French Roast Conspiracy Part 2

In part one I gave you the technical part of what is happening to your coffee as it is French Roasted now we can get down to the heart of the matter.

What happens to the flavor? You will get as many different opinions on that one as there are coffee drinkers.

I have heard it said that most French Roast coffees have a flat, dull finish with a bitter after taste. Some call it chard or burnt taste and unpleasant to drink. Another coffee aficionado said French Roast coffees are known to be, smokey-sweet, light body but quite intense and that none of the inherent flavors of the bean are recognizable.

Now I will throw a few words at you: Acidity, Body, Aroma, Complexity, Depth, Varietal Distinction, Sweetness and Pungency. These are the terms used in determining what we taste in our coffee. They are usually rated on a scale of 1-4, 4 being the highest (good). This can all be very complicated when we just want a good cup of coffee. When you change the roast level of any coffee bean, you will change all of these characteristics. It could make your cup better or worse. Finding a roaster that studies his coffees and know how far to go with the roast will make all the difference. Just to let you know, there really are people out there that their job is to judge coffee this way. And it is a job that would have a pretty good buzz going most of the time.

Now I know what I like and don’t like and my mouth is probably doing all of that judging and I just don’t know it. My mouth is smarter then it speaks sometimes. But the point is all these things are affected in the roasting process. The good qualities of a coffee can be roasted right out of the bean and new ones can be brought into your cup. What you like is a very personal thing.
A general rule of thumb is that the darker the roast the less acidity and varietal distinction there will be. The body, aroma and complexity will decrease and the sweetness and pungency could increase. There are a few origins that are known to be wonderful all the way from a light roast to a dark roast. A good Kenyan coffee can hold its varietal distinction, complexity and depth. Most other origins of coffee cannot tolerate this darker roast and they are the best at lighter roasting temperatures, retaining the complexity, depth and varietal distainction.

So if you have a really great coffee roasted to 415°F to 435°F (Medium, Medium-high, American or Regular City) the best qualities are still present in the coffee. Why would you want them removed?

Start believing your taste buds; compare a French Roast to a Medium Roast of the same origin. You are the judge; don’t give into the French Roast Conspiracy.

For those of you who disagree with anything I have said here, now is your opportunity to chime in.

How do you like your coffee roasted? Why? Did you even know that there are different roast temperatures and that it would change the taste and aroma of your coffee?

Midwest Organic Coffee Company is offering a French Roast Taste Test to our clients. You will pick up your sample with your regular order. Watch for more details.