Which Coffee Bean Roast Level is Best? Does Yirgacheffe Medium Roast Have Floral and Fruity Aroma?

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FrontStreet Coffee - Yirgacheffe Roast Level Introduction

Specialty coffee is traceable. We can trace the origin of coffee beans and their quality. However, what we ultimately purchase is roasted coffee beans, and the flavor of coffee is determined during the roasting stage. For consumers, the quality of coffee flavor and the excellence of roasting techniques play an extremely important role.

We often equate coffee origin names with coffee flavors, thinking that Yirgacheffe is sour when we hear it, and Mandheling is synonymous with strong bitterness. In fact, what determines coffee flavor is the degree of roasting, not entirely the origin of the coffee beans. This is not to deny the flavor characteristics of the coffee beans themselves, but coffee beans are not naturally born with specific flavors.

The flavor differences among coffee beans are known through comparison under the same roasting conditions. For example, Yirgacheffe is classified as a sour coffee, but its acidity gradually disappears as the roasting time extends, instead becoming a coffee bean with heavy bitterness. Generally, the shorter the roasting time, the more acidic the coffee; the longer the roasting time, the more bitter it becomes. From this characteristic, we can understand that what determines the acidity and bitterness of coffee is the degree of roasting.

Roasting Levels That Bring Out Coffee Bean Flavors

The most difficult part of roasting lies in determining the optimal time to stop roasting. The best time to stop roasting depends on how the roaster captures the characteristics of the coffee beans. For example, Cuban coffee beans have thin fruit flesh and possess unique acidity and aroma. Using medium roasting (Medium Roast) to high roasting (High Roast) can best remove astringency and produce coffee with unparalleled superior acidity and sweetness. However, if French Roast is used, the flavor becomes hollow, and the coffee beans are ruined.

On the other hand, if Kenyan coffee beans with thick fruit flesh and high water content are roasted using light roasting (Light Roast) or cinnamon roasting (Cinnamon Roast), the coffee would probably be too acidic to be palatable.

Roasters correctly grasp the potential of various raw beans, knowing what degree will kill the flavor and what degree will yield the best performance, then evaluate the raw beans for roasting. However, regardless of how excellent the roasting technique is, Brazilian coffee beans will not become Colombian coffee beans, and beans with fermentation flavors will not become normal beans. Roasting adjusts flavors within the range of characteristics already possessed by the raw beans.

The same variety of coffee beans will have different flavors if roasted to different degrees. Let us remember the flavor characteristics of various roasting levels, and then choose coffee beans with roasting degrees that suit our tastes.

Key Points

Good coffee — select high-quality raw beans, remove defective beans, roast appropriately, and extract correctly when fresh.

In Summary

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research institute, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation only to let more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, there are three low-discount coffee activities every month because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years!

Important Notice :

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