How do roast levels change the contents of coffee?
Acidity and bitterness in coffee track closely with roast level, while caffeine depends on variety and brewing method rather than roast alone. American terminology splits roast into light, medium, and dark, subdivided into eight stages, from extremely light roasts dropped near the start of first crack to darker profiles.
Extremely light roasts carry a grassy taste with weak aroma and are rarely drunk, cinnamon roast shows prominent acidity, and medium roast brings chestnut color with light body and moderate aroma. Three beans suit dark roasting: Golden Mandheling, Colombian Huila, and Brazilian Queen's Estate. Whether Colombian coffee has more caffeine depends on dose and extraction.
The acidity and bitterness of coffee are closely related to the roast level, while caffeine content is influenced by multiple factors such as variety and extraction method. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article systematically outlines the definitions, dropping times, and flavor characteristics of eight roast levels, and highlights three coffee beans suitable for dark roasting: Golden Mandheling, Colombian Huila, and Brazilian Queen's Estate. It also provides an in-depth analysis of the caffeine content range in coffee beans, the actual caffeine values for different brewing methods such as pour-over and espresso, and reference standards for safe daily intake for adults, helping coffee enthusiasts fully understand the relationship between roasting and caffeine.
Most people who drink coffee regularly know that the acidity and bitterness of coffee are directly related to the roast level. Recently, a friend asked Front Street Coffee if there were any dark-roasted beans worth trying. Front Street thinks it's better to first understand how roast levels are classified before considering which coffee suits your taste.
How exactly are roast levels classified?
According to Front Street Coffee, coffee roast levels in American terminology are divided into three major categories: light roast, medium roast, and dark roast, which can be further subdivided into eight stages. However, different regions have different understandings of roast levels. Below is a brief introduction to each roast level and its corresponding flavor:
1. Light Roast: Extremely light roast, also called "light roast"
Drop time: Around the start of first crack
Flavor: The bean surface is pale cinnamon in color, with a strong grassy taste. Both the mouthfeel and aroma are weak. It is usually used only for experiments and rarely consumed.
2. Cinnamon Roast: Light roast, also called "cinnamon roast" Drop time: From the start to the peak of first crack Flavor: The bean surface is cinnamon in color. At this point, the grassy taste has dissipated. The acidity is prominent with a slight aroma. It is often used for brewing American-style coffee.
3. Medium Roast: Medium roast, also called "medium-light roast" Drop time: Between the peak and end of first crack Flavor: The bean surface is chestnut in color. The mouthfeel is light, slightly acidic with some bitterness, and the aroma is moderate. It can retain the original flavor of the coffee beans. It is often used for American-style coffee or blended coffee.
4. High Roast: Medium-dark roast, also called "dark roast" Drop time: End of first crack Flavor: The bean surface is light reddish-brown. The mouthfeel is refreshing and rich, with balanced acidity and bitterness that is not harsh, and a slight sweetness. Both the aroma and flavor perform well. Blue Mountain and Kilimanjaro coffees are suitable for this roast level and are deeply loved by people in Japan and Northern and Central Europe.
Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans
5. City Roast: Medium-dark roast, also called "city roast" Drop time: After first crack, i.e., between first and second crack Flavor: The bean surface is light brown. The mouthfeel is bright and lively, with balanced acidity and bitterness where the acidity is on the lighter side. It can release the high-quality flavors of the coffee. It is a standard roast level and also the most popular roast level among the general public. Brazilian and Colombian coffees are suitable for this roast level and are often used for French coffee.
Brazilian Queen's Estate coffee beans
6. Full City Roast: Medium-dark roast, i.e., dark roast, also called "full city roast" Drop time: Second crack Flavor: The bean surface is brown. The mouthfeel is steady and full, with bitterness stronger than acidity, and a sweet aftertaste. The aroma is abundant. It belongs to the Central and South American roasting method and is mostly used for iced coffee and black coffee.
7. French Roast: Very dark roast, i.e., dark roast, also called "French roast" Drop time: From the peak of second crack to the end of second crack Flavor: The bean surface is dark brown with black. The mouthfeel is intense and powerful, with relatively heavy bitterness and light acidity that is almost imperceptible. It has rich chocolate and smoky aromas. It is most popular in Europe, especially France, and is mostly used for café au lait and Viennese coffee.
8. Italian Roast: Extremely dark roast, i.e., very dark roast, also called "Italian roast" Drop time: From the end of second crack to the bean surface turning black and oily Flavor: The bean surface is black with an oily sheen. Before the coffee bean fibers carbonize, the mouthfeel is intense and complex, with strong bitterness and a thick roasted and burnt aroma. It is mainly popular in Latin countries and Italy, and is mostly used for making Espresso.
Espresso
The above is the complete coffee roasting guide compiled by Front Street Coffee. Front Street Coffee's stores also mainly feature medium-light roast and dark roast coffee beans. Next, Front Street Coffee will share a few more typical and common light roast and medium-dark roast coffee beans.
Dark roast coffee bean recommendations
1. Front Street Golden Mandheling coffee beans
Front Street's Indonesian Mandheling is a fairly typical dark roast bean. Its basic flavors are spice and herbs, with a full and smooth mouthfeel. Using a dark roast better highlights its basic flavors, whereas a light roast would weaken its original characteristics and lose the soul of Indonesian Mandheling. Front Street Golden Mandheling, on top of Mandheling, undergoes three rounds of machine screening and hand sorting to remove all defective beans, greatly improving quality and making the coffee taste cleaner with a more pronounced sweet aftertaste.
Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling coffee beans
Country: Indonesia Region: Sumatra, Aceh, Gayo Mountain Altitude: 1100-1600m Variety: Ateng Processing method: Wet-hulled method Flavor: Baked toast, nuts, pine, caramel, herbs
2. Front Street Colombian Huila coffee beans
The Huila region is located in the southern part of Colombia's Central Cordillera, near the Huila Volcano, and has mineral-rich volcanic soil. It is surrounded by diverse high-altitude hills, and the climate on the canyon slopes blocks cold winds while welcoming cool mountain breezes, avoiding high temperatures. The Colombian River converges here, providing abundant water resources and moisture, with annual rainfall reaching 2000-3000mm. Its superior geographical and climatic conditions make it a representative region for high-quality coffee beans worldwide. Front Street Colombian Huila uses the common washed processing method of the Americas, giving the coffee beans a clean flavor profile. To present the classic Colombian flavor, Front Street uses a medium-dark roast, and after grinding and extraction it has rich flavors of creamy chocolate, caramel, cookies, and cocoa.
Front Street Colombian Huila coffee beans
Country: Colombia
Region: Huila region
Altitude: 1800m
Variety: Caturra
Processing method: Washed process
Flavor: Dark chocolate, cream, roasted nuts, cocoa
3. Front Street Brazilian Queen's Estate coffee beans
Queen's Estate is located in the Mogiana region of São Paulo State, Brazil. Unlike many large-scale regions in Brazil that prioritize quantity, this area has a higher elevation, forming a relatively unique microclimate. In addition, the estate insists on hand-picking coffee cherries at the right ripeness, and each batch is processed with small-batch, refined methods, so the coffee beans produced are mostly specialty grade. Front Street Queen's Estate coffee beans are of the locally rare Yellow Bourbon variety. At high altitude, Yellow Bourbon has greater density and high glucose content, so Front Street's roasting approach is to highlight the classic full-bodied aroma of Brazilian coffee while showcasing Bourbon's own sweetness, thus using a medium-dark roast.
Front Street Brazilian Queen's Estate coffee beans
Region: Mogiana region
Estate: Queen's Estate Fazenda Rainha
Altitude: 1400-1950m
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Processing method: Natural process
Flavor: Nuts, chocolate, cream, peanut, sugarcane
How much caffeine do coffee beans contain?
Coffee is a beverage made by brewing coffee beans. If you don't understand the caffeine content of coffee beans, how can you know the caffeine content in coffee~ (Though it sounds convoluted, that's just how it is~) Different varieties have different caffeine contents. Currently, coffee varieties with commercial value are mainly divided into two categories: Arabica and Robusta. Arabica has a caffeine content of about 0.9-1.4% (average 1.3%), while Robusta has twice that, at about 2%-4%, with an average of 3%.
These fluctuations in caffeine content come from variations in coffee beans grown in different regions and environments. Moreover, varieties with extremely low caffeine content have also been developed! Their caffeine content is about half that of regular Arabica varieties, so people call them "decaf coffee." So how much caffeine does a cup of coffee contain? Most people probably already know how to calculate it~ That's right! Simply multiply the grams of coffee beans used for a cup of coffee by the average caffeine content of that variety, and you can estimate its peak value~ For example, if 15g of coffee grounds is used to extract a cup of pour-over coffee, then its peak calculation is 15g × 1.3% (Arabica average), and the final result is: the peak caffeine content of this cup of pour-over coffee is around 195mg.
But you must understand that this is the peak value, not the actual caffeine content. What does that mean? It means this cup of coffee would need to extract all the caffeine from the coffee beans to reach 195mg of caffeine! Its actual caffeine content will be much lower than this value! The reason Front Street says this is because caffeine is a "soluble substance." A coffee bean has 30% soluble substances, but we don't need to extract all 30%. Generally, only 18%-22% is extracted! Because if all 30% of the soluble substances were extracted, the entire cup of coffee would be unbearably bitter. Caffeine is a bitter substance. As Front Street shared before, although bitter substances are released throughout the entire extraction process, their rate is relatively slow, much slower than acidic and sweet substances. The higher the extraction efficiency of a cup of coffee, the more caffeine it will contain. Therefore, based on normal extraction efficiency, a cup of pour-over coffee extracted with 15g of grounds should actually contain about 60-90mg of caffeine!
Then, by applying the above conclusions to other brewing methods, we can estimate their respective caffeine contents based on their extraction time and efficiency:
A cup of cold brew coffee (200ml/20g beans/12 hours) contains about 200mg of caffeine; A cup of French press coffee (225ml/15g beans/5 minutes) contains about 120mg of caffeine; A cup of pour-over coffee (225ml/15g beans/2 minutes) contains about 60-90mg of caffeine; A shot of espresso (30ml/15g beans/30 seconds) contains about 85mg of caffeine. Note: Latte, cappuccino, Dirty, Americano, etc. are all espresso-based coffee drinks, so without reducing the espresso, their caffeine content is equivalent to that of espresso!
So how many cups of coffee can you drink in a day? This is a hot topic recently! According to research, an adult's daily caffeine intake should not exceed 400mg, meaning that as long as intake stays below this value, there will be no problem. Taking the average caffeine content of a cup of pour-over coffee at 80mg as an example, you only need to keep your daily pour-over intake within 5 cups, and there will be no problem.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
