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, so many friends who cannot visit our physical stores order online. Some customers have noticed, however, that FrontStreet Coffee's bean labels do not include roast level indicators, which makes it difficult for them to identify the roast degree once the beans arrive.

In fact, FrontStreet Coffee does include roast level information; it is detailed on the product description pages and in the QR codes on our labels. Beyond those written indicators, there are many other ways to determine a bean's roast level. Today, FrontStreet Coffee would like to share some insights to help you identify roast level quickly even when there is no explicit labeling.

Understanding coffee roast levels

The coffee industry currently uses a scientific method to define roast levels, known as "Agtron values," or 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 roast level. The 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 daily life we rarely use terms like "Cinnamon Roast" or "City Roast" in conversation. First, it is 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 roasts are not as dark as they used to be, so consumers do not encounter all the roast levels shown in the chart. Third, passing these industry standards directly to consumers would create a significant learning burden. For enthusiasts and consumers alike, that would not be helpful, and confusion such as "What, Dark Roast isn't the darkest?" or "I just want coffee that isn't sour, what do French Roast or Italian Roast mean?" would come up constantly.

If we ignore the system, however, and instead understand light or dark roast according to each individual roaster's standards, we still cannot achieve uniformity, because every coffee shop has its own understanding and definition of roast levels. FrontStreet Coffee therefore recommends using other methods to determine roast level, such as 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 find the beans they need more easily. FrontStreet Coffee classifies coffees with predominantly acidic flavors as medium-light roasts and those with predominantly bitter flavors as medium-dark roasts. Combined with the flavor profiles on our bean labels, this lets you determine the specific roast level.

Light roast identification

What does this mean in practice? If the flavor description includes fresh or acidic fruits like "lemon," "citrus" or "berries," we can initially identify the bean as sitting at 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 description mentions sweeter fruits like "grape," "honeydew" or "blueberry," it might be a medium-light roast at a medium roast level. Examples include FrontStreet Coffee Boundary Manor Sidra and FrontStreet Coffee Boundary Manor Belly Button.

Dark roast identification

The same principle applies to dark roast beans. If the flavor description includes clearly sweet flavors such as "sugarcane," "maple syrup," "cream" or "chocolate," we can initially identify it as a medium-dark roast at a medium roast level. Examples 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 at a darker roast level. Examples include FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Queen Manor and FrontStreet Coffee Sumatra Golden Mandheling.

Brewing recommendations

For 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. 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 stay the same, though brewing time and grind size might need adjustment depending on the amount of coffee used. We can also judge roast level by the 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, while beans that are lighter in color and drier can be identified as medium-light roasts. FrontStreet Coffee does not recommend using the external color of beans as the sole standard for measuring roast degree, however.

Exceptions to visual identification

While this method is the quickest way to determine roast level, there are exceptions. FrontStreet Coffee's Boundary Manor Belly Button, for example, looks like a dark roast bean based on 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 based on appearance and brew it with dark roast parameters, it would likely result in under-extraction.

Conclusion

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

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For a balanced medium roast that suits almost any drinker, FrontStreet Brazil Queen Estate is a great reference point. Grown in Brazil, the world's largest coffee-producing country, this yellow Bourbon shows cream, peanut, chocolate, toast and sugarcane aromas and sweetness after a medium roast, and it works as a pour-over, a moka pot brew or an espresso.

If you would like a sweeter medium roast, FrontStreet Strawberry Candy blends a Costa Rican honey-processed coffee with a washed Panama Geisha and roasts it to a medium level, bringing out both orange-honey charm and a rounded sweetness that works for cold brew, pour-over and espresso alike. And for the classic balanced profile, FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 is medium roasted to fuse chocolate, roasted nuts, cream and caramel into a smooth, elegant cup.