Dark Roast Coffees

Dark roast coffees exhibit a range in shades of dark brown to black. The beans will appear to be smooth with an oily sheen to them. This is normal and is simply the natural oils inside the bean coming to the surface. The darker the roast, the shinier the bean will be. You will notice extremely low levels of acidity and the natural flavors will be almost completely gone. There are high levels of bitterness found in these beans with notes of smoke, tar, burnt tobacco, and sometimes extremely dark cocoa and bitter black tea or burnt toast. There is substantially less caffeine content in dark roasts. These roasts are ideal for coffee drinks like lattes and cappuccinos. Other names for this roast include French, Italian, Espresso, Continental, Spanish, and New Orleans.