“Medium roast” sounds simple, but roast labels are not universal standards. One roaster's medium can be another roaster's medium-dark. What matters more is the cup the roast is trying to create.
Roasting develops sweetness
Green coffee contains the precursors to the flavors we associate with roasted coffee. Heat drives a complex series of reactions that transform aroma, sweetness, acidity, body and color. As roast develops, the cup moves away from the raw material and toward deeper caramelized and roast-driven characteristics.
Why not simply roast darker?
Dark roasting can create a bold, smoky or bittersweet experience that many people enjoy. But it can also cover some of the distinctions among coffees. Classic Velvet was selected as a medium roast because the goal is not maximum roast intensity. It is a cup where cocoa and caramel-like sweetness can coexist with a little aromatic lift.
Why not roast lighter?
Lighter roast profiles can preserve more origin-specific character and brighter acidity. They can be beautiful, but they may not deliver the rounded, familiar everyday profile we wanted for Velvet Roast's first coffee.
Medium is not “average”
The best way to think about roast is not as a quality ladder. Light, medium and dark are different tools. For our flagship, medium roast is simply the tool that best serves the experience behind the name Velvet Roast.