Roast Level Guide | 烘焙度指南

How to Pick Your Perfect Roast
如何選出咖啡豆?

(Source資料來源: Wikipedia.org, Coffee Crossroads by Brian Lokker, Charlie Bean)

Most roasters have specialized names for their favored roasts and there is very little industry standardization. In general, roasts fall into one of four major categories — light, medium, medium-dark and dark.
Within the four major categories, there are many common roasts as listed below.

一般而言，大多數烘豆師愛為喜歡的烘豆風格命名，購買咖啡豆時，包裝上最常見有四種烘焙度:

淺烘焙
中烘焙
中深烘焙
深烘焙

Unroasted (Green bean) | 未烘焙(生豆)

Green coffee as it arrives at the dock. The beans can be stored for approximately 12–18 months in a climate controlled environment before quality loss is noticeable.
生咖啡豆在溫度和濕度的環境控制下，可以保存品質12-18個月。

Light roasts | 淺烘焙

Light roasts are light brown in color, with a light body and no oil on the surface of the beans. Light roasts have a toasted grain taste and pronounced acidity. The origin flavors of the bean are retained to a greater extent than in darker roasted coffees. Light roasts also retain most of the caffeine from the coffee bean.
Some common roast names within the Light Roast category are Light City, Half City, Cinnamon Roast (roasted to just before first crack), and New England Roast (a popular roast in the northeastern United States, roasted to first crack).
淺度烘焙的咖啡豆呈淺啡色，豆體輕盈，表面沒有油分。富有穀物的味道和明顯的酸度。與較深的烘焙度相比，可以保留更多原始風味，同時亦保留大部分咖啡因。
這一類常見的烘焙名稱有Light City、Half City、Cinnamon Roast (烘至第一爆前停止)，以及New England Roast (美國東北部流行，烘焙至第一爆)。

Light brown in color
淺啡色
No oil on the surface
表面無油分
Origin of the beans are most distinct
原始風味最突出

Medium roasts | 中烘焙

Medium roasted coffees are medium brown in color with more body than light roasts. Like the lighter roasts, they have no oil on the bean surfaces. However, medium roasts lack the grainy taste of the light roasts, exhibiting more balanced flavor, aroma, and acidity. Caffeine is somewhat decreased, but there is more caffeine than in darker roasts.
Common roast names within the Medium Roast level include Regular Roast, American Roast (the traditional roast in the eastern United States, roasted to the end of the first crack), City Roast (medium brown, a typical roast throughout the United States), and Breakfast Roast.
中烘焙的咖啡豆呈啡色，比淺烘焙的豆體醇厚。表面跟淺烘焙一樣沒有油分，缺乏穀物的味道，反而表現出更平衡的風味、香氣及酸度。咖啡因減少，但仍比深烘焙的為多。
中度烘焙常見的名稱包括Regular Roast、American Roast (美國東面傳統做法，烘焙至第一爆完結)、 City Roast (啡色，美國經典的烘焙法)及Breakfast Roast。

Medium brown in color
啡色
Slightly sweeter than light roasts
比淺烘焙稍甜
Balanced flavour, aroma, and acidity
風味、香氣和酸度平衡

Medium-dark roasts | 中深烘焙

Medium-dark roasts have a richer, darker color with some oil beginning to show on the surface of the beans. A medium-dark roast has a heavy body in comparison with the lighter or medium roasts.
Among the most common names for a medium-dark roast are Full-City Roast (roasted to the beginning of the second crack), After Dinner Roast, and Vienna Roast (roasted to the middle of the second crack, sometimes characterized as a dark roast instead).
經過中深烘焙的咖啡豆顏色更深，表面開始出現油分。這種咖啡豆的豆體比淺度和中度烘焙的都要飽滿。
其中最常見的名稱包括Full-City Roast (烘焙至第二爆開始)、After Dinner Roast和Vienna Roast (烘焙至第二爆中間，有時被定位為深烘焙)。

Rich, darker color with some oil on the surface
深啡色，表面有油
Bittersweet aftertaste
回甘
Flavour and aroma emerge and acidity disappears completely
風味和香氣融合，酸度消失

Dark roasts | 深烘焙

Dark roasted coffees are dark brown in color, like chocolate, or sometimes almost black. They have a sheen of oil on the surface, which is usually evident in the cup when the dark roast coffee is brewed. The coffee’s origin flavors are eclipsed by the flavors of the roasting process. The coffee will generally have a bitter and smoky taste. The amount of caffeine is substantially decreased.
Dark roasts go by many names. Some of the more popular designations for a dark roast include French Roast, Italian Roast, Espresso Roast, Continental Roast, New Orleans Roast, and Spanish Roast. Many dark roasts are used for espresso blends.
深度烘焙的咖啡豆像朱古力一樣呈深啡色，有時甚至呈黑色。表面有層油光，沖煮後在咖啡杯內會泛起油脂(Crema)。本身的原始風味會被烘烤的香氣蓋過，喝時一般帶有苦味和煙燻味。咖啡因顯著減少。
深烘焙有許多名字，其中較受歡迎的包括French Roast、Italian Roast、Espresso Roast、Continental Roast、New Orleans Roast及Spanish Roast，它們多用於混合特濃咖啡。

Shiny black color with oily surface
黑色有光澤，有油分
Significant amount of bitterness
苦味顯著
Origin flavor is gone and the flavor of the roasting process comes out the most
原始風味消失，烘烤香氣取而代之

Here are some quick tips:
亦可以從以下一些烘焙特徵辨別咖啡豆風味：

The amount of caffeine in the bean decreases as the roast gets darker.
烘焙度愈深，咖啡豆內的咖啡因就會減少。
The surface of lightly roasted beans is dry.
As roasting increases, the oil in the beans is drawn to the surface where it becomes visible.
淺焙的咖啡豆表面較乾身。
烘焙度加深時，咖啡豆中的油分就會浮出表面。
Roasting decreases acidity in the beans, therefore darker roasts are less acidic.
烘焙會降低酸度，所以深焙的咖啡豆酸度較少。
The darker a bean is roasted, the less prominent the distinct flavors of its origin become.
咖啡豆的烘焙度愈高時，原有的獨特風味就愈不突出。
Medium roast beans tend to have the heaviest “body”.
中度烘焙的咖啡豆最飽滿厚實。

The perfect roast is a personal choice that is sometimes influenced by national preference or geographic location. It’s a good idea to ask before buying. There can be a world of difference between roasts. Ultimately, it’s all about the taste, the flavor, the aroma. Coffee, including the optimal roast level, is a personal preference.
怎樣為之完美的烘焙是個人選擇，有時會受國家或地理影響。各種烘焙度之間可能會有天壤之別，購買前最好先查詢一下。歸根究底，這一切都與味道、風味、香氣有關。在咖啡的世界，所謂的最佳烘焙度是很個人的。