tags: [] - coffee/roasting - coffee/roasting/roast-level aliases: - Full City - FC roast - Medium-dark roast

Full City Roast¶

Tags: #coffee/roasting #coffee/roasting/roast-level Aliases: Full City, FC roast, Medium-dark roast Related: Roasting MOC | Medium Roast | Dark Roast | Development Phase | Roast Profile Status: ✅ Complete

Overview¶

Full City roast (often abbreviated FC) is a medium-to-dark roast level positioned at the upper end of the medium roast range, corresponding to an Agtron Gourmet score of approximately 45–55, drop temperatures typically in the 215–222 °C range, and a drop point at or shortly after the completion of first crack. The bean surface is dry with at most a faint sheen beginning to appear in surface cracks; no significant oil migration has occurred. Full City marks the transition between the medium roast zone — where origin character is still meaningfully expressed — and the dark roast zone, where roast character begins to dominate. A correctly executed Full City roast preserves chocolate, caramel, and stone fruit flavour development while beginning to add bittersweet roast complexity.

Defining Full City Versus City and Full City+¶

The spectrum from City through Full City+ represents the medium roast family:

Level	Agtron Gourmet	Drop Conditions	Character
City	55–65	First crack just complete	High origin expression; bright acidity; light chocolate
Full City	45–55	First crack complete; brief rest	Balanced; chocolate and caramel; some origin acidity
Full City+	40–50	Second crack beginning; trace oil	Medium-dark border; bittersweet; origin fading

Full City is the workhorse of specialty coffee production — the roast level that balances origin character, sweetness, and roast complexity in proportions that appeal across the broadest range of brewing methods and consumer preferences.

Cup Profile¶

Full City roast:

Aroma: Dark chocolate, caramel, mild stone fruit, toasted nuts, light vanilla
Acidity: Medium; present and clean; citric or malic depending on origin; slightly less vivid than City
Body: Medium to medium-full; smooth
Flavour: Dark chocolate, caramel, dried fruit, stone fruit, brown sugar; some origin character retained
Aftertaste: Medium persistence; bittersweet chocolate; clean

The profile is more developed than City — more caramel, slightly more bitterness, less bright acidity — but still retains meaningful origin character that distinguishes one coffee from another at this level.

Full City in Espresso¶

Full City and Full City+ represent a lighter end of the traditional espresso roast range. In the specialty context, many roasters target Full City or even City for espresso designed for black consumption, arguing that lighter espresso roasts better express the origin character of the coffee. For milk-based drinks (flat white, latte, cappuccino), where milk sweetness and fat mask origin acidity, darker roasts (Full City+ through Vienna) are commonly preferred.

Key Facts¶

Agtron Gourmet 45–55; drop at or shortly after completion of first crack; no surface oil
Sits at the upper end of the medium roast range, below the dark roast threshold
Balanced: preserved origin character + developed chocolate and caramel roast character
Standard reference for specialty commercial production; suits a wide range of brewing methods
Lighter end of the espresso roast range for black espresso in specialty contexts

References¶

Changelog¶

Date	Change
2026-04-27	Note created

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