Everyone has their own preferences when it comes down to drinking coffee. One likes an espresso, filtered coffee, or americano, while others love their milk-based coffees such as cappuccino, a flat white, a macchiato, and many other options. All these drinks have their own unique characteristics and taste. And that’s a good thing because otherwise, we might as well all drink the same. Luckily that isn’t the case and in many coffee places, there is a huge assortment of beverages to choose from, as well as there are differences in coffee roast levels to choose from:

 Light coffee roast level

Let’s start with the light roast. Naturally, the lighter beans have been roasted for a shorter period of time. Generally, light beans are released into the cooling sieve a couple of minutes after the first crack occurs. One of their characteristics is that the oils are still inside the bean. This is because the beans haven’t been roasted long enough to get them so hot that the oils start to release themselves. Lightly roasted coffee has high acidity levels. When you roast a bean for a longer period of time, it will decrease these acidity. Because the flavor of lightly roasted beans is underdeveloped compared to darker roasts, the flavor may occur as toasted, and grain-like.

Characteristics:

• High acidity
• Toasty, grain-like taste
• Fruity smell

 Medium coffee roasts

After the light roast, medium roast follows. These beans have been roasted for a longer period; the beans enter the cooling sieve right before the second crack. Like with lightly roasted beans, the oils are still within the bean. The fact that it has been roasted for a bit longer results in a taste with a bit more body. The levels of acidity have been decreased which results in a taste that is a bit more balanced.

Characteristics:

• Moderate acidity
• A sugary, sweet taste
• Balanced flavors

Dark coffee roasts

At last, we have dark roast beans. Again, these beans have been roasted a bit longer compared to the previous two variants. These beans have been roasted long enough for the oils to come out. This results in a shiny dark bean, while lighter roasted beans have a matte color. The flavors of origin have all been eliminated because of the higher temperature and roast duration. The only flavors that are left are the flavors you created during roasting. Since the beans have had time to caramelize, dark roast beans tend to deliver a sweet flavor. The beans create a rich flavor and full body when making espresso coffee. These beans have been roasted for the longest period of time.

Characteristics:

• Low acidity
• Bittersweet taste
• Bold flavor