Medium roast coffee is a brown colour and rarely has an oily surface. These coffees have a medium acidity and body, as well as a rounded flavour profile.
Roasting to this level also preserves many of the unique flavours of the coffee’s origin, but it also begins to reach into the deep caramel sweetness of a longer roast. As a result, these coffees are balanced, well rounded, and are slightly darker and sweeter.
Some of the brightest notes of a light roast may be eliminated, but it’s a trade-off for extra balance.
Specialty coffee roasters love medium roasts because they are more approachable than light roasts to the average coffee drinker. They’re less acidic and intense, but still can showcase a coffee’s natural flavour profile.
Medium roast coffees reach 400-430 degrees Fahrenheit and are typically roasted a little beyond first crack, but not all the way to second crack.
Other names include: regular roast, American roast, city roast.