Coffee Bean Roasting Stages: Flavor Change Comparison Chart & The Relationship Between Roast Level and Flavor

In the past, coffee in most people's minds was typically dark roasted, presenting a burnt aroma and intense bitterness. Today, with the emergence of specialty coffee concepts, dark-roasted coffee beans are no longer considered the best. Light and medium-roasted coffee beans have gradually become mainstream in the third wave of coffee. FrontStreet Coffee has over 50 coffee varieties from different origins, all roasted to light or medium-dark levels. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss how coffee bean roast levels affect flavor and their differences.

If we simply classify coffee beans sold on the market, generally sour ones are light roast, bitter ones are dark roast, and those with both sour and bitter notes are medium roast. Within the industry, however, classification is more detailed. Currently, the scientific distinction uses Agtron color values (caramelization analysis values) as the basis for coffee roast levels. According to Agtron color value standards, roast levels are divided into 8 categories, with higher values indicating lighter roasting. From light to dark, they are:

The highest Agtron color value is 95, called Light Roast, with beans removed from the roaster when first crack is intense (beans are still popping audibly). Generally, the coffee's flavor will exhibit bright acidity.

Agtron color value 85 belongs to Cinnamon Roast, with beans removed around the end of first crack (cracking sounds have just stopped, or only occasional cracking remains). Generally, coffee beans at this level will present mainly acidic flavors with a sweet aroma.

Agtron color value 75 is called Medium Roast, with beans removed approximately after first crack ends (cracking sounds have completely stopped). The coffee flavor at this level will be mainly sweet with slight fruit acidity.

Agtron color value 65 is called High Roast (Dark Roast), with beans removed between the end of first crack and the beginning of second crack (about 1-2 minutes of quiet period). The flavor will show nutty and caramel notes, balanced, without acidity.

Agtron color value 55 is called City Roast, with beans removed around the beginning of second crack (after a quiet period, one or two faint cracking sounds appear). The flavor at this point is more bitter, with heavier caramel aroma.

Agtron color value 45 is called Full City Roast, with beans removed before second crack becomes intense (before hearing popping sounds). At this point, the coffee is already quite dark, with a more burnt, bitter, and rich flavor.

Agtron color value 35 is called French Roast, with beans removed during intense second crack (hearing popping sounds again, though deeper than the first time). At this point, coffee beans have already started to release oil.

Agtron color value 25 is called Italian Roast, with beans removed around the end of second crack (after intense sounds). At this point, coffee beans are jet black and shiny, with oils having permeated the bean surface.

Actually, among these 8 roast levels, coffee after color value 65 is mainly bitter-tasting, but final consumers may not necessarily encounter all of them. For example, today's coffee beans are no longer all roasted until oily, and French Roast and Italian Roast levels are rarely seen. At the retail end, we don't directly transfer this roast level classification chart. To help everyone better understand, we divide these roasted beans into major categories: light roast, medium-light roast, medium roast, medium-dark roast, and dark roast.

FrontStreet Coffee doesn't directly indicate roast levels on coffee bean information sections. Everyone can distinguish based on the flavors presented by the coffee beans and find their preferences.

For example, flavors described as "lemon, citrus, berries" and other relatively sour fruits can be identified as coffee beans leaning toward the lighter side of medium-light roast. Light-roasted coffee beans feature mainly acidic flavors, with a lighter body and bright taste. FrontStreet Coffee typically uses light roasting for Ethiopian Yirgacheffe region coffee beans to highlight the unique lemon-citrus acidity of the Yirgacheffe region and rich floral and fruit aromas. FrontStreet Coffee's representative beans include Yirgacheffe Gotiti coffee, natural Red Cherry coffee beans, and others. Light roasting brings more varied, vibrant, and unique flavors to coffee, making it popular among professional coffee circles. Light roasting methods better highlight the unique characteristics of coffee's origin.

Flavors describing "honeydew melon, grapes, slightly acidic fruits" and other relatively sweet fruits can be identified as coffee beans leaning toward the medium side of medium-light roast. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Musician Series Mozart coffee beans highlight the full sweetness in coffee while retaining a small portion of acidity, making fruit flavors more three-dimensional.

Flavor descriptions mentioning "sugarcane, maple syrup, chocolate" and other obviously sweet flavors can be identified as coffee beans leaning toward the medium side of medium-dark roast. Like the very popular Honduras Sherry Cask coffee beans on FrontStreet Coffee's menu, which retain the coffee's fundamental character of whiskey and vanilla while deepening the roast to highlight the coffee beans' chocolate, caramel, and other roasted aromas.

Flavor descriptions mentioning "nuts, dark chocolate, caramel" and other bitter-sweet flavors can be identified as coffee beans leaning toward the darker side of medium-dark roast. Deeper roasting reduces the coffee beans' acidity, presenting more bitter and mellow flavors. Like FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesian Golden Mandheling coffee beans, which use dark roasting to maximally restore the classic Mandheling flavor.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

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