Confused by Roast Levels?
We've always been put under the impression by marketeers and brands that Dark Roast or a 'strong' cup is a sign of a seasoned palate - but we were nothing but completely wrong with that assumption!
This misinformation was used to mask the low-quality musty flavour notes and defects in coffee!With specialty grade coffee, this isn't the case
Let's navigate below through the world of specialty and understand why you wouldn't pick up that bag of Extra Dark, French or Italian Roast coffee again!
Suggest For Manual Brews & Americanos (Black)
Light Roast
Light brown colour with visible silver skin (silver line of chaff in the centre of the bean)
A light roast produces no oil on the surface of the beans & typically has a crisp acidity, a mellow body, and bright flavours
As long as the beans were well grown, processed, and roasted, they can produce a very wide variety of flavours, aromas, aftertastes and beyond
The beans are roasted light in order to preserve the unique characteristics and inherent flavour notes of the bean
We love roasting our specialty coffee light, for its ability to bring more vibrant, unique flavours out of the coffees & highlight the unique characteristics of a coffee's origin more than any other roast style
Suggested For Manual Brews, Espressos & Americanos (Black)
Medium Roast
Medium roast coffee is a brown colour and rarely has an oily surface
Roasting to this level also preserves many of the unique flavours of the coffee's origin, but it also begins to reach into the deep caramel sweetness of a longer roast
As a result, these coffees are balanced, well rounded, and slightly darker and sweeterSome of the brightest notes of a light roast may be eliminated, but it's a trade-off for extra balance
We love medium roasts because they are more approachable than light roasts to the average coffee drinker
They're less acidic and intense, but still can showcase a coffee's natural flavour profile
Suggested For Strong, Dark Black Coffee or Espresso Based Milk Drinks (Cappuccinos, Lattes, Flat Whites)
Dark Roast
Coffees roasted to this level tend to not have many of their origin characteristics left, but that doesn't mean that these are bland and boring
Some coffees really lend themselves to a dark roast because they thrive with chocolate-y, nutty and caramel flavours
Dark roast coffee has long reigned king, largely because coffee quality wasn't great in the past
Roasters would 'roast away' the less desirable flavours of low grade coffee to find deeper, more uniform, and more approachable ones
This was an understandable way to combat low quality coffee, but it's no longer needed.
Now, the goal of a specialty roaster isn't to roast away bad flavours, but lean into deeper, darker pleasant ones if a particular coffee calls for it
The difference between light and dark roast coffee is quite dramatic. We highly suggest trying a light and a dark coffee side-by-side to really taste the difference