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Remember the days when the only choices for coffee were regular and decaf? Those days are long gone as evidenced by all the choices offered by the local coffee shop, the supermarket and, dare we say, the office coffee service. Among the plethora of choices are light and dark roasts.

Companies like Galaxie Coffee sell coffees in a variety of roast options. There are light, medium, medium-dark, and dark roasts to choose from. But do you know what each of those options means? Do you know the difference between light and dark roast coffees?

Roast and Flavor

Numerous factors go into determining what a cup of coffee tastes like. Roasting time and temperature influence flavor the most, which is why so much attention is paid to roasting these days.

Non-roasted coffee beans are very soft and largely flavorless. Roasting is required to bring out the flavor embedded in the oils deep within the beans. As beans are exposed to heat, those oils begin to rise to the surface. The more oil the bean releases, the more robust it will be.

Ranking Coffee Roasts

It would be rather difficult to rank coffee roasts according to flavor given all of the differences created by growing environment, cultivation, blending, etc. An easier way to address roasting is color. Thus, a light roast coffee is a light brown color with no visible oil sheen on the surface of the bean. Light roast coffees are mild but acidic. You can also taste the origin flavors of the beans themselves.

A medium roast coffee is slightly darker because it has been roasted longer. It also sports a more balanced flavor. There is less acid and fewer notes of origin flavors as well. And believe it or not, medium roast coffee has less caffeine than light roast.

A dark roast is a coffee that has been roasted for the maximum amount of time. It gets its name from the dark brown (or sometimes black) color of the finished beans. It is also visibly different in that you can see an oil sheen on the outside of the beans once roasting is complete.

Dark roast coffees tend to be more bitter. Some have a smoky or burnt taste, and all have very little origin flavor remaining. What origin flavors do remain are often overpowered by the burnt or smoky flavor. Dark roast also has the least amount of caffeine.

Roast Preferences

Coffee preferences in the U.S. are more regional than you might think. For example, coffee drinkers on the East Coast tend to prefer lighter roasts while those on the West Coast prefer darker. Europeans are also big fans of darker roasts.

Regardless of your preference, Galaxie Coffee has the right roasts for your office. We invite you to contact us to learn more about our office coffee service throughout the greater New York area. We would be happy to serve your workplace with the finest beverages and equipment.