How Roast Levels Impact Your Brewing Experience

May 1, 2024

Coffee roast level is a crucial factor that influences the flavor, aroma, and overall brewing experience of your favorite cup of joe. From light to dark, each roast level offers a distinct profile that can significantly impact the final outcome of your brew. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the different coffee roast levels and their effects on brewing, empowering you to make informed choices and elevate your coffee game.

Light Roast

Characteristics:

Light brown color.
Pronounced acidity.
Retains origin flavors.
Light body and crisp finish.

Impact on Brewing:

Best for highlighting the nuanced flavors of single-origin beans.
Suited for brewing methods that emphasize clarity and brightness, such as pour-over and Aeropress.
Requires careful attention to extraction to avoid underdeveloped flavors.

Medium Roast

Characteristics:

Medium brown color.
Balanced acidity and sweetness.
Retains some origin flavors with added caramelization notes.
Medium body and smooth finish.

Impact on Brewing:

Versatile roast level suitable for various brewing methods, including drip coffee, French press, and espresso.
Offers a balanced flavor profile that appeals to a wide range of palates.
Forgiving in terms of extraction, making it ideal for beginners and seasoned brewers alike.

Medium-Dark Roast

Characteristics:

Dark brown color with some oil on the surface.
Reduced acidity with pronounced sweetness.
Begins to exhibit roast flavors alongside caramelization notes.
Full-bodied with a lingering finish.

Impact on Brewing:

Well-suited for espresso and milk-based drinks like lattes and cappuccinos, as the robust flavor stands up well to milk.
Also suitable for drip coffee and French press, offering a bold and flavorful brew.
Requires careful attention to extraction to avoid bitterness and charred flavors.

Dark Roast

Characteristics:

Shiny black color with visible oil on the surface.
Minimal acidity with predominant roast flavors.
Bitter-sweet taste with smoky undertones.
Full-bodied and bold finish.

Impact on Brewing:

Ideal for espresso enthusiasts seeking a rich and intense flavor profile.
Best paired with milk for drinks like cortados and macchiatos, where the milk tempers the bitterness of the dark roast.
Not recommended for brewing methods that require longer extraction times, as it can result in an overly bitter and unpleasant taste.

Conclusion

Understanding the impact of coffee roast level on brewing is essential for tailoring your coffee experience to your preferences. Whether you're drawn to the bright acidity of light roasts or the bold intensity of dark roasts, there's a roast level suited to every taste. Experimenting with different roast levels and brewing methods allows you to discover the nuances of flavor and aroma inherent in each batch of beans. So, the next time you're selecting coffee for your brew, consider the roast level and unlock a world of possibilities in your cup.

Solid piece and great service!

A great buy for beginners, a solid machine. Great service from Nick and super fast shipping! We’ll definitely come back here for an upgrade later on.

Outstanding Machine (But Takes Practice)

This is my first manual espresso machine after starting with a cheap full auto and later upgrading to a semi-auto BES870XL. I love the sheer amount of control that I have over my shots, from the pressure the machine brews at to the amount of water that goes into the shot (more so with a double), pre-infusion time, and flow of the steam coming out of the wand. It takes a lot of time getting dialed in right to produce a good shot, and I am still working on my technique, though it has improved greatly in the past few weeks that I've had this machine.

Out of the box:
I'll start with the most disappointing thing for anyone who reads this: The tamper this machine comes with is a cheap, flimsy, plastic 48mm disc that doesn't even cover the surface area of your 49mm portafilter. If you don't have one already, save yourself the extra wait and get yourself a nice, heavy 49mm tamper when you buy this (I got a solid stainless tamper by Silmur and it's perfect) and throw the plastic one into the trash upon arrival.
Now for the good: Everything was well-packaged in molded styrofoam to minimize the chance of impact damage. Everything came out looking shiny and beautiful with no damage. Assembly was pretty straightforward, and the owner's manual gives you just enough information to get started. Disclaimer: the manual does not tell the user how to adjust the pressurestat if you find that your machine is not in the right zone out of the box, or if you really want to fine-tune your extraction. But fear not: simple but tedious pressurestat adjustments are a quick Google/YouTube search away (butter knife and small ratchet with phillips and flat head bits to get the job done not included).

Brewing with this bad boy requires a ton of patience. If you're new to manuals, do not expect to pull amazing shots right away. Even semi-autos have their nuances, though not nearly as many. First, make sure that you can see the meniscus (that bottom line at the top of your water) in the sight glass. This will ensure that your boiler is neither under nor overfilled. It doesn't take long to heat up and get to pressure. Once it's ready to go, the rest is up to you (take lots of notes; it helps!). After a few weeks of active use, I've just about gotten it down (until I get different beans, that is). The steam wand is another well-designed piece of this machine, and produces the silkiest microfoam I have ever made. You control the output, and it is immediate steam on demand. Do let some out to get the wand up to temp and avoid it shooting straight hot water into your pitcher before frothing it up. Back to brewing: It does seem to run a bit hot, and I've read that the general consensus is that the ideal brewing temperature is right when it gets up to pressure, and then after that the user should to apply a cold cloth to the groupset to keep temperatures down and avoid burnt shots. I'll start following that advice and see how my extraction improves.

I've been having a ton of fun with this machine, and don't think I could ever go back to anything short of a manual espresso machine after this experience. It's definitely one of my favorite additions to my coffee-making collection, and I'll probably love it even more when I finally do pull that perfect shot.