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How Many Levels of Coffee Roasting Are There? What Flavors Can Mandheling Coffee Unleash at Medium-Dark Roast?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). FrontStreet Coffee - Brief Introduction to Coffee Roasting Degrees. Many people often criticize dark roasted beans as worthless, believing that shiny dark roasted beans use carbonization to cover the taste of bad beans, such as rubber, impurity, rotten, and earthy flavors. Are dark roasted coffees really

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

FrontStreet Coffee - Guide to Coffee Roast Levels

Many people often criticize dark roasted beans, believing that oily dark-roasted beans use carbonization to mask the flavor of bad beans, such as tire flavors, impurity tastes, rotting smells, and earthy notes. So are dark roasted coffees really worthless? Are coffee beans better when dark roasted or lightly roasted?

The factors that affect a bean's flavor include variety, growing conditions, processing method, and roasting degree, among others. The roasting degree of a bean largely determines the direction of its flavor expression. Roasting can be simply divided into three levels: light roast, medium roast, and medium-dark/dark roast.

One: Light Roast | Two: Cinnamon Roast | Three: Medium Roast | Four: High Roast | Five: City Roast

Six: Full-City Roast | Seven: French Roast | Eight: Italian Roast

Medium-Dark/Dark Roast

Medium-dark roast refers to the intense cracking from the end of first crack to the beginning of second crack, while dark roast refers to the beginning of second crack. There isn't much difference in flavor direction between the two.

At this stage, the roasting process is mostly complete, leaving only the products of terminal dry distillation. Therefore, the main flavors are resinous, wine-like, and caramelized, with bright acidity almost disappeared, increased bitterness, and a more mellow flavor.

If you want to enjoy a cup of coffee with rich body and prominent chocolate and nut flavors, then medium-dark/dark roast is the best choice.

[Mandheling] has a rich body with herbal plant aromas, more intense caramel sweetness, relatively elegant fruit acidity, and wild spice flavors.

[Jamaica Blue Mountain] has delicate acidity, very balanced body and aroma, with rich and smooth mouthfeel and prominent chocolate sweetness.

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 summary: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research hall that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation only to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Every month, we hold three low-discount coffee events because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's principle for the past 6 years!