Wondering if a light roast coffee has more caffeine than a dark roast? You’d like to learn more about coffee roast differences?
In this article, you’ll discover everything you need to know about coffee roast levels and how they taste like.
Roast levels of coffee are determined by a variety of factors including roast temperature, roast time, and bean color.
For those who work in the coffee industry or want to roast their own coffee beans at home, terms like Cinnamon Roast, Light City Roast, City roast, are more important. Here’s a great in-depth guide about coffee roast levels if you want to learn all the details about the roasting process.
However, if you’re a regular coffee drinker, you don’t need to know all the details about the process.
The most basic level to divide coffee roasts is into these three categories: light roast, medium roast, and dark roast.
Learning about these categories will help you understand the difference between the coffees you purchase and the taste you can expect from each roast level.
As mentioned, the three basic coffee roast types are light roast, medium roast, and dark roast. Depending on the roast temperature and color of beans, the coffee will have a different roast type.
When you use light roast coffee, the coffee will have a light body, floral and citrus notes, a short aftertaste, and more acidity. Dark roast coffee will produce a strong, bold cup of coffee, chocolate and nutty notes, with a long aftertaste.
Now you understand why knowing the roast level is important when buying coffee. The roast level is the first indicator of what the coffee is going to taste like.
Light Roast Coffee Bright, crisp, and acidic. It does not have too much sweetness but highlights origin characteristics and fruity, citrus notes. The mouthfeel is clean with a sharp aftertaste.
If you love your coffee black and strong you probably won’t like light roasts. The lack of body and deepness gives “weak coffee”. However, due to a fact that short roasting time keeps all the origin characteristics and flavor notes, some of the most popular coffees at specialty coffee shops are actually light roasts.
Examples: Green Mountain Breakfast Blend, Starbucks Blonde roast, Folgers morning blend, Seattle’s best levels 1 and 2, Maxwell House Breakfast Blend, Blue Bottle Guatemala Huehuetenango La Esperanza, Verve La Candelaria, Stumptown Guatemala Semillero.
Medium Roast Coffee Medium roasts are a perfect combination of floral and fruity notes and caramelized chocolate flavor.
Usual notes: cherry, blackberry, plum, caramel, toasted nuts, chocolate, maple. This roast has a certain level of acidity but it’s well balanced, has complexity and deepness.
Medium roast keeps origin characteristics and it’s well balanced: sweet, deep, fruity and creamy. In fact, medium roast is the most popular roast in the US. Most house blends are medium roasts.
Examples: Stumptown Hair Bender, Verve Seabright House Blend, La Colombe Nizza, Starbucks House blends, Green Mountain Vermont, Maxwell House House Blend, Folgers House Blend.
They usually have full-body, complex taste, and lasting aftertaste. Instead of fruity notes, dark roasts bring deep woody, ashy and earthy tones.
Usual notes: dark chocolate, cocoa, almond, brown sugar, pepper. They are rarely acidic. The mouthfeel is very deep, bold, and smoky.
For light roast fans, dark roast is usually too strong or bitter. Of course, if you love your coffee black and strong, dark roast is perfect. It’s also a great choice for coffee recipes with milk and iced coffees.
Examples: Stumptown French Roast, Verve French Roast, Death Wish Coffee, Starbucks Sumatra, Starbucks French Roast, Folgers Black Silk, Maxwell House Dark roast, Green Mountain Sumatran.
FAQsIs dark roast coffee stronger? Correct, dark roast coffee has a much stronger taste than light roasted coffees. It also has a full-body and longer aftertaste.
Does a light roast have more caffeine? While some say that light roasts have more caffeine because it’s roasted for a shorter period of time, this is not completely true. Caffeine is very stable through the roasting process.
If you’re talking about individual beans, the caffeine level is the same whether it is light or dark roasted. But since darker roasted coffee is less dense, it actually has more caffeine by volume. But these differences are very small and hardly noticeable outside of a lab.
What is French roast coffee?French roast is considered to be a double roast coffee. This is a category of dark roasted coffee characterized by an intense and smoky-sweet flavor but accompanied by a thin body and mouthfeel.
What is a Blonde roast coffee? Starbucks popularized the term Blonde roast. This is actually a light roast coffee and has all the characteristics we previously talked about: floral and citrus notes, thin body, short aftertaste, and high acidity. It’s a classic light roast coffee.
House Blend vs Breakfast Blend? As mentioned, house blends are usually medium roasts. That means caramel, nutty, maple, or cherry notes. The flavor notes are deeper and sweeter than breakfast blends which are more citrus and floral. House blends have a stronger taste than breakfast blends.
Conclusion Now you understand why knowing the roast level is important when buying coffee. The roast level is the first indicator of what the coffee is going to taste like.
Besides using proper coffee to water ratio, it’s the easiest way to get a great cup of coffee. You also won’t be spending money on coffees you know you probably won’t like because of their roast level characteristics.
Breakfast Blend: Typically a lighter roast, this results in a brighter acidity, lighter body, and more subtle flavors like citrus and floral notes. In one word, SOUR! House Blend: Usually a medium roast, This leads to a fuller body, stronger flavor, and deeper notes like caramel, chocolate, and nuttiness.
There are a variety of different coffee blends around the world today, so choosing one can be a bit difficult. Before we get into what makes a house blend special, here is a quick look at a few different coffee blends.
Coffee can be seen as an art form in itself. From the temperature of the water to the flavors within the bean, making a decent cup of coffee is not as easy as it seems. House Blends are unique based on the time and energy spent harvesting, roasting, tasting and re-tasting to create a unique blend that ends up in your cup. Share:
House Blend coffee is unique to every coffee shop, every roaster, and every drinker. That is what makes them so unique and so special. The blending and serving process is built entirely on the preference of the roaster and/or distributor. For example, Starbucks describes their House Blend as “the very first blend we ever created for you back in 1971. The one blend that set the course for the way our master blenders and roasters work even today. A true reflection of us and delicious cup of coffee, period.”
Since blends are not standardized, the various roasts of coffee are how we would refer to the various different types of bean categories, which are: light roast, medium roast, medium-dark roast, and dark roast. Light roast coffees will generally boast the most caffeine while maintaining a light color (and often lighter flavor). Medium roasts are medium brown in color and provide a more balanced flavor and aroma. Medium-dark roasts are a darker brown than the medium beans and boast a stronger and more full-bodied flavor than light and medium. Lastly, dark roasts are dark brown in color and will boast a bitter, smoky taste in the cup.
Other things that factor in to the taste of coffee are the originating country in which the beans are harvested from and the processing techniques that are unique to those region. Also, coffee flavors and tastes can also vary distinctly dependent on how the bean is brewed into the cup – for example, cold press, drip, etc.
In this article, you’ll discover everything you need to know about coffee roast levels and how they taste like.
If you’re talking about individual beans, the caffeine level is the same whether it is light or dark roasted. But since darker roasted coffee is less dense, it actually has more caffeine by volume. But these differences are very small and hardly noticeable outside of a lab.
Now you understand why knowing the roast level is important when buying coffee. The roast level is the first indicator of what the coffee is going to taste like.
What is a Blonde roast coffee? Starbucks popularized the term Blonde roast. This is actually a light roast coffee and has all the characteristics we previously talked about: floral and citrus notes, thin body, short aftertaste, and high acidity. It’s a classic light roast coffee.
Usual notes: dark chocolate, cocoa, almond, brown sugar, pepper. They are rarely acidic. The mouthfeel is very deep, bold, and smoky.
Coffee Review – Starbucks Medium Roast House Blend
FAQ
What does house blend coffee mean?
What is special about Breakfast Blend Coffee?
Does breakfast blend or light roast have more caffeine?
Is Colombian coffee stronger than House Blend?
What is a breakfast blend?
The term “breakfast blend” can mean a variety of different things depending on the brand you’re drinking and who you’re asking. But, in general, most breakfast blends are balanced, mild, and straightforward. It tends to be a nice, neutral coffee drink to make starting your day nice and easy.
What is House Blend coffee?
House Blend coffee is unique to every coffee shop, every roaster, and every drinker. That is what makes them so unique and so special. The blending and serving process is built entirely on the preference of the roaster and/or distributor.
What is the difference between a breakfast blend and a house blend?
As mentioned, house blends are usually medium roasts. That means caramel, nutty, maple, or cherry notes. The flavor notes are deeper and sweeter than breakfast blends which are more citrus and floral. House blends have a stronger taste than breakfast blends What is the difference between Breakfast Blend and regular coffee?
What makes breakfast blend coffee different?
There’s nothing that makes breakfast blend coffee any different from regular coffee The truth is that most morning coffee blends are just light to medium roasts with smooth, balanced flavors and bright acidity. That’s it. They’re not unique coffee beans or anything else elaborate. Is breakfast blend coffee the strongest?