There are so many types of coffee available today that it’s difficult to know how much caffeine each of these coffees contains. It’s more important to know, especially those who have underlying health conditions or have trouble sleeping.
A rough guide on how much caffeine is in a particular roast is to look at how light, dark, or how much oil the bean contains. Dark roasts have a relatively low caffeine content because the beans are roasted longer. Blonde roasts have a higher caffeine content because the beans are roasted for less time.
The color of a bean is not the only difference between blonde roasts and dark roasts. There are also levels of roasting that fall in between the two accepted extremes. For information about roasting processes, taste variations, and what Starbucks has to do with blonde roasts, read on.
How Does Brewing Methods Matter?
How you brew your coffee (or how someone else brews it for you!) has a big impact on your coffee tastes.
Some brewing methods work well with light roasts, and some work well with dark roasts. Some brewing methods work well with anything.
To choose between a dark roast and a light roast, you’ll need to know what brewing method you plan to use.
Some of the most popular brewing methods in America, especially the East Coast, are cold brew, drip, Keurig, and Aeropress.
These will work with any type of roast, so one of these will work for you no matter what flavor or aroma you’re going for.
If you want to experience the full benefits of a light or blonde roast, a pourover is a fantastic way to bring out the flavors and complexities of a light roast coffee bean.
If you want to enjoy a dark roast, then a French press is the go-to way to brew your coffee because it enhances the richness of dark roasts’ bold flavor.
Does Acidity Affect Your Coffee Experience?
Acidity in coffee is usually used to mean how bright a flavor is, more than a literal interpretation of the drink’s pH levels, but both can apply.
Acidity has a huge impact on coffee’s taste. It’s good to know whether you like your coffee acidic or not so that you can choose the type of roast that works best for you.
Blonde roasts tend to be the most acidic, and dark roasts are the least acidic. Fresh coffee will have lower acidity than coffee that’s been sitting out for a while.
What Affects the Amount of Caffeine In a Drink?
Many factors come into play when it comes to how much caffeine is in a drink. The biggest is what type of drink it is or what the drink is made from.
For coffee, in particular, this will be affected by the type of bean, how long the beans were roasted, and the brewing method.
Of course, decaffeinated coffee is different since lack of caffeine is the goal rather than a byproduct.
There are two main types of coffee beans, which come from two different coffee plants.
The Robusta coffee bean has much more caffeine than the Arabica coffee bean.
In fact, Robusta has nearly double the caffeine content per bean compared to Arabica.
How long the beans were roasted determines what type of roast coffee is, from light to dark. Light roasts, including blonde roasts, are roasted for a shorter amount of time.
This leaves a lot of components, including caffeine, more intact. Dark roast, on the other hand, is roasted for a longer time. This means a dark roast has less caffeine.
Per ounce, cold brews and espressos will have the highest caffeine content. These are meant to be consumed either diluted with Lactalis, lemon, Caramel, or even cinnamon.
Any flavoring can change the scent, so the caffeine per serving is actually on the lower end.
A French press will produce fairly caffeinated coffee. Drip coffee varies pretty significantly based on water temperature boiling points, with hotter water lending a higher caffeine content.
Still, it usually comes in at a bit less caffeine than a French press. An Aeropress falls somewhere in the middle.
What Drink Has the Most Caffeine?
On average, energy drinks are likely to have more caffeine than coffee. However, some of the most caffeinated drinks are coffees!
Coffee with the highest caffeine content per serving can be found in any cafe. These include Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee with Espresso Shot, Starbucks Blonde Roast, Costa dark roast, Keurig Green Mountain, and Starbucks Pike Place Roast.
What Is Blonde Roast Coffee?
Technically, the blonde roast is the lightest light roast. This is coffee whose beans have been roasted for the minimum amount of time before becoming functional and enjoyable.
Starbucks, however, which was responsible for the recent popularity of blonde roasts, often market medium to light roasts as blonde roasts.
This means that a blonde roast is probably just another name for a light roast in common usage.
What Is the Attraction of Blonde Roasts?
Blonde roasts are great for people who enjoy bright, floral, or citrusy coffee.
They have a lighter body and higher caffeine content. It’s concentrated coffee without the typical black coffee taste, which appeals to a lot of people.
How Acidic Are Blonde Roasts?
Blonde roasts are the most acidic coffee because the acids and bright flavors are cooked off during the longer roasting process of a dark roast.
Blonde roast typically registers around a 4.5 on the pH scale, compared to dark roast’s 5.9.
Are Blonde Roasts Healthy?
Whether or not blonde roasts are healthier than dark roasts depends on what you value in your health.
In general, all coffee is fine as long as you watch your caffeine intake and don’t load it up with a lot of processed or fatty additives.
Blonde roasts have a higher acidity level and more caffeine. However, they also have a higher level of antioxidants, according to some studies.
What Is Dark Roast Coffee?
A dark roast is created when a coffee bean is roasted for a long time, near the maximum before it starts to burn.
This is on the other end of the roasting spectrum from blonde roasts. In the middle are medium roasts and light roasts.
What Is the Attraction of Dark Roast Coffee?
Dark roasts are fantastic for people who enjoy the taste of a bold cup of coffee.
Dark roasts take on a lot of the smoky, caramelized, sweet flavor profiles that are associated with roasting.
They also have a little less caffeine than a light roast since caffeine cooks out of the beans the longer they’re roasted.
How Acidic Are Dark Roasts?
Dark roast coffee is less acidic than light roasts. This is because a lot of the acidic compounds and brighter flavors get cooked out of the coffee bean the longer it roasts.
This gives it a less acidic taste and a lower pH level. Dark roasts come in around 5.9 on the pH scale, while light roasts are closer to 4.5.
Are Dark Roasts Healthy?
As long as you watch your daily caffeine intake and don’t add a lot of unhealthy stuff to your drink, dark roasts can be a good part of a healthy diet.
If you aim for higher antioxidants levels, keep in mind that some studies show that the less-cooked blonde roasts have more antioxidants.
Which Coffee Roast Is Right For You?
So which coffee is right for you, a blonde roast, a dark roast, or somewhere in between? Well, that depends on all the factors listed above.
If you care most about caffeine content, you’ll want a blonde roast for higher caffeine or a dark roast for lower caffeine.
You can also shake this up slightly by looking at whether your preferred coffee uses Arabica or Robusta coffee beans.
If you like bright, acidic flavors or a lighter body, then you’ll want a light or blonde roast.
These are popular drinks and have been for the past few years. If you like bold, rich flavors with less acidity and more of a toasted note, then you should go for a dark roast.
If you don’t care for the body in dark roasts or the acidity in blonde roasts, try something in the middle.
A good medium roast can give you coffee with fewer extremes. These are popular with people who drink coffee despite not liking it and with people who like the taste and flavor profiles of both extremes.
Some people like to mix things up. Maybe you’ll reach for a blonde roast on a weekday morning when you need to get motivated.
Maybe on a weekend morning when you don’t need to go anywhere, you enjoy curling up with a full-bodied dark roast.
There’s no wrong answer. The best bet for most people is going to be trying the different types of roasts.
Then, once you’ve found the roast level you like best, try different brands or flavors of that roast. Don’t forget to enjoy your search for that perfect cup of coffee!