Coffee - Choosing The Right Roast For You

By: Michael Russell
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:17:41
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

Are you confused by the choices of coffee roasts at your local grocery store? Not sure which one is right for you? Once you understand the difference between the degree of roast, you will be able to choose one that you can enjoy.

All coffee beans start out as green beans. They look like a dried legume and have little resemblance to the final product. Coffee beans are roasted by trained professionals. Each degree of roast, or how dark the bean becomes, is decided by the roaster based on where the coffee comes from (it's origin) and the type of bean it is. Roasters spend many hours roasting and tasting coffees to find the perfect balance of flavors for each origin. The roaster's goal is to bring out the best qualities of the coffee.

Light roasts have several different names. If you read a package with the following terms, it is normally a lighter roast coffee: Light, Cinnamon, New England. The color of these beans will be close to milk chocolate. Many of the bean's unique flavors are apparent with this roast. The coffee will have a snappy brightness, often with some floral or citrus undertones. This is also referred to as 'acidity' in coffee. Coffees that have a more delicate character do best with a light roast. Contrary to popular belief, light roast coffees actually contain more caffeine than dark roasted coffee - up to 10% more! Origin coffees which are traditionally roasted to a light degree are: Kenya AA, Peaberry, Columbian and Guatemalan.

The names you will see associated with medium roasts are: American, Breakfast, City or Medium. Medium roasted coffee beans are a dark brown color and may have oily spots on them. The oily spots are some of the coffee's natural oils coming to the surface. There is less acidity with this degree of roast and some caramelization is occurring. More spicy and nutty undertones also become apparent. A good medium roast can truly highlight the best qualities of each type of coffee. Some typical origin coffees that do well with a medium roast are: Costa Rica,

Dark Roasts usually are described as: European, French, Italian, Espresso, Full City or Viennese. Note that these aren't origins, just the description of the degree of roast. Coffee roasted to this level will appear almost black in color and be very shiny or oily. Many of the flavor characteristics are gone from beans roasted to this level and have a smoky, deep flavor. There will still be some caramel notes as well, due to the caramelization of sugars in the bean. This roast has more of a bittersweet flavor to it. Some of the origins that hold up well to dark roasting are: Sumatra, Mocha Java and Sulawesi (Celebes).

When choosing a coffee, think about whether you like bright, citrus notes or possibly nutty, carmel flavors. Or even a smoky, earthy flavor. While there are blends of coffee which also combine the different roast levels, this should get you started down the road to your perfect cup!

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Coffee

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Coffee category

  • Coffee T-Shirts and Gifts: Share Your Addiction - By: Ruth Lanham
    If there is another thing a lot of people are passionate about, it's their coffee. For a lot of people, without their coffee, they might not be able to function on the morning or even an entire day. It could make their day at work that much worse as well. It's not always a joke how popular and important coffee is to people.
  • Tomorrow's Tamari Takes Time - By: Search Pros
    Since the Buddhist monk Kakushin brought back the original soy sauce from China in 1254, soy sauce has become virtually ubiquitous world wide. So what is the difference between Soy Sauce, Shoyu and Tamari?
  • Coffee for a Better Life - By: Vader West
    To that, the coffee bean itself contains a number of benefits to health. But the culture of coffee, like the tao of tea, contains a lot of excess trimmings. Espresso machines, for example, produce a highly concentrated form of ordinary coffee. And then the all-consuming vice: sugar.
  • Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee - By: Adam Akelis
    It has been scientifically proved that coffee can fight fatigue that is why millions of people across the world drink coffee to fight tiredness. Coffee can actually helps to improve mental performance, elevates and improves mood and also boosts physical energy.
  • Gourmet Coffee and Fitness - By: Adam Akelis
    Today for larger number of people, coffee has become a main delight in life and some people give your word by it to get their day started. Everyday you will come across more and more data proving tea as a huge means to wade off ill health.
  • Flavored Coffees a Delicious Enticer - By: Adam Akelis
    Millions of people enjoy and consume coffee as a drink not only for its aroma but for its property as a stimulant. Some like to drink hot steaming coffee, while others dribble over cold coffee shakes.
  • How Do Coffee Grinders Work? - By: Paul Archer
    Coffee grinders and electric coffee grinders are the best thing since sliced bread.
  • The 9 Things People Do Not Do When Making Espresso - By: Shikin Roslan
    Espresso simply means ‘to press out’ in Italian. However it is easier said than done. Let me just start off with what espresso really is.
  • How To Apply Logic In Choosing An Espresso Coffee Maker - By: Dean Caporella
    Choosing an espresso coffee maker isn't just determined by price. Many people have rushed in and bought a coffee maker simply because they thought that it's price dictated how good or efficient the machine was. This can be a costly mistake.
  • Espresso Coffee Machine Essential Buying Tips - By: Richard Davies
    Most avid coffee drinkers will concur that an espresso coffee machine is the one and only piece of kit you can purchase that will deliver the perfect cup of coffee. You will be surprised, then, that many of these coffee fans don't actually own an espresso coffee machine. There are a number of different types of machine.