VWB Blog Americans drink around 400 million cups of coffee every day.
While it’s safe to say that coffee takes the top spot on the hot beverage charts, everyone has their preference when it comes to blends, beans, and different types of coffee roasts. In fact, the length of the roasting process has a huge impact on how your coffee tastes in terms of the body, flavor, and acidity.
But what types of coffee roasts are there? Let’s take a look!
Light Coffee Roasts
Roasted for the least amount of time, light roasts reach an internal temperature of 356°F to 401°F after the first crack. These beans don’t tend to have the oils on them because of their lower roasting temperature.
As you’ll discover if you look for more on light roast coffee, less time roasting means that light roasts have more caffeine by volume and are the most acidic compared to other roasts. Light-roasted coffees also reveal more of the origin flavors of the bean. This is because the shorter roasting process doesn’t replace them with more prominent flavors.
Some examples of light roast coffees include Half-City Roast, Cinnamon Roast, and New England Roast.
Medium Coffee Roasts
Medium roasting coffee beans reach an internal temperature of 410°F to 428°F after the first crack occurs but before the second. This longer roasting time gives medium roasts a touch more body and less acidity when compared to a light roast.
The average American coffee drinker tends to go for medium coffee roasts, with many considering its balanced flavors to be a marker of the best type of roast coffee. Some examples of medium roasts are Breakfast Roast, American Roast, and House Roast.
Medium-Dark Coffee Roasts
Medium-dark roasts reach an internal temperature of 437°F to 446°F during or right after the second crack. These temperatures are high enough to start producing oils on some of the beans.
These roasts offer a richer, fuller flavor, with less acidity and more body. Some examples of a medium-dark roast coffee blend include Full-City Roast and Vienna Roast.
Dark Coffee Roasts
The internal temperature for a dark roast reaches between 464°F and 482°F. Such high roasting temperatures result in visible oils on the surfaces of the beans. But, in complete contrast to light roasts, no origin flavors remain in a dark roast as these have all been replaced by the flavors from the roasting process.
Since the sugars in the coffee beans have had time to caramelize, dark roasts are often much sweeter as well as much less acidic. The longer roasting process also allows dark roasted coffees to have a richer flavor, more body, and sometimes even a buttery finish. And, while all types of coffee roasts have some caffeine, dark roasts have the least caffeine.
For many Europeans, the dark roasting process makes for the best type of roast coffee so dark roasts usually have European names, such as Italian Roast and French Roast.
Different Types of Coffee Roasts
As this quick guide to the different types of coffee roasts shows, the roasting process has a huge impact on the flavor of the coffee.
All that variation can make it hard to pick the right beans. But once you have a better idea of the roasts you like, you can be sure of a caffeinated taste sensation every time!
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