---

tags: [] - coffee/roasting - coffee/history aliases: - Dark roast tradition - French roast philosophy created: 2026-05-10 updated: 2026-05-10

---

Dark Roasting Philosophy

Tags: #coffee/roasting #coffee/history Aliases: Dark roast tradition, French roast philosophy Related: Alfred Peet | Second Wave Coffee | Light Roasting Movement Status: 🌱 Stub

---

Overview

Dark roasting philosophy — roasting beans to French or Italian roast levels where surface oils appear and significant origin character is replaced by roast-derived flavours such as smoke, dark chocolate, and bitterness — was the dominant approach of the second wave and is associated with Alfred Peet and early Starbucks. It prioritises roast consistency and bold flavour over terroir expression, and was the style that the third wave's light roasting movement explicitly rejected as obscuring rather than revealing a coffee's inherent quality.

Related Notes

• Alfred Peet
• Second Wave Coffee
• Light Roasting Movement
• Specialty Coffee MoC

References

• SCA, Understanding Roast Levels

This article is part of All-About-Coffee.com - The comprehensive coffee knowledgebase.

Copyright © Matthew Clairmont 2026