Is Specialty Coffee Only Light to Medium Roasted? Does Dark Roast Count as Specialty Coffee? Are Dark Roasted Coffee Beans Delicious?

The mainstream third wave of specialty coffee

Today's coffee shops often emphasize themselves as "specialty coffee." What exactly is "specialty coffee"? Why do more than 90% of artisanal roasters choose to interpret the flavor of coffee beans through so-called light to medium roasting?

Anyone who pays even a little attention to coffee articles has probably heard of the currently popular "third wave of specialty coffee" in the coffee world. The first and second waves of coffee each brought about "coffee" revolutions belonging to their respective eras. If the first wave brought instant coffee, making it easier and more convenient for people to drink coffee; if the second wave promoted espresso, improving coffee quality and transforming coffee from a necessity to a luxury; then the third wave of specialty coffee pursues even more.

Natural, washed, honey processed, low-pollution processing methods, origin cultivation, micro-batches—the third wave of specialty coffee has many pursuits, but its core pursuit is only one thing—"terroir."

The concept of "Terroir" comes from the world of wine, mainly describing how any subtle condition in the origin can change the flavor of a bean.

In the past, we often distinguished coffee flavors by Ethiopia, Blue Mountain, Kenya, etc. Today, we not only talk about Ethiopia but also about its major producing region Yirgacheffe, the small sub-region Kochere, even the processing station Boli, the processing method natural, grade G1, altitude 1800M～2300M, Ethiopian heirloom variety, and the story of the Red Cherry Project...

With so many labels, the goal is to let us use "knowledge" as much as possible to approach the "flavors" we haven't yet tasted. Simply put, it helps consumers more easily find or discover beans and flavors they like. It is precisely because of pursuing such primitive and detailed flavor presentation that "light roasting" has become popular.

Under light to medium roasting levels, the coffee's inherent "terroir" is most easily expressed. Bright, lively acidic fruit notes are mostly the flavors this roasting level aims to present, paired with "black" coffee extraction methods like pour-over, siphon, AeroPress—this is the approach that best aligns with the core concepts of third wave specialty coffee.

Light roasted coffee also contains more chlorogenic acid components. Many coffee research reports indicate that this component has the effect of increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, as well as liver protection and slowing arterial hardening. Combined with the recent rise in natural eating trends, this has made specialty black coffee increasingly popular.

In terms of extraction, because the cell walls of light roasted coffee are less damaged, FrontStreet Coffee can use relatively "aggressive" extraction methods. That is: fine grinding (fine sugar size), high water temperature (about 88～92°C), large water flow agitation (height of pour-over kettle, kettle swing pressure, etc.), high water-to-coffee ratio (about 1:13.33～1:16.67).

Of course, this is just a very general statement. Because everyone's preferred taste is different, everyone's suitable method is naturally different.

Light roasting is extremely popular in China's coffee scene, so popular that many enthusiasts might shake their heads and sigh at the sight of dark roasted coffee: "Chinese herbal medicine." This situation is perfectly normal. Popular trends reflect market demand, and market demand is limited by knowledge dissemination.

As a representative of the second coffee wave—Starbucks naturally carries attributes opposed to specialty coffee, so consequently, many people avoid the dark roasted coffee beans promoted by Starbucks, even believing that "only inferior beans would use dark roasting to mask off-flavors," "after dark roasting, coffee beans all taste similar, making it impossible to discern any flavor characteristics," "dark roasted beans are unhealthy for the human body"...

Can Specialty Coffee Be Dark Roasted?

Is this really true? Today, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss whether specialty coffee can be dark roasted.

First, let's discuss why dark roasting exists.

First: Discussion from the current mainstream SCA system

From the perspective of the current mainstream SCA system, darker roasting can modify overly strong and sharp acidity. For example, why were Mandheling and Kenya AA often roasted darker in the past? The main reason is that due to origin and processing methods, these two beans have strong acidity, while dark roasting largely plays the role of reducing the stimulation of acidity on the tongue, transforming it into sweetness and body.

Second: Discussion from the concept of old Japanese kissaten

When mentioning dark roasting, many people will subconsciously add the Japanese prefix, just as when mentioning light roasting, FrontStreet Coffee will first think of Nordic light roasting. When it comes to dark roasting, Japanese coffee cannot be avoided. From the coffee concept of old Japanese kissaten, what they care about is that coffee should have the most diverse good layers and elegant sweet-bitter taste. Regarding the former, the source of coffee flavor comes not only from its inherent flavor but also from the flavor that roasting can provide. The concept of third wave specialty coffee is to preserve the former as much as possible; while the concept of old Japanese kissaten is to strive for the maximum sum of both.

Additionally, Japanese coffee philosophy differs from the SCA system by including elegant sweet-bitter taste (not burnt bitterness) in what is considered good taste (the SCA system does the opposite). Under long-standing cultural habits, darker roasting levels naturally became the exclusive taste memory of Japanese kissaten.

Most of us imagine dark roasting as burnt, smoky, etc., mainly because our approach to dark roasting is mostly high heat and fast frying, while Japanese roasting insists on low heat and slow baking. Therefore, under the same dark roasting level, Japanese methods relatively easily retain more of the coffee's sweetness and body.

Quality Matters in Dark Roasting

Then, is it true that darker roasting doesn't use good beans because the roasted taste will be similar anyway?

Of course not!

It's not that better beef isn't suitable for sukiyaki, nor that better fish isn't suitable for clay pot fish head. Using better ingredients will absolutely present different flavors than using inferior ingredients.

If you're lucky enough to have tasted extremely dark roasted specialty-grade coffee beans and regular batch coffee beans in an old Japanese kissaten, you'll find that both have significant differences in sweetness, aroma, and layers. It's absolutely not the case that any roaster, any green bean, when dark roasted, will taste similar—it mainly depends on the roaster's skill level and the quality of the green beans.

This is also why good dark roasts are always harder to find than good light roasts.

Even setting aside taste preferences influenced by regional cultures, dark roasting demands greater precision, control, and longer concentrated focus time than light roasting.

It's said that for a good "charcoal-roasted coffee," a coffee master needs at least 30-40 years to achieve excellent and stable quality. Although this was in an era without data to assist in accumulating experience, it's sufficient to show the difficulty of dark roasting. The reason dark roasting has become "non-mainstream" in the specialty coffee world is not unrelated to its harsh requirements for accumulated experience.

If you have the opportunity to visit old Japanese kissaten that sell specialty coffee, you "must" try it... Of course, you can only taste unforgettable dark roast coffee flavor under the prerequisites of 1. Having specialty grade 2. The master's authentic skills 3. Sufficient master experience!

And dark roasting is definitely not less healthy beans. As long as it's dark roasted with "appropriate and skilled" techniques, it can largely avoid the effects of carbonized substances on the human body. Dark roasted coffee beans also degrade more trigonelline, producing more nicotinic acid (commonly known as Vitamin B3), which are also beneficial components for the human body.

In recent years, scientists have also discovered that coffee contains various other chemical substances that stimulate gastric acid secretion. During the research process, they unexpectedly found an active substance NMP (N-methylpyridium), which can block the ability of stomach cells to produce hydrochloric acid, reducing stomach discomfort.

Interestingly, NMP does not exist in green coffee beans and must be produced through the roasting process, and the deeper the roasting, the higher the content. This means drinking dark roast coffee is less likely to upset your stomach. Additionally, acidic substances that easily cause stomach discomfort are less abundant in dark roasted beans. Professor Veronika Somoza from the Department of Nutritional and Physiological Chemistry at the University of Vienna, Austria, who led the research, pointed out that NMP content in dark roast coffee may be more than twice that in light roast. So, does drinking light roast coffee easily cause stomach coldness or heartburn? Then you might be more suited to drinking darker roasted coffee...

However, it's really difficult to judge from smell and appearance whether a bean is "appropriately dark roasted" or "burnt"; just like with steak, there's a fine line between "burnt" and "perfect Maillard reaction crust." So, can it only be determined by taste?

Unfortunately, dark roast coffee indeed has relatively fewer extractable substances compared to light roast coffee, and due to severe cell wall damage, extraction is much easier than light roast. If you still brew dark roast using the same method as light roast, you can imagine it will inevitably produce a burnt, bitter taste. Due to the significant difference in cell wall damage between these two roast levels, there are also considerable differences in extraction concepts. To brew a cup of sweet, rich dark roast coffee still requires very careful attention.

Unlike light roast, the aroma and sweetness of dark roast are provided by relatively larger molecular "brown pigments," so relatively longer extraction time is needed. But because it's easy to extract, you need to "minimize disturbance as much as possible," in other words "treat the coffee grounds as gently as possible," pouring water slowly to simultaneously meet these requirements. Today, FrontStreet Coffee's sharing ends here. Happy brewing everyone~

Important Notice :

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