Does the Degree of Coffee Bean Roasting Affect the Flavor and Caffeine Content?

Coffee roasting, simply put, is the process of heating raw coffee beans. Unroasted beans have only a slight grassy smell and subtle fruit aroma, with almost no taste. The heating process of roasting triggers a series of complex chemical changes within the beans, releasing various flavor profiles originally locked inside.

Regarding the importance of coffee roasting, there's a saying: roasters determine 80% of the flavor. FrontStreet Coffee believes that when the essence of raw coffee beans is good enough, roasters will want to preserve more of the origin's terroir layers. Therefore, it's challenging to both approach the regional flavor characteristics while maintaining the roaster's unique style.

Depending on the heating time and speed, coffee can be divided into different roast levels. The most common and easiest classification is light, medium, and dark roast, with their characteristics described as follows:

What is Light Roast?

In recent years, the specialty coffee trend has largely moved toward light roasting because light roast preserves the most acidity and aroma, while also retaining the most regional flavors - the unique personality that the coffee's growing environment imparts to the beans. The coffee beans appear light brown in color with no oily surface.

What is Medium Roast?

When coffee beans reach medium roast, they begin to undergo "caramelization." The acidity starts to weaken while the mellow body strengthens, resulting in additional sweetness. The surface of the coffee beans will have some spotted oil.

What is Dark Roast?

The darker the roast, the more it relies on the roaster's experience and skill, thus better showcasing the roaster's personal style, typically resulting in a full body and throaty finish. The darker the roast, the more pronounced the bitterness becomes. The bean surface becomes oily, appearing dark brown, sometimes nearly charcoal black.

The Connection Between Roast Level, Flavor, and Caffeine

The lighter the roast, the more acidic (Yirgacheffe coffee); the darker the roast, the more bitter (Mandheling coffee).

Lighter roasts preserve more regional characteristics, while darker roasts showcase more of the roaster's personal expression.

Generally, the darker the roast, the lower the caffeine content.

Important Notice :

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