Roasting is the process of turning raw, green coffee beans into drinkable coffee, and it has a huge effect on the finished flavour of the bean. Remember that the process will vary between manufacturers, so the only way you can really be sure of finding a roast you like is to taste it
Light roasts
Beans that have been lightly roasted are light brown in colour, and are generally used for milder coffee blends. In addition, there’ll be no oil on the surface of these beans, as the oils won’t have had time to reach the surface of the bean during the roasting process, so they won’t have that hard, shiny appearance.
Medium roasts
As the name suggests, these beans are darker in colour than the light roast, have a stronger flavour and a non-oily surface. This roast is probably the most common as it suits most people’s taste, and it’s the one most often found in America.
Medium-dark roasts
These are a halfway house between the milder medium roast and the full-on dark roast. The beans are a deep, dark colour with some oil on the surface, and a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Dark roasts
At the extreme end of the spectrum are shiny, blank dark roasted beans with an oily surface and strong bitterness. There’s still a lot of variation in this band, and some dark roasts will be much darker than others. This is the variety that’s used to make espressos, and needs to be finely ground to release as much flavour as possible.
Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’ve got roasts to suit all palates and budgets. From raw green coffee beans to dark roasts, we’re sure to have something you’ll love at a great wholesale price. For more information, please visit our coffee beans page.