When buying coffee beans (ground), you probably buy them already roasted.
Therefore, I would like to write in detail about roasting, which is greatly related to the taste of coffee, over several installments.
Today is about roast levels.
What are coffee roast levels?
I think coffee roasting seems to be full of mysteries. I also thought so until I got involved in the business of roasting. I'm sure many of you drink coffee frequently, but you probably don't know much about roasting.
This time, I would like to focus on and explain the mysterious aspect of roasting: roast levels.
First, roast levels can be divided into the following eight categories.
Light Roast
Cinnamon Roast
Medium Roast
High Roast
City Roast
Full City Roast
French Roast
Italian Roast
Among these, "City Roast," "Full City Roast," and "French Roast" are probably the most commonly heard.
You often find products sold in supermarkets and by major shops categorized into these two or three types.
This categorization significantly changes the taste of coffee, even within the roasting process itself.
Roughly speaking, the roast level is determined by the time (the amount of time heat is applied) during roasting.
To explain using an onion, imagine you start frying it in a pan, and you stop cooking when a good aroma starts to come out after a short time. That would be "Light Roast."
If you fry it a bit longer until it turns brownish, that's "Medium Roast."
And if it's slightly burnt and has started to turn black, that's "French Roast."
This is just an image, so please don't misunderstand that a darker roast level means it's burnt.
Changes in taste by roast level
So, how does the taste change with different roast levels? According to BASE COFFEE's roast level chart:
"French Roast"
The deeper the roast, the more acidity and bitterness are inversely proportional, and fruitiness and savory aroma are inversely proportional.
Light roasts have a strong aroma and acidity (not handled by BASE COFFEE)
Medium roasts have a strong aroma characteristic of the origin and a clean taste
Medium-dark roasts have a savory aroma and mild taste, making them easy to drink for anyone
Dark roasts are characterized by a smoky aroma and rich body, recommended for those who drink with milk
Again, the taste of coffee is determined by the roast level.
And the taste changes with just a few seconds difference in the timing of ending the roast.
To achieve a consistent taste every time, it is necessary to end the roast at the appropriate and precise moment.
At BASE COFFEE, since the roasting process changes subtly depending on the roasting environment (temperature, humidity, etc.), we constantly feed this back into the roasting process through repeated cupping (quality checks).
Are roast levels arbitrary?
I have explained roast levels in detail, but finally, I would like to discuss whether this roast level is necessary information.
Roast levels are categorized using L-values (colorimeters). Specifically, brightness is represented with black as an L-value of 0 and white as an L-value of 100.
L-value 23-24 Medium Roast
L-value 20-23 High Roast
*Slightly differs depending on the measuring instrument.
And so on.
However, to measure these values, a specialized device is required. Although small desktop devices have recently been developed for small businesses, they are not yet widely adopted.
Major manufacturers strictly use devices for categorization, so they can be a reliable source of information. However, small independent roasters rarely have such devices, and the roast level is usually determined by the owner's rough intuition and experience.
What I mean by this is that,
even if it says "〇〇〇 Roast," there are differences between Shop A, Shop B, and Shop C.
Since the information that should be a reliable source is vague, when buying coffee beans from an individual shop, instead of judging by these categories, I recommend you actually try drinking it first.
If you try it and find that the roast level suits you, then when you purchase from that shop, buying coffee beans of the same category roast level will likely prevent you from making a big mistake.
