Light Roast Coffee Offers Flavors Through Acidity, but What Exactly Are We Tasting in Dark Roast? Where Does Coffee's Bitterness Come From?

The Evolution of Coffee Flavor: From Bitter to Complex

Since Erna Knutsen introduced "Specialty Coffee" in 1974, coffee flavors worldwide have gradually transformed from monotonous bitterness to diverse acidity. In the 21st century today, the vast majority of pour-over coffee menus feature acidic light-roast beans, but naturally, a small portion of bitter dark-roast beans remains for those guests who still prefer bitter coffee.

Light-roast coffee can exhibit highly complex flavor aromas, elegant floral notes, and juicy, smooth textures that are quite distinctive. In contrast, dark-roast coffee's uniform bitterness might seem like Cantonese herbal tea to those unfamiliar with coffee! This brings us to the question: if those who pursue light-roast coffee are seeking flavor, then what are those who pursue bitter coffee seeking?

The Birth of Coffee Bitterness

Coffee bitterness has multiple sources, but broadly speaking, it refers to the scorched bitterness produced during roasting. Coffee beans transform from raw to ripe through roasting, and the roasting time determines the roast degree and the balance of acidity and bitterness. During the roasting process, raw coffee beans continuously absorb heat and store energy. When enough heat accumulates, the beans will crack from the pressure of absorbed heat, releasing internal energy and making a "pop" sound. When coffee beans in the roaster begin to make this sound densely, we call this the "first crack" phenomenon. The appearance of first crack indicates that the beans are now roasted, and you can remove them from the roaster at any subsequent time.

If we choose to remove the beans when first crack begins, these beans will have very abundant acidity. But if you choose not to remove them and continue roasting, the acidity will gradually decrease as roasting time increases! Until the first crack sounds completely disappear and enter a silent period, it means little acidity remains. At this point, the scorched bitterness will begin to increase as roasting time continues! Although people now prefer acidic coffee for the reasons mentioned above—rich and varied flavors—not all coffee beans can meet the requirements of light roasting! For example, some beans, when lightly roasted, don't exhibit the expected soft fruit acidity; instead, they show aggressive and sharp acidity, or have many negative flavors. Therefore, deep roasting's scorched bitterness is needed to cover these defects!

The Unique Charm of Bitter Coffee

However, FrontStreet Coffee doesn't mean to suggest that deep-roasting coffee is just for covering defects in beans that cannot be lightly roasted—it's only needed in specific cases. Although dark-roast coffee cannot exhibit the rich and varied flavors like light-roast coffee, they have their own advantages.

Unique Aroma

Most people who like bitter coffee don't just pursue bitterness alone, but also aroma! As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned, prolonged roasting brings aromas such as caramel, nuts, chocolate, and toasted bread to coffee. Compared to the lively characteristics of light-roast coffee, these flavors tend toward depth and richness, making them more enticing.

Rich Body

Through deep roasting, the oils in coffee beans migrate from the interior to the surface, which gives coffee a fuller body and makes it very smooth to drink. Mellow and sweet, this is a characteristic that light-roast coffee rarely possesses.

Pleasant Aftertaste

As the saying goes: bitterness gives way to sweetness. Dark-roasted bitter coffee belongs to this category. Although we taste more bitterness when drinking, after swallowing, the sweetness that comes back from the throat is very abundant and lasts for a long time, allowing people to savor this delicious cup slowly. Many enthusiasts of dark-roast coffee love exactly this experience!

The Difference Between Good and Bad Bitterness

Remember how FrontStreet Coffee mentioned at the beginning that bitterness has multiple sources? Yes, besides roasting, improper brewing can also produce intense bitterness in coffee—this bitterness is truly harsh. The bitterness from roasting is "quality bitterness" that accompanies aroma and sweetness to create a complete experience. The bitterness from improper brewing, however, is negative and unacceptable—harsh and astringent. We get such results when we extract all soluble substances from coffee. But in reality, as long as you understand the extraction logic of dark-roast coffee and reduce extraction efficiency appropriately, a delicious bitter coffee is very easy to achieve! (Friends who want to learn how to brew dark-roast coffee well can move on to the second article!)

Conclusion

Stop! The more I talk, the more excited I get. FrontStreet Coffee is going to brew a pot of Blue Mountain to enjoy first! After reading this article, are you sure you don't want to have a cup?

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FrontStreet Coffee
No. 10, Security Front Street, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473