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Can You Taste the Difference Between Light, Medium, and Dark Roasted Coffee Beans? An Introduction to Different Coffee Roasting Levels

Published: 2026-01-28 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/28, For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). Although Robusta is one of the three main coffee varieties, its chromosome count differs from Arabica, resulting in distinctly different characteristics: The same number of coffee beans contains twice as much caffeine as Arabica, and it can adapt to lower altitudes and harsh growing environments.

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

FrontStreet Coffee believes that the quality of coffee bean roasting directly determines the aroma of the coffee beans. Poorly roasted coffee, even if the raw coffee beans are excellent, cannot produce good roasted coffee beans; as a result, good coffee cannot be made. FrontStreet Coffee generally adopts different roasting curves for different coffee beans, then conducts cupping to select the most suitable roasting curve for each coffee bean.

1. Definition of Roasting

Coffee roasting refers to the process of heating raw beans to promote a series of physical and chemical reactions inside and outside the coffee beans, generating various flavors such as acidity, bitterness, and sweetness, forming body and color tones, and transforming raw beans into dark brown beans.

2. Importance of Roasting

Among the factors affecting the taste of a cup of coffee, raw beans account for 60%, roasting accounts for 30%, and extraction accounts for 10%. Good roasting can maximize the unique characteristics of raw beans while minimizing the appearance of defective flavors. Conversely, improper roasting will completely ruin good beans. Since heat, time, and temperature control are extremely difficult to grasp during the roasting process, roasting technology is a very complex technique, making the importance of roasting even more prominent.

Roasting Levels

From the perspective of roasting level, the darker the roast, the stronger the bitterness; the lighter the roast, the stronger the acidity. The choice of roasting level depends on the characteristics of the coffee beans themselves. For coffee beans with inherently stronger bitterness and lighter acidity, generally a lighter to medium roast level is chosen.

Why Roast Coffee Beans?

After coffee cherries undergo various processing methods, they shed their outer layers, forming what we know as coffee raw beans. Raw beans must still undergo high-temperature roasting, which is what we call roasting, to stimulate their aroma and various sour, sweet, and bitter flavors before they can reach our hands.

Stimulating the production of various components in coffee raw beans actually involves a series of chemical reactions. Due to these chemical reactions, aroma, acidity, sweetness, and bitterness are produced in succession. The different proportions of each component directly lead to different flavors in the final coffee bean product. The main chemical reactions during the roasting process are the Maillard reaction and caramelization reaction.

Maillard Reaction

The Maillard reaction is key to affecting the flavor and color of coffee beans. At temperatures between 150-200°C, carbonyl groups (from sugars) and amino groups (from amino acids and proteins) react to form flavor compounds. The hundreds of flavor compounds formed by the Maillard reaction come together to create the unique flavor of coffee beans.

Caramelization Reaction

Starting from 170-200°C, sugar substances in coffee beans begin to undergo caramelization reaction. Sugar substances undergo dehydration and degradation, as well as browning reaction, making coffee beans darker in color and releasing aromatic and acidic compounds.

As can be seen, the formation of coffee bean aroma and color transformation离不开 (cannot be separated from) the Maillard reaction and caramelization reaction. Among the factors affecting the taste of a cup of coffee, raw beans account for 60%, roasting accounts for 30%, and extraction accounts for 10%, so the importance of roasting is self-evident.

Coffee Roasting Levels

In the 70s-90s, coffee culture was dominated by commercial coffee beans, which often contained Robusta varieties and had some flavor defects. To reduce this sense of defect, deep roasting was commonly used. If light or medium roasting were used, it would be easy to taste the defective flavors in the coffee.

But today's coffee culture has moved towards specialty coffee, which is what we often call the third wave of coffee culture, which advocates for clean mouthfeel and prominent acidity and sweetness. This flavor trend has led to the popularity of light roasting today.

The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) has established a set of roasting standards. There are a total of eight levels of roast: very light roast, light roast, light-medium roast, medium roast, medium-dark roast, dark roast, heavy roast, and very dark roast.

1. Light Roast

The lightest roast, without aroma or concentration to speak of, the beans are not yet mature and have the green flavor of raw beans, not suitable for grinding and drinking. Generally used for testing.

2. Cinnamon Roast

Also called cinnamon roast, this is a generally popular roasting level with strong acidity. The color of the beans is quite close to cinnamon, hence the name cinnamon roast, with increased acidity. Popular among people in the western United States.

3. Medium Roast

The color deepens, making it easy to extract the original flavor of coffee beans, with mellow aroma and pleasant acidity.

4. High Roast

The coffee flavor is stronger, acidity becomes lighter, this is the roasting method for general coffee beans. Acidity is balanced with bitterness, suitable for coffees like Blue Mountain and Kilimanjaro. Loved by Japanese and Northern European people.

5. City Roast

Also called city roast, bitterness is stronger than acidity, with almost no acidity and unique aroma. Suitable for Colombian and Brazilian coffees, deeply loved by New Yorkers.

6. Full City Roast

Also called full city roast, suitable for brewing iced coffee. No acidity, mainly bitter, bitterness will increase, but quality beans will have sweetness. Used for iced coffee, liked by people in Central and South America.

7. French Roast

French-style coffee roasting method, color slightly black, strong bitterness, will also exude oils, both bitterness and concentration are enhanced. Used for coffee brewed with steam pressurizers.

8. Italian Roast

Also called Italian-style roast, the deepest roast level, beans are jet black and shiny, with oil on the surface, and very strong bitterness. At this stage, coffee beans are already severely carbonized, and it's difficult to distinguish the taste of one coffee bean from another. Used for Italian-style steam pressurized coffee.

The three common roasting levels on the market are: light roast, medium roast, and dark roast.

Light roast: Has rich fruity tones, with sweet and sour floral and fruit aroma, can feel strong acidity.

Medium roast: Has nutty tones, mainly caramel, cocoa, and malt aromas.

Dark roast: Has a slight chocolate bitterness, low acidity, strong caramel aroma, with spice, woody, and charcoal flavors.

Light Roast

Speaking of light roast coffee beans, the first impression is Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe. Light-roasted Yirgacheffe can clearly highlight its fruity characteristics.

Example with FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Konga Coffee Beans

Region: Yirgacheffe

Cooperative: Konga Cooperative

Altitude: 1850-2050m

Variety: Local heirloom

Processing Method: Natural processing

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine (BG#6S)

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Method

Segmented extraction

Use 30g of water for 30 seconds bloom, then pour in small circular motions to 125g for segmentation. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop pouring. Wait for the water level to drop and is about to expose the coffee bed, then remove the dripper. Extraction time is 2'00" (starting from bloom).

Flavor Description

Berries, cream, honey, citrus, juice-like mouthfeel, bright acidity.

Medium Roast

Medium roast coffee beans aim to retain some of their sweet and sour flavors while bringing out their nutty flavors. During the brewing process, a coarser grind size than light roast will be used, and the water temperature will also be appropriately lowered.

Generally, the higher the roast level, the more porous the coffee beans become (continuously releasing substances during the roasting process), and they will also absorb more water. To avoid extracting bitter, astringent and other off-flavors, the coffee bean grind size and water temperature will be adjusted coarser accordingly during brewing.

Example with FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Queen's Estate Coffee Beans

Region: Mogiana, São Paulo

Estate: Queen's Estate

Altitude: 1400-1950m

Variety: Yellow Bourbon

Processing Method: Natural processing

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: Kono

Water Temperature: 88°C

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine (BG#6W)

*Reason for choosing Kono dripper: Kono dripper has few ribs and they are located at the bottom. The filter paper fits tightly against the dripper, which can limit airflow and increase the contact time between water and coffee grounds, allowing the coffee grounds to be fully extracted and enhancing the rich mouthfeel.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Method

Segmented extraction

Flavor Description

The taste has obvious sweetness, with a light lemon aroma, rich nutty flavors, and a distinct dark chocolate flavor in the aftertaste. The overall feeling is relatively round.

Dark Roast

Dark roast coffee beans aim to highlight their rich chocolate flavors. During the brewing process, a coarser grind size than light roast will also be used, and the water temperature will be appropriately lowered.