Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Medium Roast Coffee, According To Experts

Medium roast coffee is the most popular variety in the United States. So much so, it's often called "American roast." Although positioned between light and dark roast, medium roast can be the most nuanced and complex. It offers a wide range of flavors that take in everything from fruity and sweet to smoky and chocolatey. 

With hundreds of brands to choose from — and products made using an array of raw coffee beans from across the world — navigating this mountain of medium roast coffee can be tricky for anyone looking to explore the world of specialty coffee. Which beans should we buy to get the best taste? What's the difference between medium roast and light or dark? Is it worth trying to roast beans at home?

To get answers to these and other questions about medium roast coffee, we spoke to experts Alysse Wishart, Peet's coffee quality specialist, Ryan Ludwig, coffee bean educator at Counter Culture Coffee, along with Liv Kaproff and Kat Natividad part of the roasting team at Verve Coffee Roasters.

Although coffee beans are split into light, medium, and dark roast, the definitions are quite fluid, according to Alysse Wishart, Peet's coffee quality specialist. "What one company calls a medium roast, another might call a dark roast. At Peet's, our roasts actually tend to skew darker." Liv Kaproff and Kat Natividad, Verve Coffee Roasters, agreed. "Verve's darkest roast of coffee could be labeled as a medium roast from a company that is used to a different style of roasting and taste preferences for their coffee products," they said.

Wishart said that light roast has a lustrous quality, a floral aroma with hints of bright fruit and a tart, vibrant flavor profile, while dark roasts are more full-bodied. They can be bittersweet with hints of caramelized sugar, and an aroma ranging from cacao to toasted nuts to caramel. "In contrast, medium roasts have a toasty, fruity aroma, with a glossy appearance and a balanced and smooth flavor," she said.

Counter Culture Coffee's Ryan Ludwig added: "Lighter roasts tend to taste more fruity, but also more acidic or green, like raw vegetables or grassy. Dark roasts have more smokey flavor, and even burnt when taken to the extreme. Medium roast is the best of both worlds, and tends to have the best balance: Fruit, sweetness, and spice."

"Medium roasts tend to have the best balance, developing enough sweetness to balance out the fruit, and ideally some spice-like characteristic if you go dark enough," said Ryan Ludwig of Counter Culture Coffee. He also explained that the darker the roast, the less of the delicate flavor of a coffee can emerge. "But if you don't go dark enough, you have those 'green' flavors — under-ripe fruit and grass. It's all about striking a balance. Medium roast is trying to capture the best of both worlds."

The roasting process is crucial to capturing balanced and smooth flavors, as Alysse Wishart of Peet's explained: "To achieve these characteristics, we pull the beans from the roasting process anywhere between what we call the 'first crack' and 'second crack.'" At this stage, typically at 380 to 400 degrees F, the beans are starting to expand, the coffee is starting to brown, and the flavors and aromas have begun to develop.

Peet's and Verve Coffee Roasters both leave their beans to brown a little further after first crack, and Liv Kaproff and Kat Natividad explained why. "Some flavor notes that medium roasted coffees tend to have are milk chocolate, nuttiness, and caramel. We usually get these notes by making sure there is adequate development time after first crack during roasting for breaking down and building different sugars in the coffee."

The two most commonly grown coffee beans are arabica and canephora, better known as robusta. Between them, they are responsible for the vast majority of the coffee products available to buy both in the United States and internationally. But not all beans are suitable for medium roasts, and the three experts have particular characteristics in mind.

Verve Coffee Roasters' Liv Kaproff and Kat Natividad explained: "We are constantly tasting coffees from different farms around the world to source for our various blends and single origin offerings. For a medium roast we are usually looking for coffees that have sweetness and body without being too bright or fruity."

Ryan Ludwig, Counter Culture Coffee, said: "Coffees that taste best as a medium roast are ones that have a nice fruitiness to them that holds up as you roast a little darker, but also really benefit from the production of sugars through the roast process." Alysse Wishart said Peet's looks for coffees that have a "... sparkling acidity, a plush, velvety mouthfeel, and pleasing flavor notes of chocolate or fruit."

Although coffee beans are grown in the United States ... Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia are the top three coffee-producing countries. Naturally, they figure among the experts' preferred bean origins but they're not the only locations. "Ethiopian, Colombian, Guatemalan, Nicaraguan, Kenyan, and Costa Rican are excellent choices, as they tend to showcase a balanced flavor profile with bright acidity, sweetness, and complex notes when roasted to a medium level," said Peet's Alysse Wishart.

For Liv Kaproff and Kat Natividad at Verve Coffee Roasters, it's all down to personal preference. If you're looking to upgrade from cheap coffee to specialty brands, then trying a few is the best way to find a favorite. For more fruity flavors, they suggested natural Ethiopian, honey-processed Costa Rican, and natural Brazilian beans are a great place to start. "If you go for more mellow coffees with lighter acidity, then Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras are great options. And if you prefer the more nutty coffees, Brazil and Mexico are standouts," they said.

Ryan Ludwig, customer experience team and educator at Counter Culture Coffee Coffees, recommended Ethiopian coffees, specifically ones from Yirgacheffe, and added that Colombian, and South American coffees were also good for medium roast coffee lovers who look for lower acidity but dynamic flavors and a very sweet cup.

Much of the world's coffee beans come from the Equatorial region known as The Coffee Belt and, as Alysse Wishart from Peet's said: "Geography has a direct effect on the quality of coffee and how it shows up in your cup," but it's not the only factor.

According to Liv Kaproff and Kat Natividad at Verve Coffee Roasters, "Certain regions and microclimates do tend to produce better coffee than others, as coffee in general thrives in certain climates and some varieties that are the most sought after can only be grown in less common conditions." Ryan Ludwig at Counter Culture Coffee Coffees agrees that where beans come from absolutely does impact quality, but added: "The origin isn't so much the issue, as the elevation and care given to the beans."

He explained: "Arabica varieties grow best at higher elevations. That's why so much coffee is grown in the mountains, and you see folks proudly listing high elevation numbers on their packaging." He warned that producers of the best quality coffee today could struggle as the warming climate evolves over time: "They can't pick up their land and move it further up the mountain. And eventually, you run out of mountain."

Coffee beans are a little like grapes used in wine, in so far as their flavor profile can be affected by climate, soil, varietal, and any number of uncontrollable environmental factors, according to Verve Coffee Roasters' Liv Kaproff and Kat Natividad. "The quality of the green coffee we start with plays an enormous role in how that roast tastes, and that is affected by altitude and soil type," they explained.

Alysse Wishart from Peet's agreed that altitude and soil type significantly influenced the flavor profile by impacting the bean's development during growth. "With higher altitudes, more complex flavors are typically produced with higher acidity, while soil composition contributes to specific taste notes," she said.

As for processing, Kaproff and Natividad explained it played a "big and often very noticeable role in how coffee tastes across the spectrum of roast level." Counter Culture Coffee's Ryan Ludwig likened coffee bean processing to grilling on a barbecue: "If you don't apply enough heat, it's going to taste raw, undercooked, or 'green'. Grill it too long and it gets burnt and tough," he said.

"Medium roast is trying to strike a balance, maintaining enough acidity to keep the cup lively and provide a body that is substantial but not heavy," said Ryan Ludwig, educator at Counter Culture Coffee. He explained that, as beans are roasted darker, the process destroys a lot of what provided the cup with acidity. "For example, citric acid starts to dissipate pretty quickly around first crack, around 385 degrees F. And then the darker you roast, the more you'll mask any of these lighter and brighter flavors with roastier/smokier ones," he said.

Roasting team members Liv Kaproff and Kat Natividad, Verve Coffee Roasters, said medium roast coffee usually had enough acidity to add a little complexity, but not as much as a light roast. "Body is one of the bigger differences between roast levels," they explained. "Light roast will generally have a lighter body while dark roast will have a heavier body, with medium roast falling in the middle." Alysse Wishart of Peet's agreed, and said a medium roast coffee offered a: "Smooth, well-rounded taste with noticeable flavor notes from the bean's origin — without being overly acidic or bitter."

The $64,000 question for anyone looking to sip a delicious cup of coffee, is: Which beans give the best balance of all the flavors offered by a medium roast? For Alysse Wishart of Peet's, much of the answer comes down to the place where they are grown. "To achieve a balanced cup, we recommend using beans from regions like Colombia or Brazil because of their naturally sweet and slightly acidic profiles."

Ryan Ludwig of Counter Culture Coffee offers a slightly different view. "I should also point out that what the end cup tastes like ultimately is very significantly dictated by the quality of the coffee itself," he said. "If a coffee is full of organic acids and sugars that lend themselves to light roasts, we'll go that direction."

Ludwig explained that other coffees will have characteristics more suitable for medium and dark roasts. He said, "The best beans for this will tend to be ones that have a good density, so hold up well to the roast, but also naturally offer enough acidity to stick around as you go past 'light roast.'"

As if the vast range of medium roast brands and flavors wasn't intimidating enough for anyone who doesn't know a macchiato from a latte, there are also lots of ways to prepare it. Liv Kaproff and Kat Natividad of Verve Coffee Roasters are sympathetic about the wealth of information about grind sizes and brewing ratios out there. "We always recommend trying out a new coffee with a pour over style brewer, but even with pour over there are differences in brewing ratio," they said.

Alysse Wishart said Peet's recommended a medium grind size, describing it as: "Comparable to the consistency of table salt," and suggested using "... a brewing ratio of roughly 1 gram of coffee to every 16 grams of water, regardless of your brewing method." Both she and Ryan Ludwig at Counter Culture Coffee said the ratio could be adjusted to personal taste.

"Grind size is always going to be relative to the coffee itself and the brew method you are using," Ludwig said. "Personally, if I'm making a pour-over or batch brew, I go middle of the roast, around 1 gram of coffee for every 16-17 grams of water." He said the brew ratio would change, depending on what people wanted from their cup. "Do you want that coffee to also have a body/texture like lemonade? Probably not, so you're going to want a brew ratio with a little more coffee compared to water."

In the United States alone, 517 million cups of coffee are consumed everyday, and 84% of people drink it at home, according to Balance Coffee. But which is their preferred roast: light, medium or dark? "Medium roast coffee is very popular with our customers," said Ryan Ludwig, Counter Culture Coffee educator. He explained the company's Big Trouble had been the most popular coffee on their menu for many years. "It is extremely sweet and versatile between brew methods. It makes good filter coffee and espresso — a 'coffee drinker's coffee.'"

Verve Coffee Roasters' Liv Kaproff and Kat Natividad said medium roast was a hit with their customers. "Streetlevel, our flagship blend that is available on espresso in all of our cafes, is by far our best-selling coffee and is, by our definition, a medium roast."

"Historically, Peet's fans have been big dark roast fans," said Alysse Wishart. "Peet's has been famous for our gourmet dark roasts since the '60s. However, in recent years interest in medium roasts has been growing. Roasting medium can allow for a whole new expression of a bean, so we're excited to offer a wider array of profiles."

The world of specialty coffee rarely stands still, and many brands are responding to changing tastes from their customers. Ryan Ludwig at Counter Culture Coffee said the shift toward darker roasts had been evident in recent years. "For a long long time, light roast was the only way to go for the cool kids, but more and more companies are diversifying that offering," he said.

"Frankly, what we call a dark roast is often what your average coffee drinker might consider medium. So for folks who enjoy medium roast, you should know that there are more and more options out there for you in the realm of specialty coffee."

While Liv Kaproff and Kat Natividad said Verve Coffee Roasters has been seeing more of a drift toward the light roast end of the flavor spectrum, Alysse Wishart from Peet's waxed lyrical about the firm's medium roast for espresso. "[It] is on the horizon, if not already in your local coffee shop. If you brew espresso at home, give Big Bang a try for some excellent crema!" she said.

All three experts agreed that people could roast their coffee beans at home, but only one suggested using specialized equipment. Alysse Wishart of Peet's advised using a simple air popper for popcorn. "Make sure to do it outside or under a vent hood," she said. "Watch the coffee turn from green to yellow, and when it finally starts making a popping sound (a bit like popcorn!) the coffee has started to develop." Wishart said to wait until the first round of popping had subsided, before pulling the beans for a medium roast.

Verve Coffee Roasters' Liv Kaproff and Kat Natividad said other low-cost methods included putting a roasting pan in the oven, though warned that achieving a good medium roast would "... vary from method to method, bean to bean, and even season to season." They encourage people to test different methods to hone their skills and palette for roasting at home.

Ryan Ludwig, Counter Culture Coffee, warned that without specialized equipment, getting consistent results from home roasting would be tricky. "If you are trying to do this, there is some great home roasting equipment available, and depending on where you live, often classes you can take that will help you learn to use it," he said.