The Difference Between Light and Dark Roasting

Roast level is often mistaken for a measure of caffeine or strength. It isn't. What changes with roast is chemistry — the Maillard reactions and caramelisation that build body and reduce the coffee's original acidity as heat increases.

Light roasts stop early, preserving the coffee's origin character — its florals, fruit and acidity — at the cost of body. Dark roasts push further, trading origin character for the deep, roasted-sugar notes many people associate with 'coffee flavour' itself.

At Maison Ardent, we choose roast level per coffee, not per house style. A Yirgacheffe roasted dark would lose everything that makes it worth sourcing in the first place.