Finding your favorite roast of coffee is a step in finding your perfect cup! Before I realized there were different roasts of coffee, I missed out on so much flavor and all the things I truly love about coffee. From light to dark roasts, there is a pretty much a roast out there for all coffee-lovers to indulge in!

Cup of Coffee : Understanding Different Roasts

The first roast is a light roast. These are roasts such as a blonde or cinnamon roast. The beans have been lightly roasted, hence the name, and are light in flavor. These are light brown in color and have a toasted grain flavor to them. When you buy a light roast these beans have not cracked yet and are known to have tea-like character. These are the perfect beans for beginning coffee-drinkers who want to dip their toes in the pool of Joe.

Next up is the most popular roast in the United States, the medium roast. In this category you will find beans that are roasted to a nice medium brown. This would include: New England, American and City roasts. If you were to go to a diner or restaurant and order a cup of coffee, more than likely you would receive a medium roast. These beans have been lightly cracked and have a deeper flavor than the light beans. Medium roasts are perfect for drinking year round as they are not too light nor too heavy in flavor.

Cup of Coffee : Understanding Different Roasts

Finally is my favorite category, the dark roasts. These beans have cracked and are dark in color, to the point of being oily and black. In this category you will find roasts such as: Vienna, French, Italian and Spanish. All the roasts of the European countries lend to a dark, robust cup of coffee. These beans commonly have bittersweet flavors, can taste of caramel, low acidity and are perfect for Espresso. If you are to order a speciality drink such as a latte, cappuccino or mocha, you are going to receive a shot of espresso, a very dark roast coffee, in your drink.

If you find yourself getting tired of the same old coffee that you are drinking, thing about trying a new roast of coffee. These days you can purchase small, one cup pouches of coffee that are perfect for taste-testing and trying new things. Also, most local coffee shops and houses will let you try a bit of their different roasts before you buy!