Hello from Hamburg, coffee lovers. It's not just the beans that dance with us, the coffee aromas also fall in love anew every day. This week in our coffee cosmos, it's all about the roasting levels of coffee. We'll take our time and explain to you the different colors of coffee, the different roasting levels and how we decide how each coffee bean is roasted. So let yourself be taken on an aromatic expedition through the world of coffee!
The basic principle of coffee roasting
So let's start with something very simple: the lighter the roast, the more fruity aromas, but also more acid. So the longer the coffee is roasted, the less acidic it will be.
Even today, the roasting level is often still determined by the roasting master by eye. This requires a lot of experience and sensitivity. The beans undergo a true color metamorphosis: from yellow to light brown to a full dark brown - but don't let them burn!
If playing with the drum roaster is too hot for you, you can also rely on technology and use so-called roasting curves. The roasting profile of the beans is determined using a program and the roasting master "only" controls the process.
Excursus: Drum roasting process
Ah, the good old drum roasting. We swear by it in our factory and there is no better way to roast coffee. In this traditional process, the raw beans are put into the roaster and roasted at around 200° Celsius for around 20 minutes. The result should ideally be a harmonious, well-balanced coffee that melts in your mouth! The advantage of drum roasting over industrial roasting is that the constant rotation of the drum means the beans are heated absolutely evenly and there are no underdeveloped or charred beans. The beans can therefore develop their full aromas in a relaxed manner.
What degrees of roasting are there?
There is some debate about good coffee - well, not really, because we don't need to kid ourselves: Artisanal roasted coffee tastes better than industrial coffee. But there are different tastes and these are catered for by different degrees of roasting. So let's go, now there is information about the different degrees of roasting of coffee:
Light roast
We offer the light roast as a cinnamon roast, with dominant acidity included. There is also the New England roast, which is a little darker. However, the coffee roast is still light brown and the acidity remains in the spotlight.
Medium roast
Here, too, we have two amazing roast levels for you. Firstly, the American Roast, where the beans are roasted until shortly after the first crack. The colour of the coffee beans is a lovely medium brown and the flavour develops a full acidity. The other roast level is the City Roast, which has a noticeable acidity with a very balanced taste.
Dark roast
These are probably the most well-known coffee roasts and the best known is the Italian Roast. Dark beans, roasted until after the second crack. Absolutely intense roasted aromas. Other dark roasts are the Full City Roast. The Vienna Roast with caramel notes and a delicate acidity, and the French Roast with a slight oil release and complex roasted aromas - a firework for the taste buds.
Coffee roasts - which roast for which coffee?
The more classic dark roasts are preferred in espresso. Whether pure or in a cappuccino - the roasted aromas come out particularly well here! The light roasts are particularly popular with specialty coffee lovers for filter coffee. By roasting until the first crack, many of the fruity aromas are retained and are not overshadowed by the roasted aromas. However, there are also all-rounders in coffee roasting: the Omniroast. This roast works equally well for filter coffee and espresso lovers! If you would like to try an Omniroast like this, I recommend our Espresso No 3 from Uganda and Espresso No 4 from Ethiopia. Don't let the name put you off, both are true Omni Roasts, work great as espresso but are also popular in the Chemex. We deliberately roasted the Espresso No 3 Ngoma from Uganda lighter. It is naturally processed and 100% Robusta. If we were to roast this coffee too dark, its smooth and sweet characteristics would disappear and its taste would become too dominant.
Which coffee is roasted how?
When we have new green coffee on the table and we don't know it yet, we first send it to our test roaster and put it through the whole range of colors: light, medium, dark and almost charred. Then we taste each roast level and decide which one brings out the aromas best. In the end, it's not just the bean that decides how it is roasted, the creativity of the roasting master also plays a role. A real taste expedition through the world of roast levels.
Now that you're familiar with the different roast levels of coffee, grab a cozy cup of your favorite coffee and pay special attention to the notes you can taste. Do you have a light, medium or dark roast? Let me know!
Your coffee brewda