A Short Guide To The Types Of Coffee Roasts There are a number of ways to describe the way a coffee has been roasted. Below is a summary of some of the more common terms used. The numbers indicate the degree of roasting, but are not universally acknowledged:

4 - Cinnamon Coffee... The bean is light brown, and dry (no oil visible). The flavour is baked or "bready", like toasted grain. There will likely be definite sour tones. There is not much body in cinnamon roasted coffee.

5 - New England... A term not so frequently used as the others, though this roast is apparently used in the eastern United States. It's a little darker than the cinnamon roast, but without the grainy flavour. New England roast will still have some sour tones to it.

6 - American Light... Medium light brown beans. This roast is the norm for eastern USA. This roast (and sometimes cinnamon as well) is the most often used for cupping or professional tasting. .

7 - City Medium... The colour is darker still, more of a medium brown (think chocolate). This roast is common in the western parts of the USA. This roast is a good choice to taste the differences between varietals.

8 - Full City... Medium dark brown beans. The beans will start to show some oily drops on the surface with this roast. Full City will have caramel or chocolate undertones.

9 - French Espresso... Beans are starting to get dark brown, and French roasted beans are shiny with oil. There is less acidity, but with burned undertones. This roast is often used when making Espresso. Many people think this is the darkest roast available, but that's not true.

10 - Italian - Dark French... Similar to regular French, but more exaggerated. Darker and oilier looking, and with a stronger burned flavour. .

11 - Spanish ... Darkest roast of all. Colour is nearly black, and the flavour is flat with a charcoal undertone.

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