Match a roast level to the cup you want
How long coffee is roasted shapes almost everything you taste — acidity, sweetness, body and how much of the bean’s origin survives. This reference maps the roast spectrum from light to espresso with Agtron colour scores, drop temperatures, crack milestones and flavour notes, and lets you look up any commercial Agtron number.
How it works
Roasters track colour with the Agtron scale, where higher numbers are lighter. As beans heat they pass two milestones:
First crack ~196 °C / 385 °F light roasts drop here or just after
Second crack ~224 °C / 435 °F dark, oily roasts develop hereThe further past first crack a roaster drops the beans, the more roast-driven flavour (chocolate, smoke, char) develops and the more origin acidity and fruit fades. The lookup takes an Agtron score and returns the matching roast band and its flavour profile; values outside the typical range snap to the nearest extreme as guidance.
Roast levels and their Agtron ranges
| Roast name | Approx. Agtron (commercial) | Surface | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light (Cinnamon) | 70–80 | Dry, pale brown | Bright acidity, fruit, florals, grain notes |
| Medium-Light (City) | 58–68 | Dry, medium brown | Balanced acidity, sweetness developing, caramel |
| Medium (City+) | 50–58 | Dry, rich brown | Chocolate, nuts, lower acidity |
| Medium-Dark (Full City) | 40–50 | Dry with slight sheen | Bittersweet chocolate, body increases |
| Dark (French, Vienna) | 30–40 | Oily surface | Roasty, smoky, low acidity, bitter |
| Very Dark (Italian) | below 30 | Very oily | Charred, intense bitterness, minimal origin |
The Agtron scale varies between the “commercial” (used for ground coffee) and “gourmet” (used for whole bean) readings — the values above use the commercial convention. Whole-bean readings run about 5–10 points higher than commercial for the same roast.
What the drop temperature means for flavour
Roasters speak of “dropping” the beans — opening the roaster drum — at a precise drum temperature and time. A drop just after first crack (around 200–205 °C) yields a light roast with the full range of volatile aromatics intact. Pushing to 215–220 °C reaches a full City, while exceeding 225 °C and entering second crack begins carbonising the bean’s surface oils. Even 5 °C separates a bright, complex cup from a flat, smoky one.
Tips and notes
- Light roasts preserve the most origin character — bright acidity, florals and fruit — but need careful brewing to avoid sourness.
- A dry, matte surface means the roast was dropped before second crack; surface oil means it went into a dark roast.
- “Espresso roast” is a style, not a rule — you can pull espresso from any roast level, though darker roasts are more forgiving of under-extraction.
- Roast labels like “City” or “Full City” are unstandardised across roasters; the Agtron number is the more reliable comparison.
- Agtron readings drift after roasting as beans degas and darken slightly; measure within 24–48 hours of roast for the most consistent reference.