Light vs. Medium vs. Dark Roast: What Roast Level Means
Roast level is how long and how hot coffee beans are roasted. Light roasts come out of the roaster earliest and taste brighter and fruitier. Dark roasts stay in longest and taste bolder, more bitter and more chocolatey. Medium roasts sit in between, with balanced sweetness and body. Roast level changes the flavor of your coffee more than almost anything else, but it barely changes the caffeine.
We roast every coffee to order at our roastery in St. Paul, Minnesota, and each one gets its own roast. Our Loom Blend is a medium roast with nutty, toffee and chocolate notes. Our Fringe Blend is our dark roast, with chocolate, peanut and jam.
Light vs. Medium vs. Dark Roast at a Glance
| Light roast | Medium roast | Dark roast | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bean color | Light brown, dry surface | Medium brown, dry surface | Dark brown to almost black, often oily |
| Flavor | Fruity, floral, tea-like | Sweet, nutty, caramel, chocolate | Bittersweet chocolate, smoky, toasty |
| Acidity | High (bright) | Medium | Low |
| Body | Light | Medium | Full and heavy |
| Roasted to about | 385 to 410°F | 410 to 435°F | 435 to 450°F and up |
| Great for | Pour over, drip | Almost anything | Espresso, French press, coffee with milk |
| Try | Our single origins | Loom Blend | Fringe Blend |
Temperatures are approximate bean temperatures at the end of the roast. Every roaster and every coffee is a little different.
What Happens When Coffee Is Roasted?
Green coffee beans are hard, grassy and nothing like the coffee you drink. Roasting is what creates the flavor. As the beans heat up, a few things happen in order:
- Drying. The beans lose their moisture and turn from green to yellow. They smell like hay or fresh bread.
- Browning. Sugars and proteins in the beans react (the Maillard reaction, the same thing that browns toast and seared steak) and the beans turn tan, then brown. This is where sweetness and nutty, caramel flavors come from.
- First crack. Around 385 to 400°F, the beans pop like popcorn as steam bursts out of them. Light roasts are finished shortly after first crack.
- Development. The longer the beans roast after first crack, the more the roast flavors take over the bean's original flavors. Medium roasts finish here.
- Second crack. Around 435 to 445°F, the beans crack again, more quietly. Oils move to the surface, and the flavor turns smoky and bittersweet. Dark roasts finish at or after second crack.
Beans also lose weight as they roast, about 12 to 20% depending on how dark they go. That's mostly water, and it's part of why darker beans feel lighter and more brittle.
Light Roast Coffee
Light roast coffee is roasted just past first crack, so it keeps most of the flavor that came from the farm. That's where the bright, fruity and floral notes come from: things like berry, citrus, stone fruit or jasmine, depending on where the coffee was grown. Light roasts have the most acidity and the lightest body. They taste best brewed as pour over or drip, where those delicate flavors come through.
Light roast is how you taste the difference between a Kenyan coffee and a Colombian one. If you like exploring, start with our single origin coffees.
Medium Roast Coffee
Medium roast coffee is roasted past first crack but stopped before second crack. It balances the bean's natural flavor with the sweetness of roasting, so you get notes like caramel, nuts, milk chocolate and brown sugar, with medium acidity and body. It's the most popular roast level for a reason: it tastes good black or with milk, and it works in almost any brewer.
Most of our coffees are medium roasts, including Loom Blend, our everyday coffee, and Abstract Blend, our espresso.
Dark Roast Coffee
Dark roast coffee is roasted to second crack or beyond. The roast flavors take over: bittersweet chocolate, toasted nuts, molasses and sometimes smoke. Dark roasts have the lowest acidity and the fullest body, and the beans often look shiny with oil. They hold up well to milk and sugar and make a rich espresso or French press.
A good dark roast should taste rich, not burnt. Our Fringe Blend is roasted dark enough for that deep chocolate flavor while keeping some sweetness.
Roast Level Myths
- "Dark roast has more caffeine." No. Caffeine holds up well during roasting, so light and dark roasts have about the same caffeine by weight. If you measure with a scoop, light roast actually comes out slightly ahead because the beans are denser. More on that in why coffee has caffeine.
- "Dark roast is stronger." Dark roast tastes bolder, but strength comes from how much coffee you use for the amount of water. Any roast can be brewed strong or weak.
- "Light roast is sour." A well-roasted, well-brewed light roast should taste bright and juicy, not sour. Sourness usually means the coffee was under-extracted, so try a finer grind or a longer brew.
- "Darker means better quality." Roast level doesn't tell you anything about quality. Great coffee comes from good farming, careful processing and the right roast for that bean.
Which Roast Is Right for You?
- You drink it black and like fruity, bright flavors: try a light roast single origin.
- You want one coffee that does it all: start with a medium roast like Loom Blend.
- You add milk or like it bold: go dark with Fringe Blend.
- You make espresso at home: try Abstract Blend.
Still not sure? Take our 60-second coffee quiz and we'll match you with a coffee based on how you brew and what you like. Every bag is roasted to order in St. Paul and ships in 1 to 3 business days.
