It’s actually as simple as it seems — light roasted coffee is roasted for less time. There are obviously a lot of variations to beans depending on where they’re grown, the altitude, etc., but there’s always a scale of light to dark based on the brand.
That’s kind of the kicker here, though: the brand. Every brand has their own scale for roasting — some stick with a standard light, medium, dark, while others extend their steps with medium-dark, extra dark, and any other number of roast levels.
We’ll talk about what a standard light roast means, though, to keep this post from being longer than the time between Cleopatra’s life and the erection of the great pyramids (like 2500 years, if you’re curious).
Roasts are determined by what are called “cracks.” They’re exactly what they sound like.
When the coffee cherry is picked, the bean in the center is green, tasteless, and soft. Roasting brings out all of the deliciousness that we’ve come to know and love.
As it’s roasting, the beans harden. Most light roast beans are removed from the roasters before they reach the first milestone — aka, the first crack. Some versions hit that first crack and are then removed, but rarely is it considered a light roast much longer than that.
The temperature of the roasting process also differs between the varieties. Light roasts are typically subjected to between 356-401 degrees Fahrenheit. It only gets hotter from there as the beans get darker and darker.
It’s an interesting conversation. For years, I was under the impression that darker roasts all came with a massive jolt of caffeine. Leave it to me not to Google-verify that up until a few years ago, only to come away with the idea that light roasts have more coffee — less roasting, less caffeine is lost. Totally makes sense.
Both versions of me were, inevitably, wrong.
Don’t snicker; you’re wrong, too.
The only variations in caffeine depend (mostly) on how you measure your coffee. If you scoop, like most coffee consumers, then, yes, your light roast mug of the good stuff has more caffeine. Light roasts are denser than dark roasts, which ups the ante. However, if you weigh your coffee, like a true connoisseur, dark roasts will end up with the higher caffeine level for the exact same reason.
It’s also worth being said that Arabica beans (the beans you’re looking for when making a hella fine brew) vary wildly in caffeine content depending on its genus.
That being said, you’re focusing on the wrong thing.
The caffeine content difference is nearly negligible — let’s remember the flavor boost here. Light roasts really highlight a bean’s origins, whereas, on the other end of the spectrum, dark roasts frame the roaster’s specialties.
So let’s countdown the best light roasts, with some serious emphasis on the cupping notes.
