Types of Coffee Roasts


The Formula for a perfect cup of coffee

Beans + Roast + Grind + Brew = Coffee in the Cup

But it all starts with the roasting of the original coffee bean...

Prior to roasting coffee beans are stored in their original green state because they can be kept for a long time without loss of quality or taste. Once roasted, however, they should be used as quickly as possible before the fresh roast flavor begins to diminish.

Roasting is a heat process that turns those green beans into the fragrant, dark brown beans that are then ground and brewed to get that final cup of coffee. Roasting is a very technical process and skill which approaches an art form. It takes years of training to become an expert roaster with the ability to 'read' the beans and make decisions with split second timing. The difference between perfectly roasted coffee and a ruined batch can be a matCoffee Roastingter of seconds.

The original state of the green coffee bean is nothing like a roasted bean, in fact is it is soft and spongy to the bite and smells green, almost 'grassy.' Roasting effects numerous chemical changes as the beans are rapidly brought to very high temperatures.

When they reach the peak of perfection, they are quickly cooled to stop the process. Roasted beans smell like coffee, and weigh less because the moisture has been roasted out.

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They are crunchy to the bite, ready to be ground and brewed. The roasting process brings out the rich aroma and flavor of coffee as we know it that is locked in the green bean
Coffee Roasting
There are tons of different roasts based on individual producers and there is little industry standardization. However, in general, there are 4 types of roasts categories under which are listed some popular roasts. The categories mainly describe the characteristics of the are light, medium, medium-dark or dark.

The perfect roast is an individual choice, the best thing is to try a variety until you find one that you like.

The Coffee Roasts


Light
The light roasts yield a very mild cup of coffee because the light roasted bean is not roasted long enough to create oils on the surface of the bean.

Light City
Half City
New England
Cinnamon

Medium
Darker in color and with a stronger flavor that the light roasts and and a non-oily surface. This roast is also known as the American roast because it is very popular in the States.

City
American
Breakfast

Medium-Dark
A pronounced strong flavor and aroma with a bittersweet after taste, this roast is stronger that medium and light and has some oil on the surface.

Inner City

Dark
Not for the squimeesh! The dark roast produces very shiny black beans with lots of oil on the surface and a pronounced bitterness. The strongest of all the roasts this roast yields a full flavor and the strongest cup of coffee. Dark roasts range from slightly dark beans to charred. Suffice it to say this is the strongest coffee roast producing a rich cup of coffee

French
High
Continental
Espresso
European
Viennese
Italian
New Orleans