What’s the Scoop?
Do you ever go down the coffee aisle of the grocery store and feel overwhelmed by all of the options? There are so many different brands, roasts, and flavors that all of the variety can lead you to keep grabbing the same coffee every time. While the world of coffee is vastly complex, the basics can be broken down into two categories: light roast and dark roast. In this post, we discuss the key differences between the two.
Light Roast
Light roasted beans are light brown in color. They have a toasted taste, and it is more acidic than the dark roasts. Light roast coffees retain the most caffeine from the bean. They are the strongest coffee bean to give you a bolt of energy! Since the beans retain most of their natural flavor from where they originated, the lighter the roast is, the more complex of a flavor it has. When roasting the beans, light roasted coffee beans reach an internal temperature of about 380 degrees Fahrenheit. Around 400 degrees Fahrenheit is when the beans begin to pop, crack and expand in size, so light roast coffee’s roasting process stops before they are able to enlarge.
Dark Roast
Dark roasted beans are usually chocolate brown to black in color. They do not retain much flavor from their origin because most of the flavor comes from the roasting process itself. This coffee has a smokey, burnt and bitter taste which is very full bodied and rich. The caffeine is also substantially decreased as a lot of the caffeine was roasted out. Dark roasted beans reach an internal temperature of around 460 degrees Fahrenheit. That means they crack open not only one time, but two times, and get heavier with each crack.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to figure out which roast of coffee that you prefer. It depends on taste, aroma, caffeine level, and flavor. So next time you go down the coffee aisle at the store, grab something new. You may find out that you have a new favorite coffee.
For other coffee tips, recipes, and more information about Detroit Bold Coffee, click here
Written By Megan Arthur: Megan is an all around coffee aficionado who loves sharing her coffee tips with the world and scours the United States for the best coffee beans to put in her espresso machine.
