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Three Coffee Roasting Levels: What are the Different Flavor Characteristics of Coffee Beans Between Light, Medium, and Dark Roasts - Which is Best?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Coffee bean roasting levels - Raw coffee beans contain rich aromatic compounds, and through the roasting process, these aromatic components are awakened, creating coffee's unique aroma. The darker the roast, the less distinct the aroma becomes. The roasting level also determines the bitterness and acidity of coffee - the darker the roast, the lower the acidity.

Coffee is a beverage made by brewing coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee believes that what makes coffee special is that the raw beans need to be roasted before they can be used for brewing, and the roasting temperature reaches over 200°C, which is much higher than the roasting temperature for nuts. The duration of roasting also determines the depth of the roast, so different roast levels yield different flavor profiles!

Before the third wave of specialty coffee, which was from the 1970s to 1990s, specialty coffee didn't exist yet, and commercial coffee beans dominated. If commercial coffee beans were lightly or medium roasted, it was easy to detect defective flavors in the coffee, unclean tastes, or woody flavors from aged beans that had lost moisture. If roasted to the second crack, these undesirable flavors become difficult to detect. This is also why the third wave of coffee popularized light roasting. As coffee cultivation and post-processing techniques improved, we can now obtain cleaner, sweeter coffee that emphasizes regional flavors. Light roasting allows us to taste the origin flavors of coffee. For example, a bean with citrus and floral notes must come from Ethiopia. If everything is roasted to dense second crack, these good flavors are lost.

Why is coffee roasted?

Coffee originally comes from the seeds of fruit, which are processed into green coffee beans. Only after roasting can the flavors within the coffee beans be awakened. Different roasting methods will present different flavors in the coffee beans.

Why do green coffee beans develop flavors after high-temperature roasting? It's actually because chemical changes occur during the roasting process. Let me explain what chemical changes take place below.

Maillard Reaction

This reaction occurs at around 150°C, when the coffee beans are still absorbing heat and continue to release heat during the roasting process. The heat causes reactions between carbohydrates and amino acids in the beans, leading to changes in color, taste, and nutritional components.

The color change is mainly due to the production of melanoids. These numerous substances not only turn the coffee beans brown but also affect the coffee's body and richness.

Even small variations in temperature and time during the Maillard reaction stage can have a significant impact on the final flavor.

Coffee that spends more time in the Maillard reaction will increase its viscosity, while a shorter Maillard reaction will produce more sweetness and acidity, because if the Maillard reaction time is too long, fruit acids and acids that would convert to sweetness will be destroyed.

When FrontStreet Coffee's roasters experiment with roasting coffee beans, they also vary the duration and intensity of the Maillard reaction, recording how these changes affect the final flavor.

Caramelization Reaction

When heated to about 170°C, heat causes large complex carbohydrates to break down into smaller sugar molecules that can dissolve in water, which means the sweetness of the final brewed coffee will increase.

This reaction continues until the end of the roasting process and also contributes to the sweet aromas in coffee, such as caramel and almond notes.

Through the Maillard reaction and caramelization reaction, you can now understand how the reactions in coffee roasting affect the flavor of a cup of coffee. Previously, I heard someone say that among the factors affecting a cup of coffee, green coffee beans account for 70%, roast level 20%, and brewing 10%.

Only through the high-temperature environment of roasting can coffee beans develop such intense aromas and rich, complex flavors! As the roasting time and temperature vary, the same coffee beans can present diverse and varied characteristics!

Generally, they can be divided into three major categories: light roast, medium roast, and dark roast.

However, the subtle flavors are further divided into eight levels: Light Roast to Italian Roast.

Light Roast: Light Roast, Cinnamon Roast - strong aroma, distinct fruit acidity.

Medium Roast: Medium Roast, High Roast, City Roast - more coffee bean aroma, sweetness, slight fruit acidity, typical Vienna coffee flavor.

Dark Roast: Full City Roast, French Roast, Italian Roast - strong caramel flavor, rich and intense taste.

The roast level of a coffee bean largely determines the direction of its flavor expression. Coffee bean roasting can be simply divided into three levels: light roast, medium roast, and medium-dark/dark roast.

Light Roast / Cinnamon Roast

Drop time: From first crack start to dense first crack

Flavor: Bean surface shows cinnamon color, grassy notes have been eliminated, strong acidity with slight aroma, often used for brewing American coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee - Ethiopia Sidamo Hawker Coffee Beans

Region/Processing Station: Sidamo Hambela Buku Abel Processing Station

Altitude: 2250-2350m

Processing: Natural processing

Variety: Ethiopian heirloom varieties

Flavor description: Passion fruit, fermented wine aroma, strawberry, jackfruit

Medium Roast

Drop time: From dense first crack to end of first crack

Flavor: Bean surface shows chestnut color, light taste, acidic with bitterness, moderate aroma, preserving the original flavor of coffee beans, often used for American coffee or blended coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Entry Selection - Costa Rica Tarrazu Coffee Beans

Region: Tarrazu

Altitude: 1500m

Processing: Washed processing

Variety: Caturra, Catuai

Flavor description: Toffee, sweet orange, honey, nuts - a flavor-balanced coffee with typical Costa Rican coffee style.

Medium-Dark Roast / City Roast

Drop time: After first crack, between first and second crack

Flavor: Bean surface shows light brown color, bright and lively taste, balanced acidity and bitterness with lighter acidity, releasing the fine flavors in coffee, standard roast level, also the most popular roast level among the public.

FrontStreet Coffee - Brazil Queen Estate Coffee Beans

Region/Estate: Mogiana Queen Estate

Altitude: 1400-1950m

Processing: Semi-natural processing

Variety: Yellow Bourbon

Flavor: Nuts, creamy peanuts, sucrose, fermented fruits

Dark Roast / Italian Roast, also known as "Italian Roast"

Drop time: From end of second crack to when bean surface turns black and oily

Flavor: Bean surface shows black with oily sheen, coffee bean fibers before carbonization, strong and complex taste, powerful bitterness, with rich roasting and burnt aromas, mainly popular in Italy, mostly used for Espresso coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee - Sunflower Warm Sunshine Italian Blend Coffee Beans

Region: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe + Honduras Masaguara

Altitude: 1700-2200m + 1500-1700m

Processing: Natural processing + Refined washed whiskey barrel fermentation processing

Varieties: Ethiopian heirloom + Caturra, Catuai, Pacas

Blend ratio: 3:7

Flavor description: Rich fermented wine aroma, berry fruit acidity, vanilla cream, nut caramel

Light Roast Coffee Bean Recommendations

1. FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry Coffee Beans

Region/Processing Station: Yirgacheffe Aletaland Processing Station

Altitude: 1700-2200m

Processing: Natural processing

Variety: Ethiopian heirloom varieties

Flavor description: Overall distinct flavor layers with obvious aroma, carrying lemon fragrance, floral notes, and fermented wine aroma. Full-bodied juice sensation in the mouth, with citrus and lemon acidity, weaker nut flavors, and honey sweetness in the aftertaste.

2. FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Assalia Coffee Beans

Region/Processing Station: Thika Asali Processing Station

Altitude: 1550-1750m

Processing: 72-hour washed processing

Varieties: SL28, SL34

Flavor description: Wet aroma has mature tomato and floral notes. Cherry tomato and dark plum flavors in the mouth, bright acidity, clean and most solid and rich texture, like the weight of an African elephant! Prominent sweetness in the middle section with juice sensation, berry fruit aroma and brown sugar sweetness in the aftertaste, with green tea fragrance.

3. FrontStreet Coffee Panama Butterfly Coffee Beans

Region: Boquete region

Altitude: 1600m

Processing: Washed processing

Varieties: Geisha (70%), Caturra, Catuai (30%)

Flavor description: Floral notes, black tea, berries, citrus, slight nutty notes in the finish, smooth texture, low bitterness, moderate acidity, medium aftertaste

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Parameters

Dose: 15 grams

Ratio: 1:15

Temperature: 90°C

Grind: Medium-fine (78% pass-through rate with #20 standard sieve)

Dripper: V60

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Technique

30g bloom for 30 seconds. After blooming, pour in a circular motion to 125g. When the water level drops halfway, continue pouring to 225g. Total extraction time: 2 minutes.

Medium-Dark Roast Coffee Bean Recommendations

1. FrontStreet Coffee PWN Golden Mandheling Coffee Beans

Region/Processing Company: Sumatra Aceh PWN Company

Altitude: 1100-1600m

Processing: Wet-hulled processing

Variety: Ateng

Flavor description: The coffee has diverse layers, rich and clean. Intense nut and caramel aromas with chocolate notes, persistent aftertaste, and high balance.

2. FrontStreet Coffee Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee Beans

Region/Estate: Jamaica Blue Mountains Clifton Estate

Altitude: 1310m

Processing: Washed processing

Variety: Typica

Flavor description: Blue Mountain taste is very clean, very mild, with chocolate sweetness and very strong body. Rich and aromatic flavor, perfect combination of coffee's sweet, sour, and bitter tastes, completely without bitterness, only moderate and perfect acidity, with persistent fruity notes in the finish.

3. FrontStreet Coffee Entry Selection - Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon Coffee Beans

Region: Cerrado

Altitude: 1000m

Processing: Semi-natural processing

Variety: Red Bourbon

Flavor description: This is a flavor-balanced coffee with typical Brazilian coffee style. Prominent nut and chocolate flavors with obvious sucrose sweetness.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Parameters

Dose: 15 grams

Ratio: 1:15

Temperature: 86°C

Grind: Medium-coarse (75% pass-through rate with #20 standard sieve)

Dripper: KONO

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Technique

30g bloom for 30 seconds, pour in a circular motion to 125g. When the water level drops halfway, continue pouring to 225g. Total extraction time: 2 minutes 10 seconds.