Properties of Different Coffee Roasts

by Java Bean Java Bean Plus

Coffee's popularity is undeniable. Some people refuse to start their day until they've had a cup or two. It's often the fuel for a student's all-nighter. And, it's the pick-me-up many people get when early afternoon sleepiness hits them. Despite its popularity, there are plenty of people who know nothing about the different kinds of roasted coffee beans that go into their coffee. Each roast has different properties that make the coffee unique.

Light Roast

Lightly roasted coffee beans are a light brown in color. They create a coffee that's not so heavy and bitter. Light roast tends to have an acidic taste. It's also the best coffee to drink if you need some caffeine. The more a coffee bean is roasted, the less caffeine it has.

Medium Roast

Medium roast is a medium brown. It has a little less caffeine, but there's still quite a bit. Medium roast also has the most balanced flavor. If you don't want a strong acidic taste or strong bitter taste, this is the way to go.

Medium Dark Roast

A medium-dark roast is a somewhat dark shade of brown. It's not quite as bitter or heavy as a dark roast. But, a lot of the beans' flavor has been overshadowed by the flavors of the roasting process. It has even less caffeine than a medium roast.

Dark Roast

Dark roast coffee is dark, almost black. It's considered the strongest kind of coffee. But, this is only true of the taste. It has the least caffeine, so using it to get an energy boost isn't too effective unless you drink a lot of it. Its flavor is almost entirely a product of the roasting process. Dark roast coffee tastes bitter and burned because it was roasted until the beans were burned. Coffee is naturally acidic, but the roasting process overshadows all the acidity.

When choosing what roast of coffee you want, you have to weigh the taste against the caffeine content. If you want the most caffeine you can get from roasted coffee beans, you'll have to choose the roast with the mildest flavor. If you want your coffee to taste strong, you're going to have to sacrifice some of the caffeine to get it. If you want a small dose of caffeine to get you going in the morning, you'll have to stand the taste of dark roast coffee. Of course, you can always add mountains of cream and sugar to it to make it bearable.