Have you ever been tempted to by a bag of freshly roasted coffee, but been too bewildered at the variety of roasts? Or considered roasting your beans at home, but had no idea what degree of roasting would maximize their potential? The secret to mastering coffee roasting is to know its stages, or “cracks”. The eight specific roasts can be gauged by listening for the number of cracks, and their beginnings and endings.
Cinnamon roasted beans, heated to about 400 degrees, are removed from the heat before they begin to crack. Light in color, they produce a very weak coffee with high “acidity”, or tanginess. Cinnamon roasted coffee is rare.
American roast, a full bodied coffee, comes from beans allowed to reach the first crack stage, about 415 degrees, and reach a medium color, before being removed from the heat.
If the beans continue to heat past the first crack stage, they will, at around 435 degrees, eventually stop cracking. They have now reached City roast, a coffee with rich aroma, full body, and slight sweetness. They have a somewhat darker appearance than the American roast beans.
Keep going, and your beans, turning medium to slightly dark, will hit the second crack stage. They are at Full City roast, a full bodied, aromatic, and very sweet coffee.
When the second crack has ended, the beans are at Viennese roast, producing a coffee known for medium acidity, very full body and aroma, and strong sweetness.
The final three roasts are all judgment calls, as the beans will not crack further.
Espresso roast produces dark beans with a slightly bittersweet, full bodied coffee, originated in Europe but now globally popular.
French roast, with beans a shade darker than Espresso, has a stronger bittersweet flavor, with medium acidity, sweetness, and aroma.
And the darkest roast of all, at 480 degrees, is Italian, with beans nearly black in color resulting in a burned taste, and almost no aroma, sweetness, or body.
Familiarize yourself with the characteristics of each roast, and you’ll go a long way to finding your own perfect cup of coffee.
