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Light roasted coffee
Though the bean flavor of the bean is mostly associated with the origin of the bean the flavor profile is also attributed to the roasting level. As a coffee bean is roasted it loses the coffee acidity making the lighter roasted been more with high acidity than the dark roasted.
How light roasting is done
At the time the coffee fruit is harvested, the bean in the middle is usually green in color plus soft and tasteless. During the roasting process, the coffee bean starts extracting the delicacy flavors and also the aroma.
Beans harden and lose moisture during the roasting process. Majority of the light roasted beans are usually removed from the roasting chamber even before they crack for the first time while others are removed just after the cracking. The coffee beans are roasted at Fahrenheit degrees up to 356 to 401.
Caffeine content light roasted beans
Most people believe that the dark roasted beans have higher caffeine than the lighter roasted. Others argue that just like the acid is lost with the increase of roasting period, the caffeine is also lost.
The fact is that if you measure the same amount of light roasted coffee and dark roast, the light roast will have most caffeine. How strong the caffeine is in your coffee cup depends with the amount you use.
the light roasts coffee beans are very dense than the dark roast so is you measure your coffee using visual measurement based on volume the light roast and the dark roast will contain almost the same caffeine levels. It is always advised that for precise measuring of the amount of coffee for roasting a weighing machine should be used (density or mass based measurement rather than volume).
Coffee Arabica beans caffeine level varies greatly depending on origin of the bean and also the variety.
However, it is also important to note that there is very small difference in caffeine levels between different roasting levels and sometimes it is negligible
Most interesting difference between a light and dark roast
While the light roast coffee beans highly highlights the natural bean flavors such as sweet, fruity and floral notes, the dark roast is characterized by roasting and industrial flavor.
Characteristics of light roasts
- Light roasted bean means lighter in color (just brown/light shades not dark or black), a color the green bean gains after roasting process. The bean is characterized by high acidity.
- Light roasted beans are very dense and actually less brittle. They have nuances delicate flavors which are usually fruity, delicate and floral.
- They are a bit textured in feeling and appearance than the dark roasted coffee beans. When brewed fresh, they give the nuance delicate aroma and very strong scented.
- The beans look less shiny when exposed to the direct sun and have low level of bitterness as well.
- Light roasts are not oily felt to the touch. They got lighter body. When brewed and stored well the flavor is usually sweet. The flavor tones include chocolate, fruity and chocolate like.
Best beans for light roasts
High quality and valuable Arabica coffee, especially the specialty variety beans are the best option for dark roasting. They are pleasant and rich in flavor with complex tones. The Arabica coffee beans are characterized by intense sweet flavor, with fruity, floral and sweet aroma notes with lower acidity than the Robusta coffee bean which is bitter and high caffeinated.
Disadvantages of light roasted coffee
For you to get the best quality light roasted beans, your selected coffee bean must be of higher quality. The quality of the roasting processes should also be super.
Poorly light roasted coffee beans may be flat and unpleasant tasting with a poor body. They may also taste more like vegetable with undeveloped flavors and lack in sweetness.
For instance the low grown coffee Arabica specialty coffee just have great sweetness, high body with low acidity and missing out in the rich flavors. By trying to roast such beans light the outcome is a poor flavor profile.
Tips on acquiring the best light roasted coffee brew
- Buy whole beans rather than the pre-ground coffee beans- when a coffee bean is ground, much surface area is exposed and go stale rather quick. For a strong and wonderful tasting cup of coffee, freshly grounding the coffee is recommended. This will not only give you a rich flavor but also great and intense aroma. One of the pre-ground coffee enemies is the oxidation process which is rapidly increased by breaking the coffee protective and hard shell covering the bean.
- When the bean was roasted- coffee lacks a long shelf life. Fresh roasted beans taste better with rich flavor than those that have overstayed in the shelves. The moment a bean levels the roasting chamber it start degassing the C02 gas that is formed during the process of roasting. This gas is important in releasing the coffee oils into you coffee during brewing. This actually makes the coffee taste inferior. Light roast flavor and aroma is very delicate and volatile and get lost fast.
- Who roasted the coffee bean- good roasting company have a reputation with their consumers which include good reviews, winners of awards and popular with most coffee drinkers. Remember that when light roasted coffee is not roasted light, the flavor can be quite missing and under developed.
- Roasting process- air roasted light roasts are the best as compared to the drum roasting process. Check the coffee package for the roasting process. The coffee which is air roasted is finer and clean with regular roasted properties compared to drum roasted.
- Source or region of origin- Where a coffee bean was produced plus the conditions of growth will make you decide whether the bean sit well with light roasting. High grown coffee bean with harsher conditions is denser with rich flavors. The taste of the bean will highly depend on this.
Tips on storing your light roasted coffee beans
It is always advisable that you buy beans in small proportions and the recommended time to store them at most two weeks. The bottom line is preserving the bean freshness so as not to ruin the flavor and the sweet scent. Remember that the aroma and flavor of a right roasted bean is more natural and very volatile. It is good to remember that fresh roasts are the best.
- Grind only the coffee you can consume at that time. It is good to always store your coffee is whole beans. Storing it when ground can make the flavor go stale rather quick and also the aroma.
- Use air tight packages to store your coffee beans. Exposure to oxygen and other things will encourage reactions which may make you coffee have a more inferior aroma and taste. For self-fresh roast beans remember not to tighten the container since the release of the CO2 gas is very high and may lead to busting of the lid.
- Store in dry and cool environment- light roast coffee whole beans are quite expensive and is like some precious gold. A dark environment with no moisture and high temperatures will help utmost to preserve the coffee flavor for the shorter time.
- The fridge is not your best choice, may be among the worst. Though many people believe that freezing something in the fridge is the best way to store everything else I beg to differ. The light roasts coffee flavors are very worth preserving especially if you bought Arabica whole bean (very expensive). Fridge freezing can destroy the freshness of the bean as well as ruined the flavor. Coffee is porous in cell structure and can absorb aromas and flavor from the fridge environment including other food stuff like onion.The coffee is also likely to undergo condensation process bring the volatile oils on the bean surface making it to stale fast.
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