medium roast

noun

plural medium roasts

: a coffee roast (see roast entry 2 sense 3) characterized by medium brown coffee beans with a dry texture and moderate acidity, bitterness, and caffeine levels and that is produced by roasting coffee beans at temperatures typically between 410-440°F (210-230°C)

Medium roast coffee is currently what most people reach for. This is mostly due to its ability to appeal to a wide range of flavor preferences. Medium roast often has enough body to hold up in espresso or cream and sugar. But it also has enough complexity and brightness for those looking for something more nuanced.

—Methodical Coffee

A dark roast involves burning the coffee beans and removes flavour, so [coffee roaster Craig] Marentette focuses on medium roasts where he can draw out the underlying characteristics, such as the vanilla, dark chocolate and apple notes …

—Sharon Hill

compare dark roast, light roast

Examples of medium roast in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For those whose hot-side tastes veer closer to pour-over, try cold brewing or slow-dripping a medium roast, fruit-intensive African. —Matthew Korfhage, WIRED, 6 Dec. 2024

Last but not least, the Holiday Blend is a balanced medium roast with notes of sweet maple and herbs that pairs excellently with the Cranberry Bliss Bar. —Isabella Milano, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Nov. 2024

The machine itself is a single-serve coffee maker that uses recyclable aluminum capsules currently available in several dark and medium roasts. —Noah Kaufman, Bon Appétit, 25 Sep. 2024

Sofía Vergara Can Blindly Identify Different Coffees and How They Were Brewed — Watch The medium roast is called Balance and is meant to have tastes of nuts, white chocolate and brown sugar. —Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 3 June 2024

But Better Buzz's Best Drink Ever combines the shop's Life Blend medium roast signature coffee blend with its Vanilla Buzz coffee creamer for a drink with a sweet, rich flavor and creamy texture How much caffeine is in Better Buzz coffee? —The Arizona Republic, 26 Jan. 2024

Some evidence suggests that darker roasts lead to less gastric acid secretion than medium roasts. —Amanda MacMillan, Health, 29 Oct. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above