Whether you like to enjoy a cup of coffee early in the morning or as an afternoon pick-me-up, finding the perfect cup may seem like a daunting task. With so many different beans, roasts and blends available on the supermarket shelves - and in cafe’s, it can be challenging to decide what you like best. In order to determine what works best for you, and tastes the nicest, it helps to understand the differences between medium roast coffee vs. dark roast coffee.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about medium roast coffee and dark roast coffee.
What is Medium Roast Coffee?
While medium roast coffee does not come from a specific type of bean, the body and flavour of the coffee depend on the way the beans are roasted and brewed. You will find light, medium, and dark roasts that are made with the same beans but roasted for shorter or longer periods of time will produce varying flavour profiles. Both robusta coffee beans and arabica coffee beans can be used to produce a tasty medium roast.
Medium roast coffee beans have a dark brown colour, and when roasted, they provide medium levels of acidity and body. A cup of coffee from medium roast beans can be described as sweet and balanced with hints of caramel tones
The majority of coffee lovers around prefer medium roast coffee because:
- It’s less acidic than light roast coffee.
- Cuts through milk but not overpowering.
- It’s less intense and rich than dark roast ground coffee.
In fact, its natural flavours and aromas are so widely desired that coffee roasters produce the largest quantity of beans at a medium roast level.
What is Dark Roast Coffee?
Dark roast coffee beans are a lot darker than light and medium roast beans, and they have an added coating of natural oils on their surface. Darker roasts have a stronger, more powerful aftertaste and a heavier body, which produces a less acidic and more robust blend
Dark roast beans offer a rich flavour with hints of chocolate, rich fruits, nuttiness and hints of caramel.
Medium Roast Coffee vs. Dark Roast Coffee
Now that you have a better understanding of some of the major differences between medium roast coffee vs. dark roast coffee, let’s dive into their roasting and processing methods.
The many variables and combinations that can be utilised in coffee manufacturing provide many different flavours, profiles and preferences. The key difference between a medium and dark roast coffee are;
- Roasting time
- Heat intensity
- Heat Cycles (The amount of times the temperature is spiked to induce a cracking of the bean)
Generally speaking, two cracks of the bean is a minimum for all roast types. Without this, the coffee beans tend to have a raw and underdeveloped flavour profile similar to that of cacti or hessian.
It is quite easy to identify a medium or dark roast by inspecting the roasted beans visually.
- Dark Chocolate usually indicates a dark roast
- Milk Chocolate indicates a medium roast
- Caramel indicates a light roast
Where to Find the Best Medium Roast Coffee and Dark Roast Coffee
If you are looking for high-quality, tasty medium and dark roast beans, Di Stefano has got you covered.
As expert pioneers in the coffee market, our coffee beans represent boldness, passion, consistency and quality. From the moment the beans are harvested to the time you take your first sip, we will be there with you to deliver a flavourful and delightful espresso every time.
Try our one-of-a-kind coffee beans today!
