Coffee bean roasting degree analysis: light roast, medium roast, dark roast and extra dark roast

Light roast

Light roast is the lightest roast of coffee beans. At this stage, the color of the coffee beans is light yellow or light brown. The roasting time is relatively short, usually around 10-12 minutes.

Due to the short roasting time, the water inside the coffee beans is not completely evaporated, so the taste is relatively sour. At the same time, since it has not been deeply processed, the natural flavor and aroma of the original coffee beans are retained.

Medium Roast

Medium roast is a level between light roast and dark roast. At this stage, the coffee beans begin to become darker and an oily sheen appears on the surface. The entire roasting process takes about 12-14 minutes.

Compared with light roast, medium roast has more sweetness and fullness. In addition, at this stage, you can also experience the unique flavor characteristics of some specific regions or varieties.

Dark roast

Depth refers to the degree to which the coffee beans are fully roasted until the surface is shiny and the color becomes very dark. The entire roasting process takes about 14-16 minutes.

Deep roasted coffee beans are dark brown in color, and the moisture inside the beans is completely evaporated due to long-term high temperature treatment. This roasting method causes the coffee beans to lose some of their original flavor, but brings a strong bitter taste and aromas such as cocoa and chocolate.

Extra Dark Roast

Extra dark roast is the highest level of roasting, also known as French or Italian roasting. At this stage, the coffee beans become very dark and have a noticeable oily sheen on the surface. The entire roasting process takes about 16-18 minutes.

Extra dark roasted coffee has a strong bitter taste and rich taste. Due to the long-term high temperature treatment, more chemical reactions occur inside the coffee beans, making its flavor more complex and rich.

Summarize

Different degrees of roasting bring different flavors and aromas to coffee. Light roasting retains the natural flavor of the original coffee beans, medium roasting is better in sweetness and fullness, dark roasting is mainly bitter and has aromas such as cocoa and chocolate, and extra dark roasting is the most bitter and complex roasting method.

Choosing the roasting degree that suits your taste is an important factor to consider when tasting coffee. No matter which roasting degree you like, you can get the best taste by adjusting parameters such as grinding coarseness and brewing time.