Much of the flavor of a coffee comes from how it is roasted, but unless you’re a roast master, you might not know exactly how the roast impacts flavor. At Keys Coffee Co., we offer a variety of beans in a variety of roasts, so we want to offer you a basic breakdown of the flavor profiles you can expect from some of these roasts. Roasting became coffee’s trademark preparation process dating all the back to the 15th century.
Is There a Difference Between These Roasts?
There actually isn’t much difference in caffeine and acidity levels in medium and dark roasts. But darker roast have a much stronger flavor than lighter roasts, often accounting for the familiar taste of the drink in your hands.
Dark Roasts
The strongest of all the roasts, dark roasts are visibly shiny with an oily surface. The beans have such a prominent, bittersweet flavor that it is difficult to tell by the taste where the beans originated from. Dark roast coffee includes High, Continental, New Orleans, European, Espresso, Viennese, Italian, and French.
Medium Roasts
While the flavor is still dark and rich, it is not as bitter or strong as a dark roast. There is some acidity in the roast, but the levels of it have been substantially muted by the roasting process. Medium roasts include Full City and a regular City roast.
Light Roasts
These roasts are so light that you can hardly even taste the flavor of the roast. However, a light roast is perfect for tasting the origin of the coffee, as nothing from where the coffee was imported from is lost. The acidity level in this roast is pretty high, but the coffee will have a sweeter flavor. Light roasts include Light City, Half City, Cinnamon, American, New England, and Moderate-Light.
Want to taste these roasts for yourself? Check out our bean variety list for our many different kinds of roasts.
