What Do Coffee Bean Roast Levels Mean on a Bag?

The Specialty Coffee Association of America and Agtron set a shared scale for roast level using infrared caramelization measurement, reading the surface color of the beans. The scale runs light to dark across eight levels, giving roasters and drinkers a common language instead of the loose terms cinnamon roast, city roast and French roast that once varied by country and had no comparability.

Those eight levels are usually grouped into light and medium directions, and the group shapes what ends up in the cup. A light-roasted Yirgacheffe Gedeb Geding Cooperative washed bean and a medium-dark roasted Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling show the spread: roast curves and brewing parameters for the V60 and KONO Meimon drippers differ for each, from grind to water temperature.

The roast level of coffee beans often directly determines the flavor expression in the final cup. Faced with terms on packaging such as light roast, medium roast, dark roast, and even cinnamon roast, city roast, and French roast, many friends new to specialty coffee often feel confused. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article first sorts out the eight-level roasting standards established by the SCAA based on Agtron color values, then summarizes them into two major categories, light and medium, explaining their respective flavor directions. It then uses the light-roasted Yirgacheffe Gedeb Geding Cooperative and washed processed beans, as well as the medium-dark roasted Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling as examples, fully disclosing the roasting curves and brewing parameters for the V60 and KONO Meimon drippers, helping readers build a systematic understanding from roasting to extraction.

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The final tonality of a single-origin coffee is largely set during the roasting stage. When purchasing coffee beans, the packaging label usually indicates the roast level, such as light roast, medium roast, or dark roast, and some also list names like cinnamon roast, city roast, and French roast, leaving beginners completely bewildered. Today, Front Street will help everyone figure out how to distinguish coffee bean roast levels.

Early coffee roasting had no unified standard Coffee trees are mainly grown in producing regions between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, and green beans often had to be shipped to consumption locations before roasting. Different countries and regions had their own interpretations of light, medium, and dark roast, lacking comparability with one another. In order to give everyone a common language when discussing roasting experience, the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) teamed up with Agtron to use the Agtron value of coffee as a unified benchmark.

SCAA Roasting Standards The SCAA uses infrared caramelization measurement technology (Agtron) to measure the surface color of coffee beans, thereby determining the roast level, and divides the color from light to dark into eight levels, producing eight standard color plates for the industry to use as a reference for roast determination. The coffee beans currently produced by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) basically fall between cinnamon roast and medium roast. Front Street's medium-light roasted beans, after the end of first crack, continue caramelizing for about one to three minutes depending on the bean characteristics, making the overall layers richer; as caramelization progresses, acidity decreases and body increases; while Front Street's medium-dark roast is actually medium roast, and the beans are released when approaching second crack.

Agtron color value #95: Light Roast

Drop time: when the密集 of first crack is about to end

Agtron color value #85: Cinnamon Roast

Drop time: around the end of first crack

Agtron color value #75: Medium Roast

Drop time: after the end of first crack

Agtron color value #65: High Roast

Drop time: the quiet period between first crack and second crack

Agtron color value #55: City Roast

Drop time: the start of second crack

Agtron color value #45: Full City Roast

Drop time: before the intensity of second crack

Agtron color value #35: French Roast

Drop time: during the intensity of second crack

Agtron color value #25: Italian Roast

Drop time: oils begin to seep onto the bean surface

Flavor expression corresponding to different roast levels The above eight-level division may be hard for beginners to digest, so Front Street simplifies it into four major categories, making it easy for everyone to see at a glance the flavor direction brewed by different roast levels.

Light roast (including light roast and cinnamon roast): after brewing, floral and fruity aromas are prominent, acidity is bright and uplifting, and the mouthfeel is clean and refreshing. Medium roast (including medium roast and high roast): after brewing, body is obvious, acidity is restrained, and the mouthfeel is full and solid.

So how exactly does Front Street roast the cinnamon-roasted Yirgacheffe Gedeb Geding Cooperative coffee beans and the medium-roasted Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling coffee beans?

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)—— Yirgacheffe Gedeb Geding Cooperative Coffee Beans Region: Yirgacheffe Gedeo Zone Altitude: 1900-2300m Variety: Heirloom Processing method: Washed Grade: G1

For beans like Yirgacheffe, Front Street roasters usually choose a light roast to showcase its floral and fruity tonality. For this washed Gedeb Geding, the roaster uses low heat to extend the dehydration time.

When the drum temperature rises to 175°C, charge the beans, open the airflow damper to 3, and set the heat to 120; the turning point appears at 1 minute 32 seconds, and when the drum temperature is 140°C, keep the heat unchanged and open the airflow damper to 4; at this point the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell dissipates, and the dehydration stage begins. At 166°C, lower the heat to 100, and at 176°C lower it again to 80, keeping the airflow damper unchanged. At 8 minutes 28 seconds, wrinkles and dark spots appear on the bean surface, the toast aroma turns into coffee aroma, which can be regarded as the prelude to first crack. At this time, it is necessary to listen carefully for the first crack point. First crack begins at 9 minutes 38 seconds, and the airflow damper is adjusted to 5 (be very cautious when adjusting heat; do not make it so low that the cracking sound cannot be heard). After first crack, develop for 1 minute 30 seconds and drop at 193.5°C. How does Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) brew Yirgacheffe Gedeb Geding Cooperative Coffee Beans?

In order to fully present this bean's rich floral and fruity aromas and layered complexity, Front Street chooses the V60 dripper for brewing. The V60's spiral rib design not only extends the contact time between coffee grounds and water, but also allows the water flow to converge along the spiral grooves toward the center of the dripper, using downward gravity to press the coffee bed, thereby bringing out greater layering.

Water temperature: 91–92°C

Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Grind size: medium-fine grind (80% passing through a No. 20 sieve)

This time, a staged pouring method is used. First pour 30g of water and bloom for 30 seconds; at this point the coffee grounds expand into a "hamburger" shape. For the second stage, pour 125g of water in a small circle from the center, with a pouring height of 4cm, gently, minimizing turbulence in the coffee bed, and controlling the flow rate at 4g per second. When the water level drops to half of the coffee bed, begin the third stage, again gently circling from the center outward, and stop when the total reaches 225g. Wait until all the coffee liquid in the dripper has dripped through, and extraction is complete, at 2 minutes 01 seconds. After extraction is complete, gently swirl to make the coffee liquid uniform before tasting. Brewed flavor of Yirgacheffe Gedeb Geding Cooperative Coffee Beans: The entry has citrus and black tea, and as the temperature changes, cream, caramel, and almond finish emerges, with obvious sweet aftertaste and a clean, sweet mouthfeel.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)—— Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling Coffee Beans Region: Sumatra, Aceh, Mount Gayo Altitude: 1100-1600m Variety: Ateng Processing method: Wet-hulled

Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling coffee beans use sun-dried processing, with moisture content between 12% and 15%, belonging to green beans with relatively high moisture, showing a large moisture deviation from sun-dried beans, so extra attention is needed during the dehydration stage. For green beans with high moisture content, the airflow damper can be closed immediately after charging, then opened to 3 after 30 seconds of steaming; when the green bean color turns light green or white, open the airflow damper to 4, and after first crack open it to 5 (maximum).

When the drum temperature rises to 200°C, charge the beans, open the airflow damper to 3, and after 1 minute adjust the heat to 160 degrees, keeping the airflow damper unchanged. Roast until 5 minutes 40 seconds, at 148 degrees, the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell disappears, and dehydration is complete. Adjust the heat to 140 degrees and change the airflow damper to 4; at 9 minutes 40 seconds, wrinkles and dark spots appear on the bean surface, the toast aroma turns into coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen clearly for the first crack point. First crack begins at 9 minutes 54 seconds, reduce the heat to 60 degrees, and fully open the airflow damper (be very careful when adjusting heat; do not make it so low that there is no cracking sound), and drop at 204.5 degrees.

How does Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) brew Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling coffee beans? In order to highlight the full-bodied, clean, and aromatic characteristics of Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling, Front Street uses the KONO Meimon dripper for brewing. The "ribs" guide grooves of the KONO Meimon dripper extend all the way to the bottom of the hole where the coffee liquid flows out. The ribs are located at the bottom and are relatively short, with a high degree of fit with the filter paper, so the flow rate is slower than the V60, making it suitable for brewing coffee that needs to express body.

Water temperature: 86–88°C

Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Grind size: medium-coarse grind (65% passing through a No. 20 sieve)

After rinsing the filter paper, pour in the ground coffee and gently level the coffee bed. The dose is 15 grams. For the first stage, pour 30 grams of 89°C hot water to bloom. After 30 seconds of blooming, pour the second stage until the total water reaches 125 grams, using a gentle circular pour to avoid collapse of the coffee bed. After pouring, let the water slowly filter and extract on its own. When the liquid level drops to one-third, pour the final stage until the total water reaches 225 grams, finishing the pour at about 1 minute 32 seconds. End extraction at about 2 minutes and remove the dripper.

Brewed flavor of Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling: Sweet herbs, cinnamon-like spices, orange and pomelo peel notes, full-bodied and rich sweetness, creamy walnut chocolate. The fruit acidity is restrained and soft, and the aroma carries a strong melon sweetness. As the temperature drops, herbal notes emerge, with faint spices, and the herbal aroma is full-bodied with rich sweetness.

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