Roast Levels (Light, Medium, Dark)¶
Roast Level The degree to which coffee beans have been roasted, affecting color, flavor, body, and acidity. Determined by temperature, time, and development ratio. Ranges from light to dark with many gradations. Light Roast Roasted to approximately 196-205°C (385-401°F), typically stopped at or shortly after first crack. Light brown color, no oil on surface. Preserves origin characteristics, bright acidity, lighter body. Examples: Cinnamon, Light City, Half City. Medium Roast Roasted to approximately 210-220°C (410-428°F), between first and second crack. Medium brown color, little to no surface oil. Balanced acidity and body, caramelized sugars, some origin character maintained. Examples: City, American, Breakfast roast. Medium-Dark Roast Roasted to approximately 225-230°C (437-446°F), approaching or just into second crack. Dark brown color, some oil appearing on surface. Lower acidity, fuller body, roast flavors emerging. Examples: Full City, Vienna, Light French. Dark Roast Roasted to approximately 240°C+ (464°F+), well into or beyond second crack. Dark brown to nearly black, oily surface. Minimal acidity, full body, roast flavors dominate over origin. Examples: French, Italian, Spanish roast. Cinnamon Roast Very light roast, stopped before or at first crack. Light cinnamon color. Grassy, underdeveloped flavors. Rarely used commercially except for specific applications. Shows raw bean character. Half City Light roast stopped midway through first crack. Light brown color, dry surface. Bright acidity, tea-like body, pronounced origin character. Popular for high-quality single origins. City Roast Medium-light roast stopped at the end of first crack. Light to medium brown, dry surface. Balanced acidity and sweetness, clear origin character. Standard for specialty coffee. City Plus (City+) Roasted just beyond City, before second crack. Medium brown, dry surface. Slightly more body than City, good balance, origin character clear. Versatile roast level. Full City Medium-dark roast stopped right at or just into the beginning of second crack. Dark brown, patches of oil possible. Reduced acidity, fuller body, chocolate and caramel notes. Bittersweet balance. Full City Plus (Full City+) Stopped in early second crack. Dark brown, light oil sheen. Low acidity, heavy body, roast flavors prominent. Verging on dark roast character. Vienna Roast Dark roast in early to mid-second crack. Dark brown, oily surface. Bittersweet, roast flavors dominate. Minimal origin character remains. Full body, very low acidity. French Roast Dark roast well into second crack, approaching 240°C. Very dark brown, very oily, shiny surface. Strong roast flavors, bitter, smoky. No origin character. Thin body from oil loss. Italian Roast Very dark roast beyond second crack, near 245°C. Nearly black, extremely oily. Intense bitterness, charred, smoky flavors. Origin completely obscured. Used traditionally for espresso. Agtron Scale An industry-standard measuring system using light reflectance to objectively determine roast level. Scale runs from 0 (black) to 100 (white). Specialty coffee typically 55-70 Agtron. ColorTrack A visual color reference system with numbered tiles used to assess roast level. Compared against ground coffee sample. Similar purpose to Agtron but visual comparison. Roast Development The time spent developing the roast after first crack. Affects flavor development, sweetness, and body. Longer development at lower temperatures creates more complex flavors. Surface Oil Oil that appears on the bean surface during darker roasting as cell structure breaks down. First appears around Full City, increases with darker roasts. Can indicate roast level or age (stale coffee develops oil). Roast Defects Problems in roasting including scorching (too hot too fast), baking (too low too long), tipping (localized burning at bean tips), and underdevelopment (insufficient development time).
Related Notes: - Coffee Terminology MoC