Characteristics: Light roasts retain the most acidity, brightness, and origin characteristics, highlighting the coffee bean's natural flavour. This roast level typically emphasises fruity, floral, and herbal notes, making it popular for single-origin coffees where the goal is to preserve unique terroir flavours.
Roast Appearance: Beans are dry (no oils on the surface) and have a light brown colour.
Common Names: Cinnamon, New England, Half City.
Temperature Range: Light roasts reach around 180–205°C, typically ending just after the first crack, a popping sound that occurs as the beans expand and release steam.
Body and Flavour: Light bodied with high acidity and nuanced flavours. The sweetness is often subtle, as most sugars haven’t fully caramelised at this stage.
Medium Roast
Characteristics: Medium roasts offer a balance between the bean's natural flavours and a more developed sweetness, creating a rounder, well-balanced profile with less acidity than light roasts. These coffees are often smoother, with caramel, nutty, and chocolatey notes becoming more prominent.
Roast Appearance: Medium brown with little to no oil on the surface.
Common Names: City, Breakfast, American.
Temperature Range: Medium roasts usually reach 210–220°C, ending just before or at the start of the second crack.
Body and Flavour: Medium-bodied with balanced acidity, sweetness, and a fuller flavour profile. It’s a versatile roast that can highlight origin flavours while still providing a toasty undertone.
Medium-Dark Roast
Characteristics: Medium-dark roasts enhance deeper caramelised sugars and bring out warm, spicy undertones while muting the bean’s natural acidity. The roast flavours are more prominent than in lighter roasts, with chocolate, caramel, and sometimes hints of spice becoming dominant. This level balances the bean's origin notes with a richer, fuller body, making it popular in espresso blends where a smooth mouthfeel is desired.
Roast Appearance: Beans are darker brown with a slight sheen of oil on the surface, especially as they cool.
Common Names: Full City, Vienna, After Dinner.
Temperature Range: Medium-dark roasts are typically roasted to 225–230°C, just after the first crack and potentially approaching the second crack, which gives the beans a deeper, toasted character.
Body and Flavour: Full bodied with reduced acidity, emphasising sweet, toasted flavours. Notes of chocolate, caramel, and sometimes spicy or woody tones become more pronounced, providing a rich, smooth cup often enjoyed in espresso or milk-based drinks.
Dark Roast
Characteristics: Dark roasts focus more on the roast profile itself rather than the bean's origin flavours. The extended roasting process brings out smoky, bold, and bittersweet flavours, with low acidity and a full, often oily body. Dark roasts can have a slightly “burnt” taste, though a well-roasted dark bean should taste rich rather than ashy.
Roast Appearance: Very dark brown or nearly black with a noticeable oily surface on the beans, giving them a shiny appearance.
Common Names: French, Italian, Espresso, Continental, Viennese.
Temperature Range: Dark roasts are roasted at 240°C and above, often hitting the second crack (where the beans pop a second time as cell walls break down), and in some cases, roasted until just before combustion.
Body and Flavour: Full-bodied and thick, with a prominent smoky or toasty flavour. Dark roasts are less acidic and can taste bittersweet, often with chocolate, caramel, or spice undertones. The oils released during roasting add a heavier mouthfeel and lend themselves well to milk-based drinks, like lattes or cappuccinos.
Very Dark Roast / Double Roast
Characteristics: These roasts are taken to the extreme, where roast flavours fully dominate the coffee. They’re known for intense smokiness, bitterness, and sometimes a “charred” flavour, making them a polarising choice among coffee drinkers. Origin flavours are nearly completely lost at this stage, and the primary taste is that of the roast itself.
Roast Appearance: Beans are almost black and very oily, giving a very glossy appearance. The structure of the beans may start to break down, making them brittle and more prone to crumbling.
Common Names: Spanish, Turkish, Double French, Italian Dark.
Temperature Range: Very dark roasts are taken beyond 250°C and, in some cases, even higher. Some roasters may choose to take beans right to the edge of combustion to achieve a distinctive flavour profile.
Body and Flavour: Heaviest body and almost no acidity. The flavour is very intense and smoky, with a bold bitterness that some fans enjoy. This roast level is common in espresso blends, especially for Italian-style espresso, as it can cut through milk effectively.
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