The Ultimate Coffee Roast Ranking (From Cinnamon Roast to French Roast)

City Roast

City roast is stopped near the end of first crack, at a bean temperature of roughly 415 to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. The beans are an even light brown and completely dry on the surface.

It is the classic specialty benchmark because the origin speaks clearly: fruit, acidity and sweetness all sit in plain view. In the lab, it is very hard to beat. But read on, you might be surprised which roasts scored slightly higher...

Nordic Light Roast

The Nordic light roast is a very light style made famous by specialty cafés in Scandinavia. The beans are carried through first crack and dropped early, keeping as much of the original fruit as possible.

The cup is bright, floral and tea-like, with a delicate body. It scores high on aroma and terroir but gives up sweetness and weight, which is why it is often brewed as a pour over.

Full City+

Full City+ is taken just to the first snaps of second crack, around 450 degrees Fahrenheit. The beans turn a deep chestnut brown and the first faint spots of oil may appear.

Roast flavors of dark chocolate and toasted nuts begin to lead, while the origin character steps back. Body is heavy and satisfying, though clarity starts to fade.

Vienna Roast

Vienna roast sits a little further into second crack, roughly 450 to 460 degrees Fahrenheit. The surface shows a light sheen of oil and the color is a dark, even brown.

The flavor is bittersweet and toasty, a favorite for espresso and for drinks with milk. Acidity is mostly gone, and with it much of what makes one farm taste different from another.

American Roast

American roast is a common name for a light-medium roast, stopped close to the end of first crack. The beans are medium-light brown with a dry surface.

It produces a familiar, mild cup with moderate acidity and a light body. Pleasant and dependable, but it rarely leaves an impression in the lab.

Espresso Roast

Espresso roast is not one fixed level. It is a label for coffee roasted with espresso in mind, most often a medium-dark to dark roast near or into second crack.

Under pressure, it delivers heavy body, thick crema and plenty of chocolate. In a drip machine, it can taste heavy and one note, which costs it points for balance and clarity.

New England Roast

New England roast is pulled shortly after first crack begins, around 400 degrees Fahrenheit. It was long a common style in the northeastern United States.

The cup is tangy and light, with sharp acidity and a thin body. The origin is clearly present, but the sugars have not yet had time to fully develop.

French Roast

French roast is carried well into second crack, around 465 to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. The beans are very dark brown and visibly oily.

Smoky, bitter and bold, it has big body and a long finish. Nearly all origin character has been roasted away, so a bean from Colombia and a bean from Sumatra start to taste alike.

Cinnamon Roast

Cinnamon roast is the lightest roast you can reasonably drink, pulled at or just as first crack begins, around 385 to 395 degrees Fahrenheit. The beans are a pale cinnamon color.

The cup is grassy, sour and thin, with a raw grain note. It shows the farm clearly, but the coffee has not yet become very pleasant to drink.

Italian Roast

Italian roast goes darker still, near 475 to 480 degrees Fahrenheit. The beans are close to black and shine with oil.

Bitterness and roast carry the whole cup. It holds up in milk and sugar, which is often the point, but in the lab there is little left to measure.

Spanish Roast

Spanish roast is generally considered the darkest of the named roasts, taken to the point where the beans are almost black. Any further and they begin to burn outright.

Ash and char dominate the flavor. It has weight and staying power, but sweetness and origin are essentially gone.

Green Coffee

Control Sample

Green coffee is the unroasted seed, hard, pale green and smelling of fresh hay. Every roast on this list starts here.

Brewed as is, it tastes like grass and beans, not coffee. All the potential is in there, locked up. It is included here as a control sample only.

City+ (Medium Roast)

City+ is taken a little past the end of first crack, around 430 to 435 degrees Fahrenheit. It is what most people simply call a medium roast.

The sugars have caramelized, the acidity has softened, and the origin still comes through clearly. Sweet, balanced and easy to brew well in almost any method.

Full City

Full City is roasted right up to the doorstep of second crack, around 440 to 445 degrees Fahrenheit, and dropped before it starts. The beans are a rich medium-dark brown, still mostly dry.

Caramel and chocolate arrive in full, but the origin is still there. It is excellent black, holds up in milk, and works in a drip machine, a percolator or a French press.

Cast-Iron Medium-Dark

The House Roast

This is how we roast at Der Hoffskeller: Colombian Supremo, taken to a medium-dark finish in cast iron. The beans sit against hot metal and take most of their heat by direct contact, which roasters call conduction.

The result is a heavy, round body and a deep caramel sweetness with low bitterness. It is a coffee for a plain black cup, every morning.