Understanding the different roast profiles for single origin coffee and coffee blends is fun and interesting. There seems to be a magic in roasting, and we are going to share some of our secrets with you. This blog post will provide a comprehensive overview of the various roast levels and their resulting flavors, helping you to develop your palate and appreciate the diversity of coffee.
Roast Levels
Coffee roasting is a process that transforms green coffee beans into the familiar browned product we consume. This roasting process impacts the flavor profile, aroma, body, and acidity of the coffee. The 4 primary roast levels are:
Green (Unroasted): Green coffee beans have a grassy, vegetal flavor with high acidity. You are probably asking yourself "did he really try green coffee beans???" Of course I did! There is nothing that slips past the curiousity of a roaster. But... green coffee beans are not suitable for brewing but... serve as the starting point for all roasted coffee.
2. Light Roast: Light roast beans reach an internal temperature of 356°F – 401°F (180°C – 205°C). They will exhibit a mild flavor, with pronounced acidity, origin character, and subtle fruit or floral notes.
3. Medium Roast: Medium roast beans are roasted to an internal temperature of 410°F – 428°F (210°C – 220°C). They present a balanced flavor profile with medium acidity, body, and a smooth texture.
Dark Roast: Dark roasted beans have an internal temperature above 464°F (240°C). They boast a bold, intense flavor with low acidity and bittersweet or even burnt undertones due to caramelization of sugars and Maillard reactions during the prolonged roasting process.
Flavor Profiles by Origin
The origin of beans majorly influences its flavor profile both before roasting and after roasting. For instance: coffees from Africa such as an Ethiopia or Kenya often have a brighter acidity with flavors of fruits, berries, and some winey notes. With flavor profiles as bright as these, we like to roast our African coffees to a lighter roast which will bring out all of the unique characteristics.
While coffees from Africa have fruity flavors and bright acidity, coffees from Central America showcase their sweet nutty chocolatey tones with a well balanced acidity. Some examples of coffee from Central America that would have these flavor profiles, would be a Guatemalan Antigua or a Costa Rica. These coffees can be delicious at many roast levels, but are especially delicious at a medium roast where their natural sweetness pops out while retaining some of its character from its origin.
Moving on from Central American grown coffees to South American coffees, where a few characteristics remain the same. While coffees from South America like a Brazil Santos or Columbia Supremo have a lower acidity, they still showcase some sweet and nutty notes making this coffee taste very delicious at a medium roast.
Much different than the coffees from other regions are the coffees from Asia. Coffees from Asia display earthy flavor notes and they have a lower acidity. These coffees can be enjoyed at a darker roast without their characteristics being damaged, but we still stick to our lighter roast even with these notes because at a darker roast, you can start to taste the burnt flavors, and it distracts any of the other flavor notes. Now... coffees from the Pacific like coffees from Hawaii are very similar to the African coffees in the aspect of flavor notes and acidity. They have similar fruity notes, and a higher acidity. We still love them at a lighter roast, because we want those bright fruity notes to pop out and make your taste buds dance.
Coffee blends are completely different to those of the single origin realm. In our coffee blends, we combine various bean origins to create unique and crazy profiles tailored towards specific preferences or applications. For Instance, our espresso blend consists of a Brazil & Columbia because we were going for a sweet & creamy texture, with the chocolaty and nutty notes to pare well with each espresso based drink.
While our espresso blend is more creamy, and we use two medium roast coffees from South America, we always recommend using lighter roasted African beans for regular drip coffees to get the most flavor. Exploring different ratios, roast profiles, origins, and blends allows baristas and home enthusiasts alike to craft a personalized coffee experience suited for each ones palate.
As you may have noticed through out this blog post, we very much enjoy our light and medium roasts. We like to preserve the flavor profile of each coffee, and bring out the flavor notes they are so prominent in so you can taste the best in the coffee. I hope this blog post helped you understand the roast profiles and origins of different coffees. When it comes right down to it, each roaster has their own roasting profiles for each coffee, and they roast each coffee their own way. The same goes for us, as we take time to roast the coffee we have chosen from different origins, we like our fruity and brighter coffees at a lighter roast, and our chocolatey and nutty coffees at a medium roast.
Each person has their own preference on how they want their coffee to taste, and each coffee can be enjoyed at a roast you like yourself. Now that you understand the different roast profiles and origins, head over to our shop page and check out all of the coffees we have to offer. ENJOY SHOPPING!
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