Coffee is one of the most favorite drinks and for most of us, our day starts with a cup of hot coffee. However, did we ever go into detail about how the coffee beans are roasted? The quality and taste of the coffee largely depends on this.
As such, if you look at the coffee beans before roasting, then you will find them green and soft. If you smell them then you will find a fresh “grassy” smell having almost no taste. After the coffee is roasted, it finally transforms these grassy raw beans into coffee that are distinctively aromatic, and flavorful, which we are so much familiar with.
Coffiery offers reviews about various coffee roasters after drinking plenty of coffee while the coffee beans undergo a transformation. They are a group of people who are passionate coffee drinkers and must be drinking in gallons.

There are a few different factors that may form a complex equation to determine the actual taste of your coffee. Two different coffee varieties, obtained from different countries or grown in different kinds of environment may taste very different even if they are roasted to the same level.
Besides that, the processing method, age of the coffee, the grind, and also the brewing method can affect the taste of your coffee. However, the level at which the coffee is roasted will offer a baseline, which is a rough guide that will determine the taste of the coffee.
The coffee roast level is most commonly described by looking at the color of roasted beans, which may be light to dark and further to extra dark. The color gets darker as coffee beans continue to absorb heat during the process of roasting.
At higher temperatures, oils start appearing on the bean surface as coffee beans may vary, and often color is not the right parameter to judge the level of roast accurately. However, with a certain typical roasting temperature, the shade of coffee turns into a shade of brown and based on the color the roasting level is categorized.
Light roast coffee
The following are few characteristics of light roast coffee:
- Light brown color
- No oil present on the bean surface
- Crisp acidity
- Mellow body
- Bright flavors.
Light roast coffees are roasted for preserving unique bean characteristics. A well-grown, roasted and processed beans can offer a wide variety of aroma, flavors, aftertastes, etc.
Medium roast coffee
The characteristic of medium roast coffee are:
- Brown color
- Rarely have an oily surface
- Medium acidity
- Medium body
- Rounded flavor profile.
Roasting at this level can preserve many of its unique flavors, as a result, the coffee is usually well-rounded, balanced, and are a little darker and sweeter.
Dark roast coffee
The characteristics of dark roast coffee are:
- Dark brown in color
- Often it has an oily surface
- Low acidity
- Heavy body
- Deeper and darker flavors.
When coffee is roasted to this level then many of their original characteristics are gone, but they do not taste bad or boring.