Characteristics of Light Roast Coffee Beans - Are Light Roast Beans Arabica?

Professional coffee knowledge exchange. More coffee bean information. Please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style).

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Light Roast Coffee Bean Characteristics

The debate between dark and light roast camps will likely continue indefinitely, as the choice of coffee roast level signifies a roaster's understanding of coffee flavors. Personally, I believe dark and light roasts need not and should not be uniformly standardized. Roasters' understanding of coffee naturally varies, and even among coffee roasters who specialize in light roast, their roast levels and curve profiles differ significantly.

Coffee is merely a daily beverage, and roasting exists to make coffee delicious. Obsessing over techniques and worshipping flavors to an extreme degree loses the essence of what coffee truly is.

However, as roasters, the choice of coffee roast level should not be based solely on personal interests and preferences, but rather on the needs of the audience. Therefore, light roast has its rationale, and dark roast has its merits - there is fundamentally no difference in quality between the two. If your customers pursue flavor complexity and the terroir characteristics of coffee origins, then light roast can allow them to more clearly perceive what they're seeking.

There is no right or wrong, only appropriateness and balance.

Conversely, if your customers prefer round, full-bodied coffee with rich sweetness, then medium to dark roast would be more suitable. However, Uncle Bean must say something on behalf of dark roast coffee roasters: many light roast style roasters believe that when coffee is dark roasted, there is nothing but bitterness and scorch in the coffee, and that the coffee's flavors are completely lost in dark roast. This statement is not objective.

A roaster skilled in dark roast coffee can produce coffee that not only lacks smoky and burnt flavors but also allows customers to perceive the coffee's flavors. In other words, someone who only roasts coffee until it's black and oily, with exceptionally strong smoky flavors, is not a roaster but a charcoal burner.

What are the taste characteristics of light, medium, and dark roast coffee beans?

Generally, light roast beans tend to highlight fresh, light flavors with very rich flavor expressions. Floral notes, fruit acidity, and certain tea-like flavors are characteristic of these beans. Medium roast, on the other hand, presents a more balanced profile, combining refreshing flavors with a rich mouthfeel. Dark roast beans emphasize their texture more, typically displaying richer flavors such as smoky, chocolate, and woody notes, accompanied by a heavy mouthfeel.

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research workshop, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation simply to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three discounted coffee events each month because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473