Why Dark Roast Isn’t Necessarily “Stronger”
Strong coffee brings the boldness, not the buzz
Many people think that dark roast immediately denotes more caffeine. But that’s not necessarily true. The roasting process burns off the coffee's moisture, which causes the coffee beans to expand. The longer a coffee roasts, the less dense it becomes.
This process also causes the beans to become puffier and weigh less. A scoop of dark roast beans will take up the same volumetric space as light roast but will have a bit less caffeine, about 5-10% less.
The idea that a dark roast is “stronger” most likely comes from its flavor profile. A dark roast will have a very strong, bold flavor profile. We usually associate strong bold flavors with high caffeine content. However, what really affects the caffeine content is the brewing style. The steeping time, grind size, and water temperature affect caffeine extraction much more than roasting level.
What we can conclude is that there is no definitive correlation between strong, bold flavor and caffeine content.
What’s your definition of strong coffee? Let me know in the comments below!
Very thought provoking reading. Thank you for posting. Yes, I also perceived stronger taste equated to more caffeine mileage. I assumed that if I drank iced black Coffee, I would be impacted less by caffeine jitters.. But, of course- results were completely the other way around. Why? As you mentioned - I didn’t know the steeping time adds to the caffeine effect, and Espresso, Cuban, and Turkish Coffee have less steeping, and faster extraction time by volume- hence does not have more caffeine than say- a French press or cold pour. Vietnamese coffee caffeine levels might be in between the aforementioned styles.
So it ultimately depends on personal preference, for what ‘strong’ is=and for me I’d rather have focused(some say strong) flavors, in a few sips with less caffeine crash, than sipping volumes, and becoming Daffy Duck-like, scaring everybody around me.
What is the best way to make your coffee? I am sure that is a complex answer because it depends on the type of coffee drink you are making. I do notice that on some of the coffee bags I buy it says to use cold, filtered water.