Light vs. Dark Roast: What’s the difference

The flavor of your morning coffee is influenced by many factors from the country of origin and variety grown to the processing method utilized post-harvest. While these factors are controlled by the producer at origin, there are also specific metrics a roaster utilizes to imprint their own value to this wonderful drink we love to consume. Aside from time and temperature in the roast chamber, one of the metrics that has the largest impact on a coffee's flavor is the roast color, or roast level, of the final product. Whether you prefer the rich robust flavor of a darker roast or something light and bright to start your morning, your favorite coffee was intentionally developed to meet those expectations.

Similar with other cooking methods, coffee undergoes a series of chemical changes throughout the roasting process. The two main forces at play when roasting are caramelization and Maillard reactions. Maillard is a chemical interaction between sugars and amino acids inside the coffee as they react under heat. It is responsible for the browning process, driving color change from coffee's raw green color to the more familiar shades of brown, as well as contributing to a coffee's final flavor and aroma. Caramelization on the other hand is where sugars alone are broken down, leading to sweet, nutty and caramel-like flavors. Manipulating these forces in tandem, roasters can unlock a diverse array of attributes within the coffee.

The longer a roast spends in the caramelization and Maillard phases the more the coffees evolve into something different and interesting. As sugars break down and undergo changes they interact with their organic acid neighbors over time to create more subtle nuanced flavors than their lightly roasted and often loud counterparts.

Which Farmer Brothers Coffee roast is right for you?

Farmer Brothers offers a wide array of brands, qualities and products to fit each consumers wants and needs, and roast level is one of the ways we provide for every coffee consumer from the most discerning light roast drinker to the traditional coffee enthusiast. Each and every Farmer Brothers product has a roast level designed to present a specific sensory profile.

• People who enjoy coffees with notes of peanut and walnut with a strong cocoa backbone and a medium body should reach for Farmer Brothers Breakfast, a coffee roasted to the lighter end of the color spectrum.
• A consumer who is looking for something more robust should take a sip of Farmer Brothers Dark Roast, a coffee that has been roasted darker to further break down those sugars and acids, transforming the cocoa note into a rich baker's chocolate and deepening the nutty flavor to a rich, roasted nut that showcases caramelization at its best while producing a sweet yet earthy taste.
• If you are looking for a more citrus forward light roast, look no further than Boyd's Direct Trade 100% Colombian, which showcases light, bright and acidic notes of citrus anchored by rich chocolate and caramel to balance the flavor with just enough sweetness.
• If darker, more smoky coffees are your style, Boyd's French No. 6, one of our darkest roasts, is sure to please.