Light vs medium vs dark roast

Roasting turns green coffee into the brown beans we know. The longer the roast, the more the original flavour of the bean fades and the more the taste of the roast itself, such as chocolate, caramel and smoke, comes forward.

A light roast keeps the most of the bean's own flavour, so it tastes bright, fruity and floral, with a clear acidity. It is usually brewed as pour over, AeroPress or drip bags and drunk black. KAIVO's The Leap and The Wildcard are light roasts.

A medium roast is balanced and sweet, with chocolate, caramel and nut notes, and a smooth acidity. It works in almost every brewer, which is why it is the most popular. KAIVO's The Daily Swing is a medium roast. A medium roast is a good place to start if you are not sure, and it is kind to both black coffee and milk coffee.

A dark roast is bold and heavy, with bitter chocolate, dark caramel and smoke, and very little acidity. It is a good match for milk, sugar and strong brews such as espresso, moka pot and South Indian filter coffee. KAIVO's The Roar and The Slow Charge are dark roasts, and The Slow Charge is the softer of the two.

A common idea is that dark roast has more caffeine. In fact, light and dark roasts have about the same caffeine by weight. If you measure with a scoop, a dark roast can have slightly less because the beans are lighter.