How Much Difference is There Between Dark and Light Roast Coffee Beans? How to Choose the Roast Level for Washed Shillan Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Coffee Roasting Levels

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The lighter coffee is roasted, the higher the acidity. However, for milk-based coffee, people usually prefer coffee with mild flavor, nutty notes, silky texture, and higher sweetness. Unless you have specific requirements for coffee, choosing light roast coffee or reducing the amount of milk will make the coffee very acidic.

In contrast, medium roast is the most common, but medium roast actually has different levels. Generally speaking, medium roast coffee has lower acidity and stronger bitterness with richer body due to longer roasting time, making it more compatible with milk than light roast coffee. The moderate bitterness combined with the sweetness of milk, along with gentle acidity, is more easily accepted by customers.

Nowadays, the popularity of dark roast is decreasing. Due to longer roasting time, the acidity of coffee almost disappears, and the bitterness becomes very strong. When paired with milk, coffee will have the bitterness of dark chocolate, which in many people's eyes is the most classic coffee flavor. Since its characteristics are not distinctive, no further description is needed.

As a consumer, if you prefer "stronger" coffee, please ask the barista about the coffee's roasting method before choosing. If the coffee is lightly roasted and you find it not strong enough, ask the barista to make you a double espresso, but be careful as the coffee may become too acidic; if it's medium roast, the strength should satisfy you; if only light roast is available, please ask the barista to reduce the amount of milk, or directly tell him you don't like to drink too acidic coffee and see what suggestions he has; alternatively, you can choose other brewing methods, such as pour-over coffee.

Light roast can better express the origin flavor of coffee because there are fewer roasting flavors produced by the Maillard reaction. For example, when we do cupping, we mostly use light roast to allow every taster's taste buds to clearly experience the coffee's flavor while minimizing the impact of roasting on flavor. However, the key issue is that many green coffee beans are not suitable for light roasting, especially those hybrid varieties of Arabica and Robusta coffee.

For example, Yirgacheffe washed Shalan, if roasted very lightly, the caramelization reaction effect is low, which can highlight the floral and fruity aromas and bright acidity. There are also some Arabica varieties hybridized with Robusta; light roasting will make the coffee's sensory experience very unclean. If the development rate is insufficient, then astringency, harshness, and sharp acidity will appear simultaneously. From this, we can understand that green coffee beans suitable for light roasting are mostly high-quality beans that present floral and fruity characteristics.

Knowledge point: The source of coffee's aroma and flavor is highly volatile. Therefore, the longer coffee beans are stored, the more aroma and flavor are lost.

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research hall, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation just to let more friends fall in love with coffee. Moreover, there are three low-discount coffee activities every month because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends drink the best coffee at the lowest price. This has also been the principle of FrontStreet Coffee for the past 6 years!

Important Notice :

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