Roast level (light, medium, dark, Italian)

How far a coffee is roasted, measured by colour or by time past first crack. Light roasts end shortly after first crack, preserving acidity and origin character. Medium roasts develop more sweetness and body. Dark (Italian, French) roasts go into or past second crack, producing oily, bitter-leaning beans.

Why it matters — Roast level fundamentally shapes the cup. Light roasts favour clarity and acidity; dark roasts favour body and roast character. Specialty coffee mostly sits in the light-to-medium range.

Good to know

• Light roasts need higher brewing temperatures (94–96 °C) and finer grinds to extract properly.
• Dark roasts are more forgiving of technique but mask origin character — they all start tasting similar past a certain roast point.