All You Need to Know About Coffee Roasts
To ensure coffee can be enjoyed by your customers, the coffee beans must first be roasted. Roasting is the first step in the coffee-making process, and it is crucial to help coffee beans release the variety of flavours and aromas they are famous for.
How Coffee is Roasted
Coffee is offered in a diverse range of roasts, each coffee product offering unique levels of roasting. This provides consumers with a diverse selection, allowing them to select their preferred roast based on their specific coffee preferences.
But how is coffee roasted, and what makes this process so important? The answer to this question lies in the chemical reactions that occur when CO2 builds up, resulting in the expansion of coffee beans during the heating process. When coffee beans get expanded, they begin to crack. Coffee beans crack twice during the process, serving as essential markers of the roasting progress. These audible cracking noises play a crucial role in evaluating the roast level, as relying solely on the appearance and colour of the beans might not accurately determine their stage in the roasting journey.
During the roasting process, coffee beans undergo a crucial transformation as they lose their moisture, leading to a significant shift in flavour and characteristics. Lighter roasts, known for their higher acidity, offer a complex fruity taste. As the roasting progresses, the aroma of the beans intensifies, taking on a more pronounced and sweeter flavour. When the coffee beans reach the stage of the second cracking, the roast darkens, losing certain flavours and gaining bitterness, while maintaining comforting aromas and a full body.
Coffee Roasting and Caffeine Level
One of the most frequently asked questions is whether the coffee roast affects the caffeine level in the beans.
The confusion arises from the bitterness of darker roasts. As bitterness is often associated with caffeine, it is a common misconception that darker roasts contain more caffeine. However, this is not true, as the bitterness in dark roasts is due to their higher roasting level.
Different Types of Coffee Roasts
Coffee can be roasted to 5 different degrees: Cinnamon, City, Full City, Vienna, French (or Italian). These roasts are classified based on their darkness, with the lightest being Cinnamon and the darkest being French (or Italian), often recognizable by the presence of an oily sheen.
The Cinnamon roast is the lightest roast, and it occurs in the early stages right after the first bean crack. At this stage, there is minimal flavour development. The beans of this roast have a smooth and dry texture, and the flavour notes are still underdeveloped, often revealing grassy and woody characteristics.
The City roast is next, and it offers a vibrant flavour profile with noticeable acidity. This roast gets developed shortly after the Cinnamon roast and comes up with almost tea-like flavours, resulting in a light-bodied cup. Expect delightful fruity and wine-like notes accompanied by pleasing acidity.
The Full City roast is the most popular roasting level. This roast combines notes of both light and the dark roasts. This type appears as the roasting evolves and the coffee beans are about to reach the second crack. During this stage, the beans take on a darker color, acidity decreases, and the overall intensity of the coffee diminishes. The body increases and it exhibits sweet caramel mellow notes. Ripe fruit complexity and sweet aromas define this roast. It is at this level that we begin to observe some oil on the surface of the beans. To achieve this distinct set of flavours, it is crucial to release the coffee from the roaster before allowing it to undergo the second crack, unlike the subsequent two darker roast types.
The second-most popular roast, the Viennese roast, occurs right at the beginning of the second crack. In this stage, the coffee’s acidic notes drop significantly, so much that they are no longer easily recognized in the cup. This roast exhibits a bittersweet, caramel-like experience, accompanied by a creamy texture and syrupy body. Depending on the origin and type of the beans, it is also possible to identify a spicy, woody, and roasted-nut flavour profile.
The last degree of roasting is the French/Italian roast. This dark roast type is characterized by almost black, oily beans with a smoky, bitter flavour, intense roast notes, and a heavy body. At this level, regardless of the origin or the quality of the beans, all coffee varieties will have a similar flavour profile related to the very deep and extended roasting process, which makes it very difficult to identify the character and complexity of the beans. This roast is less common as it comes with a very high risk of burning the coffee beans. The French/Italian Roast is easily identified by its burnt-like flavour.
Coffee Roasting Best Practices
Cooling and proper storage are essential steps in the preparation of finely ground roasted coffee. Allowing the coffee beans to cool down is crucial because they can continue to roast even after being removed from the roaster if not managed correctly.
Appropriate storage is key to preserving the coffee’s flavour and aroma over time. Freshly roasted beans need a resting period to release gases and achieve optimal flavour. This process is known as degassing. The darker the roast, the quicker it takes for coffee to degas and reach its optimal extraction period.
After roasting, coffee becomes susceptible to humidity and tends to attract and reabsorb moisture. Additionally, the coffee beans can easily absorb odours from their surroundings, which can negatively impact their flavour. To keep roasted beans fresh and flavourful, it is essential to protect them from moisture, odours, and oxygen, as these can lead to unpleasant metallic-like tastes and staleness. The ideal storage for roasted beans is a vacuum-sealed bag with an expansion valve that allows for controlled degassing, while protecting the beans from the external environment.
Nescafé Coffee
Nescafé follows the best roasting techniques and storing practices and offers a variety of roasted whole bean or ground coffees. Our freshly roasted coffee beans are carefully packed to deliver a complete taste and aroma experience. Give our NESCAFÉ Whole Bean Espresso Roast a try, delivering both a rich espresso beverage and a perfectly balanced light roast coffee. It has a full body and intensity with medium acidity and dark chocolate, hazelnut notes.
When you choose Nescafé, you can trust that your coffee is making a positive impact. Nescafé is committed to a better future for nature, farmer communities, and the environment. Learn more about Nescafé here.
