Roast levels: light, medium and dark
Roast level is how far the beans are taken in the roaster. Light roasts keep more of the coffee's origin character and acidity. Dark roasts trade that for heavier body and roast flavors like cocoa and char. Caffeine barely changes. Medium sits between. None is better; it depends what you like.
Our lineup by roast level
| Coffee | Roast level | Origin | What it tastes like (from the product page) | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer's Costa Rica Single Origin | Medium-Light | Tarrazú, Costa Rica | Pineapple, blackberry, toasted almond | Bright, fruity cups; drinking it black |
| Colombia Single Origin | Medium | Planadas, Tolima, Colombia | Dark chocolate, mango, peach | A bit of everything; black or with milk |
| Lucca's Peru Decaf | Medium | Amazonas, Peru | Lemon, herbal, chocolate | Evening coffee that still tastes like coffee |
| Cairo's Breakfast Blend | Medium | South American blend | Just a damn fine cup of coffee. If you came looking for Folgers with flavor, this is it. | An everyday morning pot |
| Nemo's Bali Single Origin | Medium-Dark | Kintamani Highlands, Bali | Baker's chocolate, orange peel, juniper, molasses | Heavier cups with some character left in them |
| Stubby's Boston Cowboy Blend | Medium-Dark | Worldwide; post-roast blend of medium and dark | Cocoa, caramel, vanilla | Our best seller; cream and sugar people; low acidity |
| Chopper's Zero-Dark Espresso | Dark, the darkest we do | Six coffees, worldwide | Thick, bittersweet; heaviest body, very low acidity | Espresso, moka pot, milk drinks |
| Venus' Rare Ground | Changes monthly | Changes monthly | See that month's post | Trying something new each month |
What roasting actually does
Green coffee is hard, grassy and tastes like nothing you'd want to drink. Roasting drives out moisture, browns the sugars, and builds the hundreds of aroma compounds that make coffee taste like coffee. Somewhere in the middle the beans crack audibly, called first crack, as steam and gas break the structure open. Light roasts finish not long after first crack. Medium roasts go a little further. Dark roasts push toward or into second crack, where oils start coming to the surface and the bean turns shiny.
The longer and hotter it goes, the more the roast itself becomes the flavor.
Acidity. Light roasts keep more of the coffee's natural acids, which read as brightness: citrus, berry, stone fruit. The further you roast, the more those break down. Dark roasts taste lower in acidity.
Body. Darker roasts generally feel heavier and rounder in the mouth. Light roasts tend to feel lighter and more like tea.
Origin character vs. roast character. This is the big one. A light roast tastes like where it came from: the altitude, the soil, the variety, the processing. A dark roast tastes more like the roast: cocoa, molasses, smoke, char. Take two very different coffees dark enough and they start to taste alike. That's why single origins are usually roasted lighter, and why blends meant for espresso or milk are often roasted darker.
Sweetness. Medium is where a lot of coffees taste sweetest. The sugars have browned into caramel, but the roast hasn't started burning them off yet.
The caffeine myth
Dark roast doesn't have more caffeine. Caffeine holds up well through roasting, so the difference between roast levels is small. If anything it runs the other way by the scoop: light-roast beans are denser, so a scoop of light roast holds slightly more coffee, and slightly more caffeine, than a scoop of dark. Measure by weight and the difference mostly disappears. Pick your roast for taste, not for a jolt.
The best coffee to drink black
If you drink it black, you taste everything, good and bad. There's no milk or sugar covering anything up, and that's where specialty grade earns its price.
My honest advice: start medium-light or medium. Those roasts keep the most of what makes a coffee distinct, so black is where they show off.
- For bright and fruity: Summer's Costa Rica. Pineapple and blackberry up front, toasted almond on the finish.
- For balanced: Colombia Single Origin. Dark chocolate with mango and peach. Easy to drink black even if you're used to cream.
- For deeper, still clean: Nemo's Bali. A medium-dark roast that keeps orange peel and juniper on top of the chocolate and molasses.
- For black coffee after dinner: Lucca's Peru Decaf. Lemon, something green and herbal, chocolate on the finish.
A few things that matter more than the bean once you drink it black:
- Grind right before you brew.
- Use filtered water if your tap water tastes off. Brewed coffee is about 98 to 99 percent water.
- Start around 1 part coffee to 16 parts water by weight, then adjust to taste.
- Pour-over, French press and AeroPress all work well. Brew guides has the steps.
If you've only ever had dark roast black and hated it, don't write off black coffee. Try a light one.
FAQ
What's the difference between light, medium and dark roast?
How far the beans are roasted. Light keeps more acidity and origin flavor, dark adds body and roast flavors like cocoa and char, and medium sits between.
Does dark roast have more caffeine?
No. Caffeine changes very little in roasting. By the scoop, light roast actually has slightly more because the beans are denser.
What is the best coffee to drink black?
Usually a light or medium roast specialty coffee, because there's more flavor to taste and nothing harsh to hide. From our lineup, Summer's Costa Rica and the Colombia are good places to start.
Is dark roast stronger?
It tastes stronger because of the roast flavor and heavier body, but it isn't stronger in caffeine. Strength in the cup comes from how much coffee you use.
Which roast is best for espresso?
Medium-dark to dark is the traditional choice because it's forgiving and stands up to milk. Chopper's Zero-Dark Espresso is built for it.
Next: read Processing, or pick a roast below. Shipping is free on every website order.
Coffees this applies to
Medium-light: Summer's Costa Rica Single Origin. Medium: Colombia Single Origin, Lucca's Peru Decaf, Cairo's Breakfast Blend. Medium-dark: Nemo's Bali Single Origin, Stubby's Boston Cowboy Blend. Dark: Chopper's Zero-Dark Espresso. Changes monthly: Venus' Rare Ground.