Light roasts |
Intended to preserve as much of the coffee bean’s natural aromas and flavours, light roasts represent the preferred choice for most specialty coffee because of the variety of flavours. |
Light roasts tend to have a more textured, grainy taste because the flavour is underdeveloped compared to darker roasts. You’ll also find more pronounced acidity. The varied flavours are fragrant and floral, with sweeter notes such as fruits, chocolate and tea. |
Medium Roasts |
While medium roasts still preserve the coffee bean’s natural aroma and flavour, they usually replace the brightness produced in a light roast with a sweet caramelisation created by a longer roast time. A longer roast time reduces the acidity and bright notes typically found in light-roast coffees. |
Sugar browning flavours such as butter, nuts, caramel and vanilla add rich sweetness. This fuller compressed flavour is more balanced in aroma and acidity and can cause a slight bittersweet aftertaste. |
Dark Roasts |
Dark roasting was traditionally used to mask defective and lower grade coffees because you taste more of the roast than the coffee bean’s naturally occurring aroma and flavour. The high heat reduces the quality of the bean. |
The darker you go the less flavour is delivered making it simple with little to no variation. Expect bold flavours with a bitter, smoky or burnt taste. Bitter, smoky, or burnt does not equal strong. |
Which roast is the 'strongest'? |
It is often misinterpreted that dark roasts produce the strongest coffee because of the bold flavours and dark colouring. The roasting process is said to diminish caffeine potency and because light roasts are denser beans, they tend to carry more caffeine than their darker counterpart. Many dark roasts are used for espresso blends so it’s easily misunderstood that espresso is a dark or full roast when in fact espresso is just a brewing method and not a type of roast. |
The Ola taste |
Where dark roasts were crowd-pleasers in the past, roasters no longer need to worry about hiding bad flavours anymore but instead unearthing the good ones. Coffee quality has improved dramatically where beans are well grown, extremely well processed, and masterfully roasted. Now it’s all about highlighting unique and inherent flavours of the beans. Our roasting leads to a perfectly balanced, non-acidic coffee that provides an enjoyable drinking experience. |
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