Although light roast coffee is one of the more polarizing options at the coffee shop, it offers the most complex flavors and an unmatched brightness with every sip. If you’re looking for something that excites your taste buds, the floral, fruity and sweet notes of a light roast may be the perfect option for you. But, if you seem stuck in your ways, either as a medium or dark roast fanatic, you may need some convincing when it comes to switching up your bean style.
So, let’s take a look at what light roast coffee tastes like and why you should brew up a delicious batch yourself.
What Does Light Roast Coffee Taste Like?
The lighter the roasting level, the more multilayered the flavors of your coffee beans will be. That’s because as the bean cooks, the more smokiness imparts on the bean. With less roasting time, lighter beans retain much of their natural sweetness with acidity. Generally, you can expect a more unique-tasting cup of coffee compared to traditional medium roast and robust dark roast. The finish will have less viscosity because the bean hasn’t been roasted long enough for its sugar to caramelize, so it’s also an approachable option for almost everyone.
What is light roast coffee?
After coffee cherries are harvested and the raw beans are extracted, they’re roasted to a specific level in order to make them consumable. Much like you’d roast a potato or brussel sprouts before eating, beans are heated to high temperatures in a machine called a roaster so that they can be ground, brewed and served.
During the roasting process, light roast beans are cooked at a temperature of 350°F to 400°F. These are relatively easy beans to roast because you remove them immediately after the “first crack”, or when the beans split and produce an audible cracking sound. The darker the roast, the more heat you’ll need – medium roast is roasted up to 430°F and dark roast can reach temperatures as high as 500°F.
The process for light roasting doesn’t change the density of the bean as much as darker roasts, leaving you with a less-oily bean and minimal smokiness. For the purest representation of a coffee bean’s flavor, reach for a light roast.
Light Roast Coffee Benefits
Light roast coffees will give you the most unique finish out of the three categories. If you have experience roasting coffee beans, then you know that as the beans get darker, the more flavor is cooked out. That flavor is then affected by the extra heat that can take on a burnt or charred taste. This isn’t necessarily a bad quality, but may not be the same type of exciting sipping experience that a light roast provides.
A large reason for that is that light roasting coffee brings out the most original characteristics of the specific bean. For example, it’s much easier to tell the difference between a bright, citrusy light roast from the Dominican Republic and an earthy, fuller-bodied light roast from Ethiopia.
With a dark roast, you may not be able to tell the difference between Arabica or Robusta, unless you have a well-developed palate. In fact, this is directly related to why people tend to have a love-hate relationship with light roast coffee. The flavor can sometimes be too extreme, with high levels of acidity, strong floral aromas or overwhelming sweetness.
Another benefit of light roast coffee is that it tends to retain more healthy compounds. That’s because during the heating process, a lot of these compounds are cooked out. Light roasting does minimal damage to these antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
Which is stronger, dark or light roast coffee?
When it comes to caffeine content, light roast has more caffeine when measured by scoop because they’re denser. The roasting process reduces a bean’s overall mass and thus its caffeine output. You can generally expect the average cup of light roast coffee to contain around 100mg of caffeine.
Is a blonde roast the same as a light roast?
You’ve likely seen the term “blonde roast” pop up in recent years, branded on product packaging or listed on coffeehouse menus. But what is it, exactly? Simply put, it’s a subcategory of light roast, indicating the lightest brew available. Other subcategories of light roast include cinnamon roast, white roasts and gold roasts.
Try A Flavorful Cup Of Light Roast Coffee
Now that you know what light roast coffee tastes like, you can pick up a bag and give it a try yourself. Compared to medium and dark roast alternatives, light roast provides unmatched flavor complexity that exudes bright, sweet and floral aromas. So, if you’re searching for something that excites you with every sip, reach for a bag of light roast coffee beans today!
Ready to try a flavorful light roast coffee?
Are you searching for a new type of light roast coffee that is bright, sweet and offers the perfect amount of caffeine? Then reach for a bag of Inflight Fuel. With our light roast beans, sourced from the Dominican Republic, you get a sipping experience that’s as refreshing as it is flavorful. You’ll be ready for the next adventure, no matter where it is – just make sure to bring along Inflight’s light roast coffee as a companion.
