If you are not familiar with coffee roasting you probably do not know the answer to this question or think it has to do with French cooking. A French roast is not something to do with French cuisine. Rather it is a term used for coffee that has been roasted to where it is very dark with a caramelized flavor. French roast coffee is very popular.

Why Do We Roast Coffee?

Raw coffee beans or green coffee are how coffee comes from a coffee farm. It can be stored for up to three years and retain its freshness and flavor. However, to make coffee you need to grind up those coffee beans and that does not work very well with green coffee beans. So, the first reason for roasting is that it dries out the coffee and makes it easier to grind coffee. The roasting process also creates chemical processes that in turn create the coffee flavors that we love and the antioxidants that are responsible for many of the beneficial health effects of drinking coffee. There are various specific levels of coffee roasting.

Levels of Coffee Roasting

Coffee is roasted from light, to medium to medium-dark, to dark roasts at progressively higher temperatures and for longer periods of time. A light roast is also known as a city or cinnamon roast. A medium roast is also called an American or breakfast roast. A medium to dark roast is also called a full city roast. A dark roast, which is roasted at 460 degrees Fahrenheit to the “second crack” and is either a French or an Italian roast. The Italian roast is done at a higher temperature than the French roast and virtually eliminates all of the flavors that originally come with the coffee bean and which are totally preserved with a light roast.

French Roast Coffee

Folks who like a strong coffee with a bittersweet taste and low acidity will like a French roast. If you like a rich dessert after a restaurant meal you will enjoy a cup of French roast coffee with your dessert. For a main course including strong Mexican sauces or Indian curry, a French roast coffee is also an excellent choice.

How to Achieve a French Roast

To get the smoky, slightly sweet flavor of a French roast, roast at between 440 and 455 degrees Fahrenheit until just after the “second crack.” The second crack is when oils from the coffee bean come to the surface and create a pop or crack similar to the “first crack” when moisture in the coffee beans turns to steam. The first crack happens at about 380 degrees Fahrenheit and the second crack at about 440 degrees Fahrenheit. You can achieve this level of roast with a coffee roaster using automatic settings and you can simply put green coffee beans in a frying pan and listen carefully as you heat them and slide the pan back and forth over the burner. Either way you will achieve a coffee low in acidity, slightly sweet with a caramelized flavor characteristic of the French roast.