Medium-roasted coffee beans

Medium-roast coffee beans – a balance of sweetness, body, and acidity

Medium-roast coffee beans are a versatile choice if you want a coffee where both the origin of the coffee bean and the roast can be expressed.

Compared to a light roast, medium-roast coffee will typically have more body, sweetness, and roast character, while the acidity is often perceived as less pronounced. At the same time, more of the coffee's individual character is preserved than with a very dark roast.

For this reason, medium-roast coffee works well for many different brewing methods – from standard filter coffee and French press to AeroPress, pour-over, and espresso.

At Brændeholm Risteri, we roast coffee several times a week at our own coffee roastery on Funen. Here, you will find our selection of medium-roast coffee beans from various countries and coffee regions.

What is medium-roast coffee?

Medium-roast coffee falls between light and dark roast in terms of roasting degree.

There is no single international temperature or color that precisely defines a medium roast. The roast degree is assessed based on the overall roast profile, the development of the coffee, and the desired result in the cup.

Therefore, it does not make much sense to say that all medium-roast coffee, for example, must be roasted to the exact same temperature.

The goal of a medium roast is typically to create a good balance between the coffee’s original character and the flavor impressions developed during roasting.

How does medium-roast coffee taste?

The taste depends first and foremost on the specific coffee.

However, medium roasting is often associated with a balanced flavor profile where you can experience sweetness, acidity, and body.

Depending on the coffee bean, the flavor notes might resemble chocolate, caramel, nuts, fruit, berries, or spices.

A medium-roast coffee from Brazil can therefore be round, sweet, and nutty, while a medium-roast coffee from Colombia or Africa may have more distinct fruitiness and acidity.

The roasting degree, therefore, only tells part of the story.

Medium, light, or dark roast coffee?

The three roasting degrees provide different types of coffee, but there is no one roasting degree that is best for everyone.

Light-roast coffee beans typically have more distinct origin character, fruitiness, and acidity, and less flavor from the roasting itself.

Medium-roast coffee beans lie between the two and often provide a balance between sweetness, body, acidity, and roast character.

Dark-roast coffee beans typically have more distinct roast flavor, more bitterness, and lower perceived acidity.

If you are unsure which roasting degree you prefer, medium-roast coffee is therefore a very good place to start.

Who is medium-roast coffee for?

Medium-roast coffee beans are particularly relevant if you want a coffee that is neither very light and acidic nor very dark and roasted.

This makes medium roast a great all-round choice.

It is well-suited for you if you switch between different brewing methods or want to buy one coffee that can be used both in a coffee machine and for more manual brewing.

Medium roast can also be a good choice for a household where multiple people drink the same coffee but have slightly different preferences.

Medium-roast coffee for filter coffee

Medium-roast coffee beans work very well for standard filter coffee.

A good starting point is:

60 grams of coffee per liter of water.

This corresponds, for example, to 30 grams of coffee for 500 ml of water or 60 grams of coffee for 1 liter.

Use a medium grind as a starting point.

If the coffee becomes very bitter or dry, you can try a slightly coarser grind.