Coffee starts its journey as the seeds of the flowering Coffee plant. These seeds or green beans have none of the characteristics of the roasted coffee beans. They are hard and have a grassy smell. However, when green beans are roasted, they undergo many chemical changes. In a tightly controlled environment, they are heated to very high and very precise temperatures and then rapidly cooled the moment they reach the desired roast level.

Roasts fall under three basic categories - light, medium, and dark.

• Light roasted coffee is light brown in color. The roaster has very carefully determined the exact times and temperatures that this style of coffee requires. The reason for this is to promote and enhance as much of the original coffee characteristics as possible. This results in the final coffee brew tasting light and sweet, with fruity acidity, and plenty of opportunity for the consumer to taste the magic that goes in to harvesting this wonderful cherry. Typically a light roasted coffee should be used for alternative brewing methods, such as Pour Over, Aeropress, Cold Brew, Syphon, and more.
• Medium roasted coffee is a slightly darker shade of brown. Its intended use is generally for Espresso beverages. Medium roasts will have a heightened level of development that will produce a much wider range of flavours and influence the original character of the green beans. Chocolate, brown sugar, buttery pastry, and caramels are among the flavours found in medium roasts. Medium-dark roasts are a shade darker than the medium roasts and may include characters such as cocoa sweetness, big body, and plenty of lingering mouthfeel.
• Dark roasted coffee is shiny black in color and has a significant amount of bitterness. The origin characteristics of the coffee are overpowered by the influence of the roasting process. The darker the roast, the less obvious the original coffee character will be, resulting in brewed coffee with low levels of acidity and a very rounded texture.

Roast levels are not the only characteristic to keep in mind while selecting the coffee you want to brew every day, they are based on personal preference. Whatever you choose, we hope that you enjoy the flavors found in each of the different roast styles.