How to Select Freshly Roasted Coffee Beans_Are Dark Roast or Light Roast Coffee Beans Better Tasting?

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The Coffee Specialty Movement

Indeed, we've noticed that with the advancement of the world's coffee specialty movement, light roasting of coffee beans seems to have become the standard and trend for specialty coffee. Some specialty coffee roasters in America achieve astonishingly light roast levels. On the other hand, supporters of dark roasting believe that coffee beans only complete the "Maillard reaction" fully after medium to dark roasting. Peet's Coffee from San Francisco has consistently maintained its dark roasting style and is recognized as an expert in dark roasting.

The debate between dark and light roast factions will likely continue indefinitely, as the choice of coffee roast level signifies a roaster's understanding of coffee flavors. Personally, I believe there's no need and shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all standardization between dark and light roasts. Roasters' understanding of coffee naturally varies, and even among coffee roasters who prefer light roasts, their roast levels and curve profiles differ significantly.

Coffee is Just a Daily Beverage

Roasting is meant to make coffee delicious. Obsessing over technical aspects and engaging in extreme worship of flavors loses the essence of what coffee should be.

However, as roasters, the choice of roast level for fresh coffee beans shouldn't solely stem from personal interests and preferences but should focus on the needs of the audience. Therefore, light roasting has its merits, and dark roasting has its advantages - there's inherently no good or bad difference between them. If your customers pursue flavor characteristics and the terroir features of coffee's origin, then light roasting can allow your clients to more clearly perceive what they're looking for.

No Right or Wrong, Only Suitability and Balance

Conversely, if your customers prefer round, full-bodied coffee with rich texture and abundant sweetness, then medium to dark roasting would be more appropriate. However, I must speak on behalf of dark roast coffee roasters: many light roast style roasters believe that when coffee is dark roasted, besides bitterness and burnt flavors, there are no other tastes, and that coffee flavors are completely lost in dark roasting. This viewpoint is not objective. A roaster skilled in dark roasting coffee produces coffee that not only lacks smoky burnt flavors but also allows customers to perceive the coffee's flavors. In other words, someone who only roasts coffee until it's black and oily with extremely strong smoky burnt flavors isn't a roaster but a charcoal burner.

Flavor Characteristics of Different Roast Levels

Generally, lightly roasted beans tend to highlight light, refreshing flavors with very rich flavor expressions. Floral notes, fruit acidity, and certain tea-like characteristics are typical flavor manifestations of these beans. Medium roasting offers a more balanced performance, combining refreshing flavors with rich texture. Dark roasted beans tend to emphasize their texture characteristics, typically presenting rich flavors such as smoky, chocolate, and woody notes, accompanied by full-bodied texture.

The classification of these three roasting methods is only a very general approach. In reality, factors such as the bean's origin, variety, and the roaster's style all influence the roast level. Adjusting roasting techniques according to each bean's characteristics is essential, after all, deliciousness is what matters most - everyone might want to try more to find their preferred roast level.

Recommended Fresh Coffee Bean Brands

FrontStreet Coffee's freshly roasted single-origin coffee beans: Yirgacheffe Coffee, Kenya AA Coffee, Panama Geisha Coffee, and others offer full assurance in both brand and quality, suitable for brewing with various equipment. More importantly, they offer extremely high value for money - a half-pound (227g) package costs only around 80-90 yuan. Calculating at 15g per pour-over coffee, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 6 yuan. Compared to cafés selling coffee for dozens of yuan per cup, this represents exceptional value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473