast coffee and has all the characteristics we previously talked about: floral and citrus notes, thin body, short aftertaste, and high acidity. It’s a classic light roast coffee.
House Blend vs Breakfast Blend?
As mentioned, house blends are usually medium roasts. That means caramel, nutty, maple, or cherry notes. The flavor notes are deeper and sweeter than breakfast blends which are more citrus and floral. House blends have a stronger taste than breakfast blends.
Conclusion:
Now you understand why knowing the roast level is important when buying coffee. The roast level is the first indicator of what the coffee is going to taste like.
Besides using a proper coffee-to-water ratio, it’s the easiest way to get a great cup of coffee. You also won’t be spending money on coffees you know you probably won’t like because of their roast-level characteristics.