Which is more acidic: dark roast or light roast coffee? Do coffee experts prefer light or dark roast? What are the differences in coffee roast levels? How do light roast and dark roast coffee differ?

Introduction

As you may know, FrontStreet Coffee primarily sells coffee beans, with stores on both Taobao and Tmall. This means that many friends who cannot visit our physical stores often place orders online. However, some customers have noticed that FrontStreet Coffee's bean labels don't include roast level indicators, which makes it difficult for them to identify the roast degree after receiving their beans.

In reality, FrontStreet Coffee does include roast level information - it's detailed in the product description pages and the QR codes on our labels. Beyond these textual indicators, there are also many other ways to determine a coffee bean's roast level. Today, FrontStreet Coffee would like to share some insights about coffee bean roast levels to help you quickly identify them even when there's no explicit labeling.

Understanding Coffee Roast Levels

Currently, the coffee industry uses a scientific method to define coffee bean roast levels, known as "Agtron values" (caramelization analysis values) to assess roast degree. As we know, coffee bean color changes with roast level - the darker the roast, the darker the color, and vice versa. This is one of our daily standards for evaluating coffee roast levels. This method quantifies color, where higher values indicate lighter roasts and lower values indicate darker roasts. The image below shows the SCAA's Agtron value scale, which divides coffee roast levels into eight categories.

While this is useful to understand, in our daily lives, we rarely use terms like "Cinnamon Roast" or "City Roast" in conversation. First, it's difficult for the naked eye to determine exactly which roast level or color value a particular bean has reached. Second, mainstream coffee roasting has evolved - today's coffee roasts aren't as dark as they used to be, so consumers don't encounter all the roast levels shown in the chart. Third, if we were to pass these industry standards directly to consumers, it would undoubtedly create a significant learning burden for them. For coffee enthusiasts and consumers, this wouldn't be beneficial. Confusions like "What, Dark Roast isn't the darkest?" or "I just want to drink coffee that isn't sour, what do French Roast or Italian Roast mean?" would undoubtedly arise frequently.

However, if we don't follow this system and instead understand what constitutes light or dark roast according to each individual roaster's standards, we still can't achieve uniformity. Because each coffee shop has different understandings and definitions of roast levels. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using other methods to determine coffee bean roast levels, such as through the coffee's flavor profile.

Identifying Roast Levels Through Flavor

FrontStreet Coffee believes the simplest way to distinguish roast levels is by the intensity of the coffee's acidic, sweet, and bitter flavors. This approach also helps consumers better find the coffee beans they need. FrontStreet Coffee classifies coffees with predominantly acidic flavors as medium-light roasts, while those with predominantly bitter flavors are classified as medium-dark roasts. By combining this with the flavor profiles on our coffee bean labels, we can determine the specific roast level.

Light Roast Identification

What does this mean? For example, if the flavor description includes fresh or acidic fruits like "lemon," "citrus," or "berries," we can initially identify it as a coffee bean on the lighter end of the medium-light roast spectrum. Examples from FrontStreet Coffee's selection include FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe·Washed Guddu and FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia·Alto. If the flavor description mentions sweeter fruits like "grape," "honeydew," or "blueberry," it might be a medium-light roast with a medium roast level. Examples from FrontStreet Coffee's selection include FrontStreet Coffee Boundary Manor·Sidra and FrontStreet Coffee Boundary Manor·Belly Button.

Dark Roast Identification

The same principle applies to dark roast coffee beans! If the flavor description includes flavors with noticeable sweetness like "sugarcane," "maple syrup," "cream," or "chocolate," we can initially identify it as a medium-dark roast with a medium roast level. Examples from FrontStreet Coffee's selection include FrontStreet Coffee Papua New Guinea·Bird of Paradise and FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan 2013. If the flavors include rich caramelized notes like "roasted nuts," "caramel," or "dark chocolate," it might be a medium-dark roast with a darker roast level. Examples from FrontStreet Coffee's selection include FrontStreet Coffee Brazil·Queen Manor and FrontStreet Coffee Sumatra·Golden Mandheling.

Brewing Recommendations

When it comes to brewing, you can use FrontStreet Coffee's recommended parameters based on the bean's roast level: Brewing water temperature: 90-93°C for medium-light roasts, 86-89°C for medium-dark roasts. Grind size: 75%-80% pass-through rate with a #20 sieve screen. Brewing time: 2 minutes (for 15g of coffee). Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

For lighter roasts, use higher water temperatures and finer grinds within the recommended range. For darker roasts, use lower water temperatures and coarser grinds. Other parameters remain the same, though brewing time and grind size might need adjustment based on the amount of coffee used. Of course, we can also judge roast level by the coffee bean's appearance. As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned earlier, beans that are darker in color or have oil on the surface can be initially identified as medium-dark roasts; beans that are lighter in color and drier can be initially identified as medium-light roasts. However, it's worth noting that FrontStreet Coffee doesn't recommend using the external color of coffee beans as the sole standard for measuring roast degree.

Exceptions to Visual Identification

While this method is the quickest way to determine coffee bean roast levels, there are exceptions. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's Boundary Manor·Belly Button appears to be a dark roast bean based on its appearance, but when brewed, it reveals sweet fruity flavors like blueberry, grape, and berries, indicating a medium-light to medium roast level. If we mistakenly identify it as a dark roast coffee bean based on its appearance and brew it using dark roast parameters, it would likely result in under-extraction.

Conclusion

However, such examples are rare exceptions. Conventionally processed coffee beans can still use surface color as a standard for measuring roast depth. Compared to flavor, observing appearance provides quicker results. In summary, each method has its advantages and can be useful. Everyone can choose their judgment criteria based on the actual situation.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473