4 Types Of Coffee Roasts Explained

Ever wonder why some coffee tastes like a punch in the face while others are all mellow and smooth? Yeah, it’s got a ton to do with how those little green beans get roasted. Honestly, green coffee beans are pretty lame straight outta the bag—they’re soft, they smell kinda like grass, and they taste like absolutely nothing. Zero flavour. Toss those beans in a roaster, crank up the heat, and suddenly—bam!—you’re hit with this wild, crackling symphony and that smell? Unreal. People go nuts for those toasty little brown nuggets. For real, coffee’s got, like, four main roast levels: light, medium, medium-dark, and dark. Every one of ‘em brings its own thing to the party. Light roast is all bright and snappy, dark roast is bold and kinda smoky, and the others land somewhere in between. Different roasts, totally different flavours, even how much caffeine you’re getting changes. Wild, right? This is super interesting to learn about, especially when you buy coffee online. Characteristics of the Roasting Process

Roasting is where all the magic happens, honestly. That’s the bit that brings out those flavours we’re all kinda obsessed with—nutty, chocolatey, fruity, whatever floats your boat. People love to break down roasting into three main things that shift as the beans cook. Makes it sound simple, but trust me, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes.

1. Bitterness

The first one is bitterness. Roast coffee long enough, and it goes from this nice brown to, well, basically looking like the inside of a barbecue pit. Think of caramel for a sec—hang around too long on the stove and bam, you’ve gone from sweet treat to burnt disaster. Coffee’s kinda like that friend who gets meaner the more you push their buttons—roast it too hard, and poof, there goes all the sweetness, replaced by this in-your-face bitterness that doesn’t care about your feelings. If you’re the sort who likes your morning brew to slap you awake, yeah, go ahead, burn those beans. Not my circus, not my monkeys.

2. Acidity

The second characteristic we often simplify is acidity. That actually increases initially and then has a little bit of a bell curve, and then begins to decrease the darker the roast gets. For this reason, a lot of people prefer darker-roasted coffee. It doesn't have the acidity that they particularly don't enjoy. However, it's rare to find dark-roasted coffees in the specialty coffee world.

3. Origin Characteristics

Alright, here’s the deal—the third thing we gotta chat about is this whole “origin characteristics” situation. Basically, where’s your coffee grown? Total game-changer. I’m talking dirt type, weather vibes, how high up the mountain you are, even the weird stuff people do to the beans after picking them—every single bit of it messes with what’s happening inside those little seeds. It’s wild how much the place and the process can switch things up. When you buy coffee online, it’s nice to read the description and see where the coffee beans originate from. For example, the Frothy Heaven Coffee Ultra-Dark Roast is sourced from Peru, giving it an intense flavour with some bitterness.

When you roast it, different coffees will produce different flavours. Initially, when you roast a coffee, you do create those flavours, but the longer you roast the coffee, the less of those distinct, unique characteristics remain, and you get more of a generic roast taste. Honestly, once you start roasting coffee beans darker, it’s like all those cool, unique flavours just get roasted into oblivion. Everything starts tasting kinda the same—just, you know, generic “coffee.” That’s why people who are super into specialty coffee usually go for lighter roasts. Those lighter beans? Way more personality, plus you get that bright, punchy acidity. It’s like the difference between a garage band and a polished pop album—one’s got raw character, the other’s just… there.

Light Coffee Roasts

Light roast coffee? Oh man, that’s basically coffee in its most “hey, check me out” form. The beans come out kinda light brown, nothing shiny or oily going on. You’re really tasting the bean itself—like, it’s the coffee’s natural personality showing up to the party, not some over-roasted, burnt-out wallflower. Take, for instance, the Abyssal Sunrise Coffee Ethiopian Light Roast, which has a delicate flavour of stone fruit and citrus. 

It’s all about those original flavours. If you want to know what coffee actually tastes like (not just “coffee-flavoured coffee”), this is your jam. It doesn’t get blasted into oblivion like dark or even medium roasts. Instead, you end up with this mellow, kinda toasty vibe—think more like fresh-baked bread than charred campfire. Honestly, if you’re after that deep, smoky punch, this probably isn’t your jam. But hey, for folks who like their coffee with a little nuance? It’s a win.

Light roasts present a striking acidity, mellow body, and good flavour. Light roasts are the product of meticulous tweaking until we see the coffee's full potential—a possibility that's brand new to the world of coffee. Thus, light roast becomes a coffee roasted gently enough that its natural flavours are able to blossom in the cup.

Some common light roast names include cinnamon roast, New England, light city, half city, and white coffee.

Medium Coffee Roasts

Medium roast? Oh man, that’s like the Goldilocks zone of coffee—right smack in the middle. The beans look kinda brown, nothing too dramatic, and you won’t see that shiny oil slick you get with darker roasts. Taste-wise, you get a bit more sweetness than the light stuff, plus a fuller body and, you know, the acidity doesn’t punch you in the face. Like the Mayan Mosaic Blend Coffee Medium Roast or even the Java Gemms Coffee Medium Roast, it’s all pretty chill and balanced. This is the beautiful result of natural coffee flavours in harmony with an even, smooth flavour.

Medium roasts are what the average American coffee drinker is used to. A medium roast brings out the nutty, chocolaty flavour notes of the beans. A great medium roast will taste good brewed in a wide variety of methods—pour over, automatic drip, moka pot, and espresso. It's a very pleasing and versatile roast for the majority of coffee lovers. For example, the Andean Harmony Blend Huila Medium Roast Coffee has notes of crisp apple and velvety milk chocolate.

Some common medium roast names include American, regular, city, breakfast, and medium.

Medium Dark Coffee Roasts

Medium-dark roasts are roasted several minutes longer than a medium roast until the coffee beans begin popping again. This is the stage called "second crack" and denotes the full development of the coffee.

With a medium dark roast like the Blend Brew Brothers Coffee, you may get flavour notes like bittersweet dark chocolate and dark roasted almonds. Lovers of medium-dark roast are usually fans of the French press, espresso, and AeroPress brewing methods. If you're using a French press, use a coarse grind so your coffee does not become overly bitter due to over-extraction.

With the roast flavour very evident, a medium dark roast usually has a heavy body, and the flavour may be spicy, perhaps with a bittersweet tang, subtle chocolate and caramel flavours, and hints of smokiness. The acidity is lower than a light roast or medium roast. For example, the Sip & Savour Decaf Coffee Medium Dark Roast is sourced from premium Colombian beans and has a bold flavour.

In a medium dark roast, the coffee beans become slightly shiny as oils begin to rise to the surface, giving them a darker brown, somewhat satiny appearance. Medium dark roasts are also called full city, after dinner, Viennese, continental, light espresso, and light French.

Dark Coffee Roasts

Dark roast coffee is dark brown in colour with a shiny, oily surface. Dark roast, like the Midnight Majesty Blend Sumatran Dark Roast, typically has a heavy body and low acid with deep, sweet flavour notes. If you’ve ever wandered into a diner at 2 am for a cup of coffee, you get it—it’s got that gutsy, in-your-face flavour, all wrapped up in a weirdly comforting, retro vibe. Feels like nostalgia in a mug, or like your grandma’s hug if she were hopped up on espresso.

They pull that off by roasting the beans until they’re practically sweating, really pushing the limits. Thing is, it’s a fine line—push it too far and, bam, your coffee’s giving off burnt toast energy instead of actual coffee flavour. But when they nail it? You get this shiny, oily bean that brews up strong—sometimes it’ll smack you in the face with bitterness, but hey, some people are into that.

No wonder dark roasts are everywhere. The smell alone could wake the dead, and the flavour’s got attitude for days. A true black colour, even close to looking like scorched earth or burnt wood, means this type will coat your tongue with an almost drinkable burning warmth. It can't really be matched by anything else in terms of coffee taste—except maybe espresso.

Finale note

So there you have it—this was a short guide to the four types of common coffee roasts, from light to medium to dark. Thanks for checking out the article. You can easily buy coffee online. It’s a great way to find great deals on Inasbay marketplace and explore a vast selection.

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