A smoky dark coffee is all that coffee fanatics covet. As a good cup of coffee can energetically kick-start your day and a bad one can do the exact opposite. However, with French roast coffee, you can only expect your energy multiplied and your taste buds satisfied.
So, what differentiates the French roast coffee from other dark beans? And what brews the best cup of French roast coffee? Or what does the French roast coffee taste like?
This article will clear all your confusions and unearth some interesting facts about your favorite French roast coffee.
Why are Coffee Beans Roasted?
The taste and flavor profile of a coffee is defined by the roasts. It helps you get that desired taste to your cup of joe that you’ve so long been craving for. Because if you have had green coffee, then you probably know how terrible green beans taste.
Yet, if you’d like to gain a deeper understanding of how things work behind the scenes, then the coffee beans from light to dark roasting undergo the following levels:
- New England roast (at 405°F)
- American roast (at 410°F)
- Full city roast (at 437°F)
- Vienna roast (at 446°F)
- French roast (at 464°F)
- Italian roast (at 473°F)
The lightly roasted coffee beans tip more towards their original taste and less of roasted beans. On the other hand, the highly roasted beans deliver a roasted flavor while giving little to no hints about the origin.
What is French Roast Coffee?
The French roast coffee also known as burnt or dark coffee is brewed by highly roasted beans. The beans are cracked at about 464°F which extracts oil out to the surface rendering a dark shiny texture. In comparison to lightly roasted beans, the French roast beans are less acidic, minimally associated with origin aromas and flavors, and are bittersweet in taste.
How to Brew the French Roast Coffee?
During roasting, the fibers in coffee beans may undergo carbonization. This results in making the coffee bitter or charred. To avoid this, try grinding the coffee beans coarsely.
A French press is the best to cope with coarse coffee beans. As it is known largely for efficiently brewing these types of beans. This results in extracting the sweeter components and oil from the beans more than the bitter components. Which then leads to a bittersweet and creamy cup of joe.
Nonetheless, choosing the right roast coffee for French Press appears to be mind-boggling as there are a lot of variations available. But once you have identified the right beans that tickle your taste buds, all you need to do is brew and enjoy your coffee.
How Does The French Roast Coffee Taste?
Since the beans for French roast coffee are cracked twice, the oil drips out to the surface which delivers a roasted as well as sweet flavor. Hence, offering the consumer a bitter yet delightful taste.
Along with being strong, the roasting causes chemical reactions that remove the acids from the beans that cause the coffee to taste less acidic, and delivers a creamy mouthfeel.
Also, if you don’t like the originated flavors and aromas inculcated in your java, the French roast coffee can potentially be the best match. However, unlike espresso, they contain slight aromas and flavors to add an extra taste to the cup.
Caffeine Content in French Roast Coffee
While many people believe in the fallacy that the stronger the beans are roasted, the more caffeinated they become, it’s the exact opposite as darker coffee roasts tend to have lower caffeine levels.
When beans are roasted, the caffeine molecules are broken down and their concentration in the coffee is reduced.
Although, there are many other factors that affect the caffeine percentage in your coffee as well. Among them, the two governing elements are:
- The grind size
- The brewing method
French Roast vs Other Dark Roasts
The French roast beans are often mistaken for other different types of coffee roasts. The major reason for this is they are recognized on the basis of roasting and not on the basis of their origin. So, based on the color or texture it may be mistaken as Espresso or Italian roast.
Nevertheless, they are slightly different from each other. The French roast is moderately dark brown in color. Whereas the espresso is dark brown and the Italian roast is nearly black.
Also, the French roast contains little oil on the surface. In comparison, the espresso may contain a lot of oil or it may have a glossy surface. While the Italian roast certainly has the oiliest surface.
Things to Consider Before Buying a French Roast Coffee
Once you have realized the distinctive features of a French roast bean, you can easily identify it among others of its kind. Make sure to check for the following characteristics before buying:
- The beans’ surface should be shiny which denotes the oil discharged while roasting
- The surface of beans should be dark brown with deep caramel undertones
- On tasting, the beans should be sweeter rather than acidic
- The caffeine content in the coffee beans should be lesser than the light roast beans
- These coffee beans have a thin body which results in giving a better mouthfeel
Along with it, check for other additional features mentioned on the packaging. Like the French roasted beans from Indonesia are distinctive due to the slight earthy umami flavor they leave in the coffee.
Our French Roast Beans a Good Call?
Based on the taste they bring to your morning or evening joe; the French roast coffee is definitely the best choice. But owing to different health concerns, lightly roasted beans are a better option. Lighter beans contain a higher concentration of antioxidants that protects your body from oxidation or inflammation.
Plus, the darker beans tend to deteriorate faster. The reason is the surface oil which on exposure to air starts becoming rancid. To avoid this, buy less amount of coffee beans and try to store them in an airtight container.
Since the coffee taste is ruled by the level of roasting, the roasters often compromise on the quality of beans. To ensure high-quality beans, buy the coffee from a reliable store.
The Bottom Line
The sleek texture, the charred sweet taste, and the roasted smell combined to make a delightful concoction that is known as the French roast coffee. If you too wish for these elements to be a part of your morning joe or evening chilled latte, going for French roast beans is the best choice.
With some more knowledge regarding the different types of coffee roasts, you can make a confident choice regarding what suits you best and become your own barista.
