Types of Coffee Roasts

The Importance of Coffee Roasting

As green coffee beans are roasted, their chemical and physical qualities transform, creating the coffee products sold in the market. The roasting process is what generates the distinctive flavor of coffee beans.

 

Types of Coffee Roasts:

Light

• Have the most caffeine and the most acidity 
• Acidity in light roasts is often accompanied by a citrus or lemon tone

Medium

• Have a little bit more body than a light roast and less acidity 
• Considered to have balanced flavors

Medium Dark

• Shows the oils on the beans’ surface 
• Have a richer, fuller flavor, more body, and less acidity

Dark

• Have sweeter flavors because the sugars in the coffee beans have time to caramelize
• Richer flavor and full body
• Have the least acidity and caffeine of all coffee roasts

 

NOTE: The longer a bean is roasted the more the heat pulls out the caffeine and the acidity.