Roasting levels greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Traditionally, coffee was sold as a dark, medium roast and is the level most people were introduced to coffee. Most coffee you purchase in stores or even at coffee shops is a medium to dark roast. Iced coffees are usually made with darker roasts or “espresso” since these drinks, unless they are cold brew, are made with an espresso machine.
With roasting, it’s a progressive process; some beans begin to burn and the heat rises to where more and more beans are burning. Choosing where to end this affects the flavor. If no beans are allowed to begin to burn then the cup will be a brighter more acidic coffee. (Acidic in flavor not stomach acidity, although sometimes this gets confused.) If a few beans begin to burn and are later mixed in with the non burnt beans then you can get a balanced flavor of acidity and boldness. This helps insure the single origin characteristic in the flavor profile.
With French Roast or Full City++, I’m roasting well into the burn and almost all acidity or brightness goes away. With Italian roast, it’s at the end of the burn level so most every bean will be black and shiny and provide a nice bold flavor. Sometimes this is regarded as an espresso bean. It’s a softer bean and is easier to grind but it’s also an oily bean and can clog some grinders if not cleaned.
Roast Levels
City = Light Roast
City+= Light Medium Roast
Full City = Medium Roast
Full City+= Medium Dark Roast
Full City++= Vienna to French Roast
American Roast = Light Roast
Vienna Roast = Medium Roast
French Roast=Dark Roasted
Italian Roast=Darker still.
Choosing the correct grind:
Coarse Grind = French Press, Cold Brewing, Percolator
Medium Grind = Auto Drip, Pour Over
Fine Grind = Pour Over, K-Cup, Stove top
Extra Fine Grind = Expresso, K-Cup, Stove Top