16 Types Of Coffee Roasts, Explained
Some coffee enthusiasts brew artisan espresso each morning, while others brew a Keurig cup before rushing out the door, and others stop by their favorite cafe drive-throughs during their daily commute. Have you ever switched coffee brands or tasted coffee at a friend’s house and been surprised to find a completely different flavor? Some of this can be attributed to the brewing method, the age of the beans, and even the quality of the water, but the roasting of the beans may have the greatest impact on coffee flavor.
Unroasted coffee beans, also known as green coffee, have an earthy taste. Beans in their raw state are bright green and dull, with no oil on the surface and a cleft that is tightly sealed. When beans are roasted, the water within them begins to boil and transform into steam; the resulting pressure softens the bean’s rigid casing. Once the pressure reaches its peak, the walls will essentially explode, producing a sound recognizable to anyone who has observed coffee roasting. The flavor changes as the beans are roasted longer and the sugars and acids within the beans undergo chemical reactions. There are four broad classifications of coffee roast: light, medium, medium-dark, and dark. However, these roasts can be broken down into even finer distinctions that are a blast to explore if you’re looking to expand your coffee palette. Here is an exhaustive guide to coffee roasts.
According to coffee experts, cinnamon roast is the point at which coffee becomes drinkable. For a cinnamon roast, beans are removed at approximately 350 degrees Fahrenheit at the first sound of cracking (when pressure builds in the beans and they sound like exploding popcorn kernels). Due to the high acidity of this barely roasted coffee, it has the most sour and citrusy flavor, retaining much of the complex coffee fruit flavor that is lost during roasting, but it will also taste more floral and grassy than commonly consumed coffees.
