Difference between light, medium and dark roast?

Three roast families are defined by drop temperature and stop timing: light (Cinnamon/City, 205-215 °C, just after first crack), medium (City+/Full City, 215-224 °C, end of development), and dark (French/Italian, 225-245 °C, during or past second crack). Each foregrounds a different register — fruity-bright, balanced-sweet, bitter-chocolaty — and suits a different brewing method.

A light roast ends early in development, typically 60 to 120 seconds past first crack, at a bean temperature of 205-215 °C. The bean stays dry on the surface (no visible oil), takes on a pale hazel colour, and shows an Agtron (SCA-standard colour index) reading between 80 and 95 on whole beans. Origin acidity — citric, malic, phosphoric — and perceived sweetness are preserved while roast aromatics remain in the background. This is the Scandinavian signature (Tim Wendelboe, La Cabra) and the modern specialty default, tuned for V60, Chemex, Aeropress and cupping sessions.

A medium roast (City+ to Full City) extends development by 2-3 minutes past first crack, reaching 215-224 °C. The bean turns chocolate-brown with no visible oil, Agtron 65-80. The most volatile acids mellow, sweetness peaks through caramelisation, and melanoidins produce cocoa, roasted hazelnut and soft caramel notes. This is the historical home of early-2000s US Third Wave roasters (Counter Culture, Intelligentsia, Stumptown) and the easiest bridge for drinkers moving from supermarket blends to specialty. Home moka pots and many contemporary espressos sit here.

A dark roast enters second crack or goes beyond, bean temp 225-245 °C, Agtron 35-60. Oils migrate to the surface, sugars finish caramelising then partially carbonise, caffeine stays almost stable but acidity collapses. The sub-names include French Roast (late second crack), Italian Roast (past it) or Spanish/Viennese depending on local tradition. The profile reads dark chocolate, smoky, liquorice, with heavier bitterness and thicker body — the turf of Neapolitan espresso, Turkish coffee and many industrial supermarket blends. A technical footnote: past 240 °C, you lose an extra 15 to 20 % of dry mass compared with a light roast (overall shrinkage rises from 14-17 % to 20-22 %). In Belgium, daily filter tradition leans historically toward medium to medium-dark, while the specialty wave in Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp pushes menus toward light-to-medium profiles.

Snapshot comparison across the three degrees