Coffee Roast Chart: Your Guide to Perfect Flavors To Define Your Roast Style
Understanding the various levels of coffee roasts can significantly enhance your coffee experience. This coffee roast chart serves as a guide to the different stages of roasting, from light to dark. Each level brings out unique flavors and characteristics in the coffee beans. It's a comprehensive tool that helps you pinpoint the type of roast that suits your palate.
When you roast a coffee, you need to decide if you want a 'light roast', 'medium roast', 'medium-dark roast', and 'dark roast'. These terms refer to the color of the beans, which is a direct result of the roasting time and temperature. Light roasts retain more of the bean's original flavor, making them more acidic and fruity, while dark roasts have a bolder, more robust flavor with less acidity.
As you explore these different coffee roasts in this chart, you'll notice that the beans go through a transformation not just in color but also in body and aroma. Lighter roasts tend to have a thinner body with more pronounced acidic notes, while darker roasts are full-bodied with a deeper, smokier aroma. Your choice of roast can drastically alter your coffee's taste, so it's worth experimenting with various roasts to find your preferred flavor profile.
Note: It is important to know that this chart should serve as a guide as individual roasters can vary in temperature therefore these roast temperatures are approximate. Roast styles can be very different depending on the region and the roaster which is the reason you must define your own style as a home roaster.
| Roast | Roast Style | Temperature | Agtron Color | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | White Coffee | 325°F | In essence, you are half-roasting the coffee bean. White coffees are dropped before the first crack begins. This type of coffee is a pleasant and interesting twist to try out if you are looking for a new horizon of flavor to enjoy in your morning cup. | |
| Light | New England | 405°F -412°F | 80-90 | The beans are roasted just enough the first crack, enhancing their bright acidity and beginning to develop a fuller body. At this stage, the beans' surface remains dry and retains a sponge-like texture. This roast level emphasizes the flavors of the coffee, making it ideal for exploring the unique characteristics of each origin. |
| Light Medium | American Roast | 418°F -425°F | 70-79 | This increasingly popular roast level progresses completely through the first crack, transforming the initial sour acidity into a fruit-forward profile. Sweetness becomes more pronounced, enhancing the overall flavor, while the body becomes more substantial. |
| Medium | City Roast | 426°F -432°F | 62-65 | First crack is done and the roast has stopped. The aromatics are at their peak, the cup with rich complexity. While the acidity is less pronounced than in lighter roasts, it still enhances the recognizable flavors, striking a delightful balance between brightness and depth. |
| Medium Dark | Full City | 433°F -438°F | 65-69 | The beans approach the verge of the second crack, displaying a slight sheen of oil and softened edges. This stage offers a balance of the coffee's origin flavors with the richer, deeper notes introduced by the roasting process. This balance makes a Medium Dark roast a popular choice among coffee enthusiasts. Recommended for a wide range of coffees, this roast level delivers a pleasing balance of acidity and body, providing the best of both worlds in each cup. |
| Dark | Full City+ | 440°F -442°F | 55-61 | At this stage, the coffee has reached the initial snaps of the second crack but hasn't darkened to the extent of a Vienna roast. This level is favored by many for its subtle appearance of oil on the beans and a good balance between the coffee's origin flavors and the richer, roasted notes. The roast provides a slightly fuller body and reduced acidity, making it ideal for those who prefer a smoother, less bright cup. |
| Vienna | Vienna | 442°F -448°F | 50-54 | Now into dark roast territory, the Vienna Roast hits the middle of the second crack, often referred to as a "rolling second crack," characterized by its consistency rather than sporadic pops. At this stage, the beans exhibit a clear sheen of oil, indicating a deeper roast. You’ll notice an increase in smoke from your roaster. This roast level marks a shift towards the flavors produced by the roasting process itself, with the original flavors of the beans becoming more subtle. |
| French | French Roast | 448°F -450°F | 40-50 | Now reaching the end of the second crack. The cracking will be still rolling but now is strating to taper off.. The beans develop an unmistakable sheen of oil and produce considerable smoke, so ensure proper ventilation during roasting. As the roast deepens, the beans transition from brown to a more grey-black hue. At this advanced stage, the coffee loses almost all its origin flavors, tasting predominantly of the roast itself. All coffees roasted to this level will exhibit a similar taste profile, often with a burnt undertone and a much "thinner" texture. Expect very little acidity or brightness in this intense roast. |
Light Roasts
Light roasts have a light brown color and lack surface oil. They are typically roasted at a temperature between 405°F and 412°F. The beans' original flavor, including their floral, fruity, and acidic notes, are prominent due to the shorter roasting time.
- Temperature Range: 405°F - 412°F
- Bean Characteristics: Light brown, no oil, preserved origin flavors
Light-Medium Roasts
Medium roasts are often referred to as American roasts because they are popular in the United States. These beans are a medium brown and have a non-oily surface. They are roasted between 418°F and 425°F, which results in a balanced flavor, aroma, and acidity.
- Temperature Range: 418°F - 425°F
- Bean Characteristics: Medium brown, balanced flavor, non-oily
Medium-Dark Roasts
Medium-dark roasts have a richer color and may have some oil on the surface. They are roasted at temperatures ranging from 426°F to 438°F. This roast level brings out deeper flavors, with some bittersweet aftertaste due to the caramelization of sugars during roasting.
- Temperature Range: 426°F - 438°F
- Bean Characteristics: Rich color, some oil, fuller body
Dark Roasts
Dark roasts produce beans that are dark brown, with a shiny, oily surface. They are roasted between 440°F to 448°F, have a good balance of the coffee origin flavours and rich notes from the the roasting process.
- Temperature Range:440°F - 448°F,
- Bean Characteristics: Dark brown, maximum body, texture & sweetness
French Roasts
French roasts produce beans that are very dark brown to black, with a shiny, oily surface. They are roasted beyond 448°F, at which point the beans' sugars have fully caramelized and may produce a smoky taste. The flavors from the bean's origin are mostly lost, and bitterness might be more apparent.
- Temperature Range: 448°F and beyond
- Bean Characteristics: Black, oily, smoky flavor
Determining Roast Levels
When selecting coffee, understanding roast levels is crucial to finding your preferred balance between acidity, body, and flavor complexity.
Color and Texture
Color: You can commonly gauge the roast level of coffee beans by their color, which ranges from light to dark. As the beans roast, they darken due to the caramelization of sugars. A Light Roast will have a light brown color, and a Dark Roast deeper, almost chocolatey or charred hue.
Texture: The bean's surface texture changes as well; a Light Roast often has a smoother texture compared to a Dark Roast, which may be shinier due to oils released at higher temperatures.
Bean Density and Oiliness
Density: The density of the beans decreases as the roast becomes darker. You can feel this difference when grinding—lighter roasts will offer more resistance, while darker roasts grind more easily due to the beans becoming less dense and more brittle.
Oiliness: Darker roasts usually have a shiny, oily surface, indicating that oils have been brought to the surface during roasting. Lighter roasts tend to have a dry appearance, with less evident oil.
Flavor Profiles
Each roast level offers distinct flavor characteristics that can help you choose a coffee you'll enjoy.
- Light Roasts: Preserve the unique flavors of the coffee's origin, often more acidic and fruity.
- Medium Roasts: Offer a balance, reducing acidity but retaining some of the bean's natural flavors.
- Dark Roasts: Emphasize deeper, bolder flavors with reduced acidity, sometimes exhibiting chocolate or smoky notes.
Remember, the ideal roast level varies from person to person, so you might want to experiment with different roasts to discover your preference and developed your individual roasting style