Light Roast Vs.Medium Roast Vs.Dark Roast

​Coffee is a cultural staple in most of the human lives around the globe. A lot goes in, out  around and with this amazing bean before it reaches our homes. There are few techniques associated with coffee that have become so popular in the last few centuries, that people are now trying those at their homes. One such technique is known as Roasting. This is an ideal method to strike a balance between the sweetness, acidity and bitterness of the coffee. Depending upon what kind of taste you are looking forward to in your coffee, you can try any of the following roasting techniques.

What is Light Roast?

​Many people believe that the name light roast comes only from the colour of roasted coffee, but that’s not true. The term ‘light roast’ entitles the colour as well as where the roasted coffee falls in the roasting cycle. In the roasting cycle, during the beginning, you apply a ton of heat to get the coffee bean heated up. During this healing process, once you hit a particular stage in the roasting cycle, you will obtain a caramelization of the beans. In caramelization, the outer layer of the beans itself starts to become less dense and tends to break down. When this layer breaks down, that’s when you commonly get that ‘First Crack’. This is where that popping sound comes out when the air from the bean is released and the outer shell is broken. That’s when you get a light roast.

What is Medium Roast?

​This is the successor of the first crack of the light roast. The medium roast coffee comes into existence when the inner shell of the coffee breaks down, this is termed as the second crack in the roasting process. Breakage of the inner shell releases the remaining air out of the beans. Unlike the first crack in light roast, the second crack is much fainter and a lot faster. Hence, identifying when the second crack is going to be needed practice. For beginners, you may want to stop after 45 seconds of your first crack to identify if the beans are medium roasted. In the case of medium roast, there is an incredibly distinct aroma, like that of brown sugar. A medium roasted coffee will give you a taste like that of a  dried fruit flavour with more caramel into it.

What is Dark Roast?

​This comes in at the later stage of the second crack. Dark roast coffee is dark brown with a shiny, oily surface. Dark roast typically has a dense deep taste with low acidic content and consists of a profound sweet texture. These coffees typically have a rich, classic style appearance and flavour. It is the origin of super dark roast that coffee got married to adjectives like bitter, burnt. To obtain a smooth-and-delicious dark roast, you need to stick with fresh and less oily ultra-dark coffee beans. 

Also Read: Cinnamon Coffee Tales