Roast Types
All coffee roasting begins with green coffee beans. Green beans smell nothing like the roasted beans you are used to seeing and smelling. Green beans have a grassy, sour-like smell to them. These beans are the start of something wonderful!
Below you will find what each type of roast is and generally referred to in the coffee industry.
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Light Roasts
- light brown in color. This roast is the preferred roast for mild coffee varieties. There isn't any oil on the surface of the beans, because they are not roasted long enough for the oils to break through to the surface from within. The acidity is bright and sharp at this stage of the roasting process.Different degrees of a light roast roasted darker (longer) are referred to, in a darker degree scale as light city, half city, cinnamon & New England. -
Medium Roasts
- medium brown in color with a slightly stronger flavor than the last light roast degree with a still non-oily surface. This roast is often referred to as the American roast because it is preferred mainly in the United States. The acidity and body are becoming balanced at this stage.city or breakfast roast (not to be confused with breakfast blend), and full city roast. Towards the darker end of the medium roast, the taste body is heavier and fuller. -
Dark Roasts
- black, shiny beans with an oily surface and a pronounced bitterness. This roast style has a sweet, smoky flavor. Acidity is muted while the sugars in the coffee caramelize. The darker the roast, the less acidity will be found in the coffee. Dark roast coffees run from slightly dark to brutally charred. Beans roasted longer within the dark roast realm are as follows: Italian or Espresso, Viennese or Vienna, and French. At this point, a charred carbon taste is dominant and the body and flavor are reduced to bittersweet tones.