Types of Coffee Roasts Explained

Though the right selection of coffee beans matter, coffee gets its natural aroma and addictive flavor from the right roasting process. The roasting duration of a coffee bean depends on factors like body, temperature, acidity, and flavor of your coffee beans. It is during the roasting process that the green coffee beans get its natural aroma and flavour. From soft, spongy grassy beans to crispy, crunchy roasted beans, there are many chemical reactions taking place during the process. It is essential to know which kind of roasted coffee is right for which type of coffee. And this guide is all about knowing the types of coffee roasts and their uses. 

Types of Coffee Roasts

1. Light Roasts

Common name: New England, Half-City, Cinnamon.

Light coffee roasts are roasted for less amount of time, generally at a temperature of 350-degree F to 400-degree F. Light roasts will not have that oily texture in their body as they are not roasted for a long duration at high temperature. They generally come in a light brown colour. The longer you roast a bean, the more heat it pulls thereby increasing the caffeine and acidity. Hence, light roasts have the most caffeine content with high acidity. Lightly roasted coffee beans are mainly used in specialty coffee industries and cafes to deliver premium-rich unique flavours out of coffee. 

2. Medium Roasts

Common names: City, Regular, American

Medium roasted coffee beans are roasted at a temperature of 410-degree F to 425-degree F. Compared to the light roasted ones, the medium roasted coffee beans have less acidity. An average coffee drinker generally uses medium roast coffee beans as they come with balanced flavours. This roast comes in a medium brown colour with a strong flavour and non-oily body. Medium types of coffee roasts are also known as American roasts, as Americans generally prefer this type of roast. 

3. Dark roasts

Common name: French, Espresso, Turkish, Italian, Dark French, Heavy. 

The ideal temperature to roast a dark coffee bean is between 430-degree F to 460-degree F. This is heavily roasted coffee with a small tinge of spiciness in the taste. You can see the oily texture in the body. With a rich flavour and sweet taste, this dark roast type of coffee is ideal for making Espresso and French roast. Also, the dark roast type of coffee possesses the least amount of caffeine, as they are roasted at high temperatures for a long time.

Bottom-line:

Now that you feel like crafting your skills to roast the coffee beans, here comes the Aillio Bullet R1 coffee roaster, specially designed for home use. With a simple user interface, one can roast coffee at home in this powerful little drum-like roaster. Thanks to the invention by a technology-driven sophisticated range of coffee roasters, one can get an accurate indication of how much the beans have been roasted.