dark roast

noun

plural dark roasts

: a coffee roast (see roast entry 2 sense 3) that is characterized by dark brown coffee beans with an oily texture, low acidity, high bitterness, and low caffeine content and that is produced by roasting coffee beans at temperatures typically between 440-480°F (230-250°C)

A dark roast is useful for smoothing out imperfections in beans that have little flavor or an unbalanced acidic range, because chlorogenic acid, the main acid in coffee, is destroyed at high temperatures.

—Corby Kummer

Dark roasts actually have less caffeine than their counterparts. While a cup of dark roast coffee will have the boldest flavor, it will lack the same potency.

—BostonBean Coffee Company

compare light roast, medium roast

Examples of dark roast in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Otherwise, Stone Street’s Arabica Colombian Supremo dark roast and Bizzy's organic Smooth & Sweet Blend are two favorites of former WIRED reviewer and cold-brew aficionado Jeff Van Camp. —Matthew Korfhage, WIRED, 6 Dec. 2024

But at 390 milligrams of caffeine when served without ice, a large Charged Lemonade had more caffeine than any size of Panera’s dark roast coffee, the court documents said. —Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 27 Nov. 2024

According to the Panera website, a dark roast coffee can range from 161 to 268 milligrams depending on size. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 7 May 2024

Instead of the bold flavor of a dark roast, this latte takes a quieter approach with a blonde roast and a creamy oatmilk blend. —Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Nov. 2024

Higher temperatures used for dark roasts can decrease the caffeine content.9 The Grind Water will travel through your coffee differently depending on the grind. —Lauren O'Connor, Ms, Health, 7 Oct. 2024

This lends a brighter, fruitier flavor that lets the raw ingredients shine (kind of like light roast versus dark roast roast coffee). —Megan Wahn, Bon Appétit, 19 Sep. 2024

Lighter roasts are more powerful than dark roasts because longer exposure to high temperatures during roasting could destroy polyphenols. —Rachel Murphy, Verywell Health, 9 Sep. 2024

Light roast coffee has the most anti-inflammatory properties, and dark roast coffee has the fewest.11 Consider choosing a lighter roast coffee made from beans grown in high altitudes to get the highest antioxidant content from your morning cup. —Isabel Vasquez Rd Ldn, Health, 12 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above