What is French Roast Coffee?

Here we’ll cover what is French roast coffee—a coffee that falls on the darker end of the roasting spectrum. 

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Coffee roasting is the process of turning raw green coffee beans into the coffee beans you purchase at your local cafe or grocery store. 

Roasting involves using heat and special equipment. Though it can be a complex process, we can break down roasting into three main profiles: light, medium, and dark.

Temperature and roasting time are two factors that determine which profile the coffee bean falls into. For example, when mentioning a light roast coffee, if you’re familiar with the roasting process, you’ll generally know what the beans went through during the roasting process.   

What is French Roast Coffee?

French roast coffee falls under the dark roast category and to the end of the spectrum. It’s a very dark roast that is usually a dark brown. You may also notice a layer of oil on the beans. Almost like the beans were tossed in some oil. As for the flavor profile, like most dark roast coffees, French roast coffee tends to be bitter with a smoky and toasty flavor. 

French Roast Coffee Origin 

As the name suggests, French roast coffee originated in France. In the 19th century, it was a popular style of coffee throughout Europe. 

However, this does not mean the beans were grown in France. Neither does it mean that a French roast coffee you purchased at your local grocery store is from France. French roast just refers to the roasting style that started in France. 

The same goes for other types of roasts that are tied to a country or region. For example, Italian roast, Spanish roast, and Vienna roast refer to the style of roasting that may have been popular in the area. But if you come across one, it does not necessarily mean the beans were grown in the region or even roasted there. Again, it’s just a roasting style. 

French Roast Coffee Temperature

French roast coffee is very dark in color and rich in flavor because of the high heat used to roast the beans. The internal temperature of the beans must have reached around 464ºF (240 ºC) to be considered a dark French roast. 

French Roast Coffee Color

If you take a look at French roast coffee that you’ve purchased, you’ll notice it is typically really dark brown and almost black in appearance compared to other roasts.

Surface Oil

Often, you’ll find oil on the surface of French roast coffee beans. The oil is due to the extended roasting time. Lipids that are in the beans are released as the coffee is being roasted. 

Meanwhile, lighter roasts tend to have less oil as they are given less time in the roasting process for oils to release. 

Moisture Loss in French Roast Coffee 

Roasted coffee beans tend to weigh less than the raw plant that they began as. While the weight loss is true for all coffee beans, it is especially so for French roast coffee. Since, as a dark roast coffee, the beans roast longer, more moisture is lost, resulting in the beans becoming less dense.

Acidity

The darker the roast, the less acidic the coffee will be. Higher heat will force the chemical compounds in coffee beans to break down and result in a mellower flavor. For this reason, French roast coffee tends to be less acidic than lighter roasts. 

Aroma

The aroma of French roast coffee can be described as bold, intense, and possesses a smoky-sweet aroma.

Flavor

As for the flavor, this roast is very rich but tends to have the least unique flavors. You may find a pronounced smoky flavor. But French roast generally just leans towards deeper and darker flavors. Think flavors like charcoal, licorice, carbon, dark chocolate, and hints of dark caramel.  

Body

Like the aroma and flavor of French roast, the body is often strong and rich, with a full body of flavor and heavy texture. It has a long aftertaste and a more defined mouthfeel with almost no acidity. 

Caffeine Content

You may think that dark roast coffee has more caffeine than light roast coffee because it was roasted longer or has a bolder flavor, but that may not be the case. It depends on the weight of the beans. This article from Yahoo states that darker roasts would have more caffeine if measured by weight. Meanwhile, lighter roasts would have more caffeine if measured by volume (aka the number of scoops.) So it depends on how you look at it. 

Since darker roast coffee is less dense and weighs less, we can say it has less caffeine than a light roast. When we grind our French roast coffee beans, each particle would contain less caffeine than a particle of ground light roast coffee beans. 

Grind Settings for French Roast Coffee 

Grind size matters when it comes to the extraction process. Remember that French roast coffee needs to be ground slightly coarser than you’d normally do because the beans are less dense and contain lower moisture content. 

Health Benefits of French Roast Coffee

Dark roast coffee contains beneficial vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Some health benefits that these components provide are a lower risk of cancer, improved liver health, and an excellent source of niacin (which helps manage cholesterol), all according to WebMD.

If you are looking for a cup of strong and rich coffee, then French roast coffee should be on your bucket list. 

Now that you’re more familiar with French roast, it’s time to start looking for different brands or origins available and find your new favorite!