Let's address a question that has been on every coffee drinker's mind, which coffee roast has the most caffeine? If you’re looking to get the most energy out of a cup, you may wonder from time to time whether you should go for a light or dark roast, but the answer isn't that simple.
What affects caffeine levels?
A lot of factors can affect the caffeine content in coffee. Some of them are:
1. Roasting process
Roasting is a huge part of the coffee-making process. It helps release the flavors and aroma in the coffee bean. Additionally, it affects the flavor profile, acidity, and caffeine levels. When roasted, beans lose their moisture and hence their volume as well. So a light roast would weigh more than a dark roast even if the same number of beans are taken into account.
As we'll discuss below, when coffee is roasted and exposed to heat, one can hear a "crack." The dark ones are roasted until two cracks are heard, as opposed to the light ones which are taken off the heat after just one.
2. Brewing method:
While you may make coffee using a French press, drip, or even instant coffee, a cold brew or espresso will always have the most caffeine.
3. Type of coffee:
Arabica beans, which make up about 70% of all coffee produced in the world, actually have twice as much caffeine as Robusta beans. One can always switch to Arabica coffee beans for a stronger cup.
Types of coffee roasts
Now that we've discussed some factors that can change up the caffeine levels in your coffee, let's discuss the different types of roasts:
- Light roast: roasted until just before the first crack, Light roasts are roasted for a short period of time, keeping the internal temperature of the beans just around 400 degrees F. Light roasts taste fruity and acidic and have a lighter color with no oily residue or shine..
- Medium roast: Roasted till the first crack, medium roasts are dark brown with little to no oil on the beans and are the most popular among coffee enthusiasts. Balanced in flavor and low in acidity, these are usually the ones considered “specialty coffee”.
- Medium-dark roast: Beans roasted just until the 2nd crack will be considered medium-dark roasts. Vienna roast being one of the most common examples come with low acidity and full flavors.
- Dark roast: Roasted a bit beyond the 2nd crack, dark roasts boast the darkest color and the most oiliness. Also known as the Italian or french roast, they're generally best for espressos.
There are more differences between dark and light roasts, they’re easy to spot once you know what to look for.
Which coffee roast has the most caffeine?
Contrary to popular belief, dark roasts are actually not the most caffeine-dense roasts. Instead, the question of volume comes into play. As the beans are roasted, they become lighter. The longer the beans are roasted, the less caffeine they'll have. Darker roasts weigh much less than lighter roasts and hence will also have less caffeine when measured by mass.
This is why measured per cup, dark roasts will not be as strong when compared to the light roasts.
So if you’re looking for more caffeine, then you’ll want to go for a cold brew made with light roasts as cold brews have the most caffeine out of all coffee drinks. Or, if you prefer dark roasts, more beans per cup can be used to increase the caffeine levels.
Not sure which one you might like? Why not give both a try? If you’re looking for a “wake me up” mood in a cup of coffee, these will definitely do the trick:
However, if you just want some delicious coffee without any jitters or caffeine rush, try these instead:
