Often, we come to the store and read the signatures on the coffee packages, or visit various sites to buy coffee in the online store, we come across very unclear numbers and their decryptions. Light roast, dark roast, Viennese or French roast – what is it really and how are they different?
It is no secret that the coffee beans before being ground, are prepared in your favorite way, and enter our cup in the form of an excellent drink, they are fried.
Like any product that goes through this processing stage, coffee beans can be roasted to different degrees. A simple example is a classic steak, which has several degrees of doneness. Steaks of various roasts have their own qualities, their own taste. And each, including “Well Done” (steak doneness), has its fans.
It is the same with coffee. Each degree of roasting gives its own flavor to the cup, filling it with unique characteristics inherent only to it. Much, of course, depends on the type of coffee, on the quality of the coffee beans, but if the coffee roasting is done very badly, it will “kill” any, even the best, beans. Therefore, fresh roasting of coffee only on professional equipment, as well as individual selection of the roasting profile for each type, proposed by the specialists of the Torrefacto online store, fully reveal the aroma characteristics of different types of coffee. When freshly roasted corn, the finished drink gets a deep and rich taste without impurities and foreign smells.
Roasting the coffee beans
The green coffee is matured for some time in special rooms with climate control, after which it goes through the selection stage. At the same stage, the grains are sifted and cleaned by several litters. Then the coffee goes to the roaster.
On an industrial scale, roasting takes place inside a cylinder (roaster) that rotates constantly, heated from the outside, at a temperature of 200-230 ° C. In such drums, the coffee beans are roasted continuously during to stir. The fact is that the heat is not evenly distributed over the coffee beans, so it is important that the heat is evenly distributed and that the coffee is constantly moving during roasting.
At the very beginning of the roasting process, the coffee beans first absorb heat, then begin to release it. At this stage, the coffee starts to “shoot”, that is, you can hear clicks and crackles of the beans. This stage is called “to the first click”. Depending on how well the roaster is planned, there may be more than one endothermic to exothermic phase change. That is, the coffee can be roasted “to the second click” or more.
In heated coffee beans, the processes that change their character will continue to proceed, even if the heat is removed. To stop the roasting process in a precisely planned phase, the coffee beans are cooled quickly by blowing cold air over them.
Roasted coffee beans
There is no unified classification system for degrees of roasting. Each country can use its own ranks and names for them. You can find numbers: 1 to 5 or names: Cinnamon Roast, City Roast, Viennese, French…
The numbers indicate coffee from the lightest roast to the darkest (when the beans acquire a dark brown, which tends to black, the color shade). Usually, several degrees of roasting are distinguished, which can be simplified into four main ones: light, medium, dark and high, each of which is divided into two more options: a slightly weaker roast and a slightly stronger roast his health
Here, it seems, everything is clear. Let’s try to guess these names.
1. Roast cinnamon
Cinnamon Roast is the process when the coffee beans are roasted “for the first click”. The grains become light brown and have a “dry” surface, i.e. matte.
Such coffee has high acidity and a refined taste. It gives tart “grassy” flavors in the glass and is practically devoid of sweetness.
2. New English
Coffee beans take on a light brown color, but they are still varied in appearance. The coffee starts releasing more aromatic oils.
The espresso made from New England Roast beans has a nicer aroma and taste but still lacks expressiveness. The color of the finished coffee is light brown.
Coffee from such beans can be made at home in Turkey.
3. American grill
The coffee beans are roasted until light brown, but the color is still not uniform, the coffee beans remain varied. The surface of the grains is dry. The frying is stopped at the “first click”.
The acidity of such grains becomes muted, the sweetness and aroma become more evident. This roasting can emphasize the characteristic features of some varieties. This roast is often used during professional coffee tasting. According to Coffiery, American roast coffee is suitable for preparation in a Turkish press, French, or drip method (filter coffee). To prepare espresso, a stronger flavor profile is required when roasted and beans at a higher temperature.
4. City roast
With such roasting, the coffee beans acquire a distinct light brown color, and their surface becomes slightly oily, acquiring a barely noticeable sheen.
This roasting method is typical for most coffees as it keeps the natural coffee flavor, which is suitable for tasting certain coffees, although the roasting flavor is somewhat noticeable.
Such coffee can also be prepared in traditional ways (in Turkish, French press or geyser coffee) and used to prepare espresso in a coffee machine. The taste of the drink becomes noticeably sweeter with a hint of burnt sugar caramel.
5. Whole town grilling
The beans are fried until the “second click” begins, their color becomes slightly dark brown, the surface becomes dry. Small drops or faint spots of oil appear on the surface of the grains.
The sweetness of the coffee begins to diminish, and chocolate notes appear in the aroma. The taste itself becomes more intense and takes on a characteristic toasted character.
This roast is used to prepare espresso in coffee machines.
6. Viennese roast
The coffee beans are roasted to the middle of the “second click”, as a result of which they acquire a moderately dark brown color, their surface becomes more and more oily.
The beans acquire a sweet and caramel flavor, but the acidity in such a coffee is very muted. With this roast, the origin of the coffee bean is difficult to determine as its characteristics obscure the roasted flavor.
Espresso is made from Viennese roasted coffee. The drink has a strong and rich aroma, with a characteristic coffee bitterness. You can drink this coffee at any time of the day.
7. French toast
The grains take on a deep dark brown color, while they become shiny with oil. The beans are roasted until the end of the “second click”.
The roasted flavor is predominant in this type of coffee, and none of the characteristic aromas of the coffee beans remain.
French roast is often called “the very heart of dark roast.” This is probably the most popular espresso roast. When brewed, a dark drink with strong bitterness is obtained.
How does the strength of coffee depend on the degree of roasting?
Yes, in general, nothing, if we are talking about the strength of coffee in a cup. In general, the darker the coffee roast, the lower the caffeine content. For light roast, this figure is about 1.37%, for dark roast – 1.31%. This is if we talk about the grain itself.
But when we talk about coffee in a cup, then everything depends on the amount of coffee prepared (that is, on the ratio of coffee/water), on the size of its grinding, on the chosen method of preparation of the drink. The same coffee in beans can ultimately be prepared in such a way that the strength of the finished drink varies greatly.
