Choosing the right coffee isn't a decision to be taken lightly. That's why at La Tienda del Café, we've compiled all the criteria you should consider, each based on your own personal tastes and preferences.
Some of you will appreciate light coffees with layers of flavors that emerge during the tasting, while others will prefer more balanced drinks. There are Italian-style espresso lovers who prefer more intense coffees.
Or some of you with a "multiple palate" or "multiple flavor" profile, who drink different styles of coffee at different times of the day, or simply depending on your mood. Perhaps you prefer a full-bodied coffee in the morning and a lighter brew in the afternoon, or perhaps it's the other way around.
When it comes to choosing coffee beans, roast color is one of the key markers to ensure you're getting the right coffee for your palate. It's a bit like selecting bananas at the produce stand: some like them firm and green, others prefer them soft or very ripe.
A couple of years ago, dark roast coffee reigned supreme. Drinking "strong" dark roast coffee was a sign of a hardened and seasoned palate. Light roast coffee was generally considered an inferior version for the weak-tongued. Misinformation was rampant, along with terrible coffee. But in the new world of specialty coffee , things are very different.
To help you decide, let's look at the differences between each roast level so you can identify the right roast color for you.
Unroasted green coffee
- Raw
- Coffee at room temperature
- Sweet and fruity
Beginning to pale
- A lighter green
- Approximately 275 degrees
Yellow
- Lime yellow
- 330 degrees, more or less
- The moisture in the grains begins to evaporate
Yellow-tan
- Golden in color
- Approximately 345 degrees
- It begins to give off a toasted bread fragrance
Light brown
- Slightly darker than khaki
- 370 degrees, almost at the first major crack
- The coffee begins to release its chaff
Brown
- Knocking on the door of the first crack
- The sucrose begins to brown
First crack
- The color hasn't changed much.
- The grains sound like a bowl of cereal, only louder.
- As a result, the grains begin to increase in size and release carbon dioxide.
Middle of the 1st crack
- The grain begins to rise towards an internal temperature of 370 degrees (this is important because this is the melting point of sucrose)
- Finishing the first crack
- The beans arrive at what is known as “city roasting”
- The beans are now considered "coffee"
City plus
- A darker brown
- On the cusp of a light French toast
- The second crack begins to appear
Full city
- Also known as light French roast
- The bean has swollen considerably since roasting began due to the release of CO2.
Complete City Plus
- It resembles a lighter dark chocolate
- At this point we begin to hear some soft clicks; the second crack begins.
Vienna - Light French Roast
- Darker in color
- The original flavor begins to be overtaken by the roasting characteristics
Complete French
- The grain begins to darken
- The sucrose is very caramelized
- This is dangerous territory, as the grains can burn very quickly.
Completely charred
- It's completely black
- The grains begin to turn into coal
- It's better to open a window because there's probably a lot of smoke.
Fire imminent
- Black piano in color and shine
- Ready to burn
There you have it, a brief guide to common coffee roasts from light to dark. To summarize the differences, in addition to the color gradations:
- As coffee roasts darken, they lose the original flavors of the beans and acquire more flavor during the roasting process.
- The body of the coffee becomes heavier, until the second crack, where the body becomes lighter again.
- Lighter roasts have more acidity than darker roasts.
- Light roasted beans are dry, while darker roasts develop oil on the surface of the bean.
- The caffeine level decreases as the roast darkens.
Color is the basic descriptor of your coffee roasts. To monitor and scientifically define color, the industry has used a variety of roast analyzers for the past fifty years.
Electronic roast color measurement is best achieved with instruments that take reflectance measurements. Ultimately, it's about taste, flavor, and aroma. You may prefer a lighter roast in the morning (with more caffeine) and a darker one later in the day. Coffee, including the optimal roast level, is a personal preference.