As we know, coffee is so much more than just a morning ritual. It’s a journey of flavour, aroma, and complete personal preference. One of the key elements that shapes your brew is the roast level, from the bright, fruity notes of a light roast to the deep, bold richness of a dark roast, each level brings its own unique character and individual joy, and that’s what we’re going to explore in today’s reading.
The Light Roast
Light roasts are the most delicate of the bunch. Roasting a coffee on the lighter end of the scale brings out a lot of those natural flavours and characteristics of a coffee. Not all coffee’s suit a light roast of course, but for those that do you’ll get so much clarity and brightness from the cup that you won’t want it to end.
How does it brew?
Think of a good light roast akin to a day wine, it’ll be bright, fruity, and maybe the odd floral notes with a gentle, smooth mouthfeel and higher sweetness. Usually best enjoyed as a pour over brew, and usually quite light on the palette – sometimes as if it’s been watered down compared to it’s intense americano cousin, this is normal as this is where the world of unique flavours tingle the tongue.
Light roasts tend to retain a lot more of the natural oils and acidity too, so they can taste quite sharp or slightly oily if not brewed correctly. This is where the filter process really adds a level of cleanliness to the overall cup as the paper filter catches some of those oils in the process, giving a pure, cleaner tasting coffee in the cup.
The Medium Roast
As you’d expect, medium roasts are the middle-laner of coffee roasts. They strike a balance between vibrant acidity, sweetness and slightly ‘roasty’ flavours. Coffee can vary so much from origin to origin, and some naturally react so much better to a little more boldness during roasting, it can release a gentle sweetness matched with a hint of ‘oakiness’. Think of a rich caramel or chocolate in that sense, the combination of sweet and slightly oaky taste, that’s the art of a great medium roast right there.
How does it brew?
Pretty well in fairness, medium-roasts offer a fantastic versatility to them. As an espresso you’ll get a depth of those origin flavours with a decent boldness that will stand strong up against the inhibitor of milk. As a milk based espresso drink, expect more of a ‘lighter’, more balanced coffee experience, more a kin to a single-shot version of a darker roast.
Where a medium roast really come into it’s own is as a french-press or batch filter brew. Where a lighter roast is more gentle and fragrant, the medium will deliver that hard punchy taste, while bringing a pleasant sweetness and acidity to the cup.
The Dark Roast
When most people think of a classic, old-school, strong cup of coffee, they’re picturing a dark roast. Beans that are roasted for longer and to a higher end temperature way higher and longer than should be allowed in honesty, but the result is a bold, sometimes smoky, and often harshly-bitter flavour profile. Some get notes of chocolate or caramel from their dark roast, but it’s on a much heavier and darker edge of the scale to the same notes you’ll find from a medium roast profile. With darker roasts a lot of the origin characteristics are mellowed right down too, often to the point they are indistinguishable over the harshness from the roast.
How does it brew?
Dark roasts are usually geared towards espresso, and often favoured for this due to their consistency and full-bodied mouthfeel. Chains such as Starbucks and Nero opt for darker roasts, as do brands such as Lavazza and Illy. That’s not to say you can’t enjoy it with another method, such as french press or filter – some may even prefer it! but typically the dark roast is a lot harsher for this. Personal opinions of course.
Why is darker roast coffee quite oily looking?
Darker roast beans can be visually quite oily, this common and is the natural oils of the coffee escaping after roasting. With lighter and medium roasts these oils are retained within the bean and contribute to the overall taste in the cup, but with dark roasts the process has forced the oils to escape which is often why you’ll get a drier taste in the cup with darker roasts. Some people prefer this too, but that’s where palates and preference can vary among coffee drinkers.
Some hidden truths about darker roasts
Ok, so a couple of hidden truths to consider when it comes to darker roasts. The first is that you can roast most coffee dark and get pretty much the same result, darker roasting can ‘mask’ a coffee meaning that as a brand or chain you could get away with changing the coffee to a cheaper or lesser quality alternative without anyone really noticing quite easily.
Another hidden factor is that it seems to last longer on terms of age. Where a light or medium roast some of its origin flavours and aroma dampen off over time, which can create a shelf-life problem from a freshness perspective. A dark roast however retains the same intense smell and flavour as it ages. Think similarly on how the smell of fire lingers on for a lot longer than the smell of freshly cooked food in the air, that smoky intensity seems to cut into the air a lot more and hang around, not in an overly pleasant way either. This in turn gives a perception that a coffee sat on a shelf for a year tastes the same as one that was roasted a month ago 🤮.
So… Which Roast Is Best?
Well, there’s no right or wrong answer here, it all comes down to personal taste and preference, and how you like your coffee brewed. Whether you love the bright clarity of a light roast or the rich depth of a dark one, exploring different roast levels can unlock a whole new appreciation for your daily cup.
The good news coffee lovers is that here at Good Vibes Coffee, we’ve got a little something for every coffee lover in our armoury, so why not browse our range and take your taste buds on a tantalising journey!