Light, medium or dark: how to choose a coffee roast

Roast level is the simplest way to narrow down a coffee. The longer and hotter beans are roasted, the more the flavors of the roast itself take over from the flavors the beans started with. Neither end is better; they are different cups for different mornings.

Light roasts

Lighter roasts tend to taste brighter, with more noticeable acidity and fruit or citrus notes and a lighter body. They suit brewers who drink coffee black and like to notice differences between origins.

High Lakes is our light roast: a blend of coffees grown in Ethiopia, Mexico and Brazil with citrus and fresh-fruit notes. Colombia, a light-medium single origin from Huila and Cauca, sits just above it with savory, cocoa and smooth notes.

Medium roasts

Medium roasts balance sweetness, body and acidity. Notes like chocolate, caramel, toffee and nuts are common, and they work in nearly every brewer, with or without milk.

We roast three: Rock Creek (citrus, toffee and dark chocolate; grown in Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala and Ethiopia), Broken Top (chocolate-covered almond, maple syrup and citrus; Brazil and Mexico) and Smith River (praline and nutty notes with a medium body; Brazil, Colombia and Guatemala).

Medium-dark and dark roasts

Darker roasts bring heavier body, lower perceived acidity and roasty, bittersweet flavors such as cocoa and dark chocolate. They stand up well to milk and sugar.

Cascades Blend is medium-dark, with cocoa and toasted nut (Brazil and Mexico). Flathead Valley is a dark roast with deep body, bakers chocolate and caramelized sugar; its growing countries are not specified. Bitterroot is our boldest, a dark roast of Brazilian coffee with bittersweet chocolate and toasty notes.

Decaf

Trapper Peak Decaf is a decaffeinated medium roast of Indonesian coffee with dark chocolate and earthy notes and low acidity. Decaf still contains a small amount of caffeine, and our roasting partner does not specify the decaffeination process.

Reading tasting notes

Tasting notes describe flavors the coffee resembles, not added flavorings. None of our coffees are flavored. Notes are a guide: grind, ratio and water temperature all shift what you taste, so treat them as a direction rather than a promise.

A simple way to choose

• If you like coffee black and bright, start with High Lakes or Colombia.
• If you want an everyday cup that works with or without milk, start with Rock Creek, Broken Top or Smith River.
• If you take milk or like a bold, roasty cup, start with Cascades Blend, Flathead Valley or Bitterroot.
• If you want coffee in the evening, choose Trapper Peak Decaf.