How Do Coffee Roast Levels Change Bright Acidity Meaning?

Roast level is set by when beans are dropped after first crack, the point at which coffee is considered roasted. Dropping early keeps the roast light; dropping later darkens it. The Agtron color system sorts roast degree into eight levels, from Light at a value of 95 down to Italian, where lower values mean darker roasts.

Each level carries a flavor direction. Light Roast, dropped during the densest stage of first crack, shows lifted acidity; Cinnamon Roast lands near the end of first crack and is acidity-led with sweetness. Medium and High Roast follow, adding sweetness and body. Roasters also print roast percentage labels, which map onto these Agtron values.

What degree of coffee roasting is considered appropriate? Starting from the key milestone of first crack, this article systematically sorts out the logic for determining coffee bean roasting degree, and with the help of Agtron color values divides roasting degree into eight levels: Light, Cinnamon, Medium, High, City, Full City, French, and Italian, explaining one by one the drop timing and flavor direction of each level. It also answers the correspondence between the Roasting percentage labels commonly used by roasters and Agtron color values, helping coffee enthusiasts quickly understand the roasting information on packaging. The article also includes Front Street Coffee's specialty bean recommendation channel for further communication and purchasing.

In the field of coffee roasting, the industry currently generally regards "first crack" as the critical point at which the beans reach a "roasted" state. Any time point after first crack begins can be chosen for dropping the beans. The earlier the drop time, the lighter the roast level of the finished product; conversely, the later the drop, the darker the roast level.

With the Agtron color value system, roast degree can be divided into eight levels. The higher the value, the lighter the roast; the lower the value, the darker.

The lightest of the eight levels is called Light Roast, corresponding to an Agtron color value of 95. The drop timing is roughly at the densest stage of first crack, meaning the beans are removed while they are still cracking one after another. This type of coffee usually presents a bright, lifted acidity.

An Agtron color value of 85 corresponds to Cinnamon Roast, with the drop point falling around the period just before or after first crack ends, when the cracking sound has just stopped or only a few scattered sounds remain. At this roast level, the coffee flavor is dominated by acidity while also carrying a sweet aroma.

An Agtron color value of 75 is called Medium Roast, with the drop time approximately after first crack has completely ended, when the cracking sound has become completely quiet. Coffee at this level has sweetness at its core, mixed with a small amount of fruity acidity.

An Agtron color value of 65 is called High Roast, with the drop point approximately in the quiet period after first crack ends and before second crack begins, usually lasting one to two minutes. In flavor it leans toward nutty and caramel notes, with a balanced mouthfeel and almost no perceptible acidity.

An Agtron color value of 55 is called City Roast, with the drop timing approximately at the very beginning of second crack, that is, one or two faint cracks after a period of quiet. At this point the bitterness is more prominent, and the caramel aroma is also more intense.

An Agtron color value of 45 is called Full City Roast, with the drop point approximately before second crack becomes dense, when continuous cracking has not yet been heard. By this level the coffee already belongs to the dark roast category, with an increasingly burnt-bitter taste and intense aroma.

An Agtron color value of 35 is called French Roast, with the drop time approximately at the dense stage of second crack, when crackling sounds are heard again, but lower and deeper than first crack. Oil has already begun to seep onto the surface of the coffee beans.

An Agtron color value of 25 is called Italian Roast, with the drop point approximately after second crack ends, when the dense sounds have already passed. At this point the beans are pitch-black and glossy, and oil has fully penetrated to the bean surface.

Some roasters also use Roasting % to indicate the roast degree of coffee. In fact, the expression logic of Roasting% and Agtron color values is basically the same. For example, Roasting 95% is equivalent to an Agtron color value of 95, that is, Light Roast. By the same reasoning, Roasting 85% corresponds to Cinnamon Roast, Roasting 75% corresponds to Medium Roast, and Roasting 65% corresponds to High Roast.

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.