Why is Italian Coffee Dark Roasted? Why Are Italian Roast Coffee Beans Nearly Carbonized?

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

FrontStreet Coffee's Roasting Philosophy

FrontStreet Coffee considers many factors when selecting the roast level for a coffee. What processing method is used for the coffee being roasted? How will the processing method affect the roasting curve? FrontStreet Coffee's roasting goal is to reflect the flavor characteristics of the coffee's growing region. While any coffee bean can be roasted in various ways, FrontStreet Coffee believes that the roasted flavor must embody the characteristics of its origin region. For example, Yirgacheffe should taste like Yirgacheffe, and then other possibilities can be developed on this foundation. This is FrontStreet Coffee's sole standard for determining coffee roast levels.

The brewing method is also an important consideration. You would roast differently depending on whether the coffee is intended for espresso or pour-over. But why must roasting also consider brewing methods? And how should roasting techniques be adjusted?

Why Are Italian Roast Coffee Beans Nearly Carbonized? What Are Their Benefits?

It turns out that these beans are blend beans. Artisanal roasting shops blend various uniquely flavored Robusta beans, of course also including some Arabica beans as the base, with the goal of creating the shop's signature rich, thick espresso extraction. The intoxicating, fascinating part is the rich coffee crema.

Careful analysis reveals that the crema comes from the coffee's natural oils. These coffee oils result from roasting raw coffee beans at high constant temperatures until after the second crack becomes dense. Typically, such coffee beans, when dropped from the roaster to cool, have a deep color but haven't yet released oils. Due to continuous heat dissipation from the beans themselves, you'll gradually see specks of oily sheen on the surface as they cool. Coffee beans like this have strong aroma diffusion, with intense, powerful fragrances that are hard to resist. Only dark-roasted coffee beans can force out these coffee oils, but relative freshness and shelf life will also be shortened.

Italian roast beans are best enjoyed within approximately five to seven days after roasting. After the seventh day or up to ten days, the oils gradually transform, and an unpleasant rancid smell gradually emerges. When extracted with an espresso machine at nine pounds of steam pressure, the crema will occupy 80% of the extraction cup. The taste when drunk straight is unforgettable. If you add coffee brown sugar to enhance the flavor, it's another taste experience altogether. FrontStreet Coffee suggests remembering to drink plenty of water when drinking this type of coffee to dilute the extraction liquid in your stomach, and we don't recommend drinking this coffee on an empty stomach.

Roasting Espresso Beans

For espresso, coffee beans with relatively strong flavors are usually chosen, so acidic espressos are rare. Most coffee beans use Italian-style blends with low acidity or remove acidity through darker roasting during the roasting process. Because they need to pair with fragrant, rich milk, the coffee's bitterness and body must be sufficient.

As you can imagine, dark-roasted coffee beans have higher weight loss rates and slightly stronger bitterness. Therefore, people seek raw coffee beans with stronger bitterness for blending. Robusta variety raw beans can increase coffee bitterness, while relatively, "Robusta beans" have more caffeine than Arabica beans and lower acidity.

Beans used for espresso need to extract substances more easily than pour-over beans, but how to achieve this? FrontStreet Coffee's roasters use longer roasting times than pour-over beans, but don't necessarily need to increase temperature or roast to dark levels.

When roasting espresso beans, FrontStreet Coffee wants the beans to achieve ideal extraction results through solubility, and how to create bright acidity. This often requires longer roasting times to make the coffee bean structure looser. Perhaps the development phase after first crack, or even before first crack, or both phases are crucial, but we believe the latter (before first crack) is the more critical phase.

When FrontStreet Coffee's partners cup such beans, they might not taste as balanced, but as long as sweetness dominates, we find that such beans perform very well when made into espresso, highlighting acidity and achieving a ultimately balanced taste.

Extending the roasting development time makes coffee flavor more refined and easier to extract in a short time. Due to changing the coffee's characteristics, this roasting特色 is easily identifiable during cupping, but if brewed well, you can enjoy a cup of coffee that is well-developed in both roasting and extraction.

FrontStreet Coffee's Espresso Blend

FrontStreet Coffee has chosen blending as the approach for their store's espresso coffee. Currently using a blend of sherry barrel-processed coffee beans and natural-processed Yirgacheffe Red Cherry Project coffee beans.

The ratio is 6:4, with 60% Honduras sherry barrel coffee beans providing flavor and body to this blend, and 40% natural Yirgacheffe providing more aroma and acidity.

Roasting Recommendations

When roasting this coffee bean, use a gradual heat reduction method to allow the beans to develop more synchronously during the roasting process.

Preheat to 210°C, air damper at 4, heat at 200, temperature return point at 1'30", 92°C; when roaster temperature reaches 140°C, open air damper to 6; at this point, the bean surface turns yellow, grassy smell completely disappears, entering dehydration phase. When roaster temperature reaches 180°C, adjust heat to 10, open air damper to maximum 10.

At 9'30", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, toast aroma clearly transitions to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack, which begins at 10'38". After first crack, develop for 3'40", drop at 197.5°C.

Roasting Pour-Over Beans

Pour-over coffee enhances the unique flavor characteristics of coffee, so FrontStreet Coffee's roasting goal is to preserve specific regional flavors. Generally, the longer the development phase during roasting, the higher the body, but this also sacrifices some acidity and fruit flavors.

Usually, longer development times produce more caramelized flavors and sweetness. If you want to emphasize fruit flavors, you can shorten the development time. If you want caramelized flavors like chocolate, you can try extending the development time.

Many customers judge our coffee based on brewing methods like pour-over or coffee machine brewing. Our goal is to achieve coffee with balanced acidity and sweetness and full body. FrontStreet Coffee prefers multi-layered flavors, providing different experiences in the front, middle, and back palate during tasting.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that no single roasting method can create beans perfect for pour-over. We want coffee to provide a good experience for drinkers from hot to cold, rather than coffee that lacks follow-through and whose flavor collapses when it cools. Although each coffee will have flavor differences, we can usually achieve our expected goals.

What Is Omni-Roasting?

Omni-roasting means the roasted beans are suitable for any brewing method. This doesn't mean the coffee tastes the same regardless of how it's brewed—brewing methods still affect coffee flavor and body. But theoretically, omni-roasted beans are suitable for both pour-over and espresso.

In omni-roasting, more time is needed for flavor development during roasting, which makes coffee beans more soluble for use as espresso, while preserving a range of flavor compounds that make the coffee suitable for other brewing methods as well.

All roasting is the same—each coffee has its characteristics, and sample testing should be conducted when testing roast levels. When using omni-roasting, try different brewing methods to express different flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that omni-roasting may not bring out the best quality of a coffee. Omni-roasting may not satisfy some customers and baristas who particularly prefer certain brewing methods, as the flavors may not be prominent enough to leave a lasting impression.

Eight Roast Levels

The well-known coffee roast levels in American terminology are light roast, medium roast, and dark (heavy) roast, which can be further divided into 8 stages. Differences in roast levels vary by region. Below is a brief introduction to roast levels and flavors:

1. Light Roast: Extremely Light Roast
Drop time: Around the beginning of first crack
Flavor: Bean surface appears light cinnamon color, with strong grassy smell, insufficient taste and aroma, generally used for testing, rarely for tasting.

2. Cinnamon Roast: Light Roast
Drop time: From first crack beginning to dense
Flavor: Bean surface appears cinnamon color, grassy smell is gone, strong acidity with slight aroma, often used for American coffee.

3. Medium Roast: Medium Roast
Drop time: Between first crack dense and ending
Flavor: Bean surface appears chestnut color, light taste, acidic with slight bitterness, moderate aroma, preserves original coffee bean flavor, often used for American coffee or blended coffee.

4. High Roast: Medium-Dark Roast
Drop time: End of first crack
Flavor: Bean surface appears light reddish-brown, refreshing and rich taste, balanced acidity and bitterness without being harsh, with slight sweetness, both aroma and flavor are excellent. Blue Mountain and Kilimanjaro coffees are suitable for this roast level, favored by Japanese and Northern/Central European people.

5. City Roast: Medium-Dark Roast
Drop time: After first crack, between first and second crack
Flavor: Bean surface appears light brown, bright and lively taste, balanced acidity and bitterness with lighter acidity, releases excellent flavors from coffee, standard roast level and most popular among the public. Brazilian and Colombian coffees are suitable for this roast level, often used for French coffee.

6. Full City Roast: Dark Roast
Drop time: Second crack
Flavor: Bean surface appears brown, steady and full taste, stronger bitterness than acidity, sweet aftertaste, full aroma, Central and South American roasting method, often used for iced coffee and black coffee.

7. French Roast: Very Dark Roast
Drop time: From second crack dense to second crack ending
Flavor: Bean surface appears dark brown with black, strong and intense taste, stronger bitterness, light acidity almost imperceptible, with rich chocolate and smoky aroma, popular in Europe especially France, often used for café au lait and Vienna coffee.

8. Italian Roast: Extremely Dark Roast
Drop time: From second crack ending to bean surface turning black and oily
Flavor: Bean surface appears black with oily sheen, coffee bean fibers before carbonization, strong and complex taste, powerful bitterness, with rich roasting and burnt aroma, mainly popular in Latin countries and Italy, often used for espresso.

There is no standard method for roasting espresso or pour-over beans, and each batch of raw beans has different characteristics and qualities. However, FrontStreet Coffee believes that understanding the relationship between extraction and flavor development allows us to more correctly choose roast levels for espresso or pour-over.

Whether choosing the most suitable roast level for each individual bean or omni-roasting, regular cupping is necessary, and coffee must be brewed according to the established method. Through close attention to the roasted coffee, different roasting methods suitable for each brewing method can be identified.

For more specialty coffee beans, add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473