What the three roast levels are, what the National Coffee Association says about each, what the roasters in our store say about their own bags, and which claims about roast we could not back up.
● Sources and store prices read September 29, 2026Something wrong? Tell us
Roasting is the step that turns a green coffee seed into something you can grind. The National Coffee Association describes the green bean as "hard as a rock" and smelling "grassy," and the roast itself this way: "The beans are rapidly brought to a very high internal temperature (over 400 degrees Fahrenheit), then quickly cooled." Afterwards the beans have lost "nearly all moisture," so "they weigh less and are crunchy to the bite."
Roast level is how far that process is taken, and it is judged by color. The NCA sorts roasts into "three color categories: light, medium, and dark," and adds a warning worth keeping in mind when you compare bags: "one roaster's dark coffee may be different than another's, and most roasters have specialized names for their roasts." A roast name tells you what that roaster means by it, not a measured standard.
| Roast | Color and surface (NCA) | Taste and acidity (NCA) | Names on the bag (NCA's list) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | "light brown in color"; "a matte texture" | "the 'roasted' taste is subtle"; "The lighter the roast, the more acidic your brewed coffee will be." | Blonde or cinnamon roast |
| Medium | "medium brown in color"; "a non-oily surface" | "a stronger flavor" | American roast, breakfast blend |
| Dark | "shiny black beans with an oily surface" | "a pronounced bitterness"; "even less acidic than lighter roasts" | French roast, Italian roast |
The NCA also lists City, Full City and Vienna between the light and dark ends, in that order, without assigning them to a category. We have not assigned them either.
What the NCA says: light brown, matte because the beans are "not roasted long enough for oils to break through to the surface," a subtle roasted taste, and the most acidic cup of the three. "Generally, lighter roasts will preserve more of the unique qualities of a coffee compared to a darker roast."
Who it suits: if you want to taste the difference between one farm and another, this is where that difference is kept. If you take a lot of cream, or you find acidic coffee sharp, start further along.
From our store: Superlost's New Light ($22 for a half pound, shipped by Superlost from Brooklyn). Superlost describes it as "rotating light roasted East African farms. Once a lot sells out, we switch." The lot on sale today is a fully washed Rwandan, Kanzu 726; their tasting notes: "cinnamon raisin, yellow plum, and delicate oolong tea."
What the NCA says: "medium brown in color with a stronger flavor and a non-oily surface," the roast Americans buy most often, and the one that usually sits behind the words "breakfast blend."
Who it suits: anyone who does not yet know what they like, and any household where the bag has to please more than one person. It is the step from which moving lighter or darker is easiest to judge.
From our store: Red Bay's Coltrane ($19.88 for 10 oz, shipped by Red Bay from Oakland), a single-origin Colombian. Red Bay's notes are orange, nectarine and chocolate, and they say it has "a mellow, sugary sweetness and a luxuriously smooth body."
What the NCA says: "shiny black beans with an oily surface and a pronounced bitterness," brewed coffee "even less acidic than lighter roasts," and a wide range: "Dark roast coffee runs from slightly dark to charred, and names are often used interchangeably. If you see 'Italian roast coffee' or 'French roast coffee,' that's a dark roast."
Who it suits: people who want low acidity and a bitter, roasty cup, and people who add milk. It is the wrong choice for comparing origins, since by the NCA's account the darker the roast, the less of the coffee's own character is preserved.
From our store: Quills' Night Owl ($20 for 12 oz, roasted to order in Louisville), which Quills calls "the darkest roast we've done to date"; they taste "chocolate cake, caramel, rich, tobacco finish." Or Red Bay's East Fourteenth ($19.88 for 10 oz), a single-origin Tanzanian dark roast; Red Bay's notes are blackberry, dark chocolate and date, and they say it "stands up exceptionally well with milk and espresso preparation."
"Dark roast has more caffeine." The NCA: "Light roasts have a slightly higher amount of caffeine. Is dark roast coffee stronger? No, actually. Don't be fooled by the strong, rich flavor of those dark roasts—that characteristic is not associated with caffeine levels!" The NCA does not give a figure for the difference or a reason for it, so neither do we.
"Italian or French roast is a grade." They are names for dark roasts, and by the NCA's account the names "are often used interchangeably." They describe color, not quality.
"Espresso roast is a roast level." The NCA: "Espresso roast isn't a specific roast level. The coffee in an 'espresso roast' or 'espresso blend' will be roasted according to what the roaster thinks will best serve the espresso method of brewing. (Often it will be a medium to dark roast.)" You can brew an "espresso" bag any way you like.
"A dark roast from one roaster equals a dark roast from another." It may not. "One roaster's dark coffee may be different than another's." Read the roaster's own tasting notes, which is why we quote them above.
The NCA's roast page puts the peak early: beans are ready "after resting for about 2 to 3 days," and the best cup comes when you grind and brew "about 2 to 7 days after roasting to enjoy the freshly roasted flavor at its peak." Its storage table gives roasted beans kept airtight at room temperature 1 to 3 weeks; Red Bay tells its own buyers "ideally within 8 weeks of the roast date." The figures differ, and our freshness guide sets them side by side with links.
What the three roasters linked on this page say about their own timing: Quills, "All coffee is roasted to order"; Superlost, "Roasted fresh every Wednesday unless specified"; Red Bay puts "the roast date stamped on the back" of the pouch. Each ships its own orders.
Sources: the National Coffee Association's roasts page and storage and shelf life page, and the roasters' own product descriptions in our store, read September 29, 2026. Superlost's Wednesday line and Red Bay's roast-date and 8-week lines were read from their own sites on September 28, 2026. Who each roast suits is our opinion and is worded as one. We ran no side-by-side tasting for this page and make no health claims.
Correction, September 29, 2026: this page used to give drum temperatures and roast times ("380°F–460°F for 8–15 minutes"), tie each roast level to the first and second "crack," recommend brewing water temperatures by roast, say light roast has more caffeine "because the longer roasting process slowly degrades caffeine," call medium "the most-sold roast level in the U.S.," say light roast is "harder to roast well," say coffee is "past its peak by about 30 days," and say most supermarket coffee "was roasted months ago." We could not find a source for any of them as written, and we have not surveyed supermarket shelves, so they are gone. It also said the store "only carries roasters who roast in small batches"; we have not verified batch sizes for every roaster we carry. The photo caption said "same bean"; we cannot show that it was.