Switched from dark roast to medium after 10 years of thinking darker was stronger

I always figured dark roast had more caffeine and flavor. Turns out the roasting process actually burns off caffeine, and medium keeps more of the bean's original taste. I tried a bag from a local roaster in Portland and realized I was missing out on all the fruity notes. Anyone else fall for the dark roast trap?

2 comments

2 Comments

veraj531d ago

My friend Mike bought a bag of "extra dark" from a grocery store once and swore it was the only way to go. Then his sister sent him a sampler from a roaster in Vermont with a light roast that smelled like blueberries. He texted me a picture of his face after the first sip, said it felt like his whole coffee life was a lie lol. Now he won't touch anything darker than a medium.

kelly_craig10h ago

Oh man, I've been exactly where your friend Mike is. I used to buy those black-as-pitch dark roasts from the grocery store because I thought that's what real coffee was supposed to taste like. Then a buddy brought over some beans from a local roaster - a light roast from Ethiopia - and I swear it tasted like lemon and honey. I felt so silly for burning all that flavor away for years. Now I stick with light to medium roasts and buy from small roasters who roast to order. Tell Mike to try a natural processed Ethiopian if he liked those blueberry notes.