DARK ROAST COFFEES: AN OVERVIEW OF EXOTIC ROAST COFFEE
& GOURMET SPECIALTY COFFEE BLENDS
Definition of “Dark Roast”:
To be able to understand the broad selection of dark exotic roast coffee, it is important
to understand the sequence of roasts that CBI (and most of the rest of the
specialty coffee industry) recognizes. Information about our seven different
exotic roast coffee levels is summarized below, with a brief overview of each roast.
Loosely defined, “dark roast” could refer to any level of
exotic roast coffee that is
darker/deeper than the average. However, to clarify this broad categorization,
CBI defines “dark roast” as encompassing a specific selection of gourmet
specialty coffee blends, described after the information about roast levels.
Note that – while roasted darker than our standard “Peak Roast™”, some darker
coffees (such as our Velvet Roast™ coffees or our commercial espresso blends)
have their own sub-categories, and are not part of this listing.
Very good information about CBI’s dark roasts for our customers is contained on
page 2 (inside the front cover) of the Panache catalog.
Roast Levels – from Lighter to Darker:
Common Cinnamon Roast Tan (Canned)
Common American Roast Light Brown (Commercial)
Peak Roast™ Brown
Velvet Roast™ Dark Brown
Espresso Roast Very Dark Brown
Italian Roast Light Ebony
French Roast Ebony
Double French Roast Dark Ebony
Anniversary Roast Very Dark Ebony
Descriptions of Different Roast Levels:
PEAK™ ROAST (Lighter Roast)
“Peak Roast” is CBI’s lightest roast; most Panache coffees are Peak roasted to a
select flavor standard, rather than to a specific color. Peak roasting creates
coffees with balanced flavor and full aromatics, allowing connoisseurs to
distinguish taste differences due to coffee origins and quality. If one of our
coffees does not specify a roast level, it’s Peak Roasted.
VELVET™ ROAST (Medium Roast)
Similar to what is termed a “Full City” roast, “Velvet Roast” coffees are
roasted slightly longer than Peak, to a specific shade of brown. The extended
roasting time creates a hearty coffee with moderate aroma, with heightened
flavor and body. Velvet and other dark-roasted coffees offer more consistent
flavor than lighter-roasted coffees, because the roast adds its own distinctive
flavor to the cup. Delicious bittersweet undertones are evident, while any
acidic bite tends to diminish.
ESPRESSO ROAST (Medium Roast)
Similar to the traditional European espresso roast, Panache “Espresso Roast”
coffees are roasted light enough to retain delicate aromatics, yet dark enough
to moderately caramelize sugars within the beans. We apply our Espresso Roast to
several different coffee blends, rather than just a single variety. (Note that
not all of our commercial espresso blends are espresso roasted!) Blending builds
variation, dimension and flavor into the brews. Espresso Roasted coffees are
often preferred for espresso beverages, because their aromatic, spicy flavors
can be quickly extracted during brewing.
ITALIAN ROAST (Darker Roast)
“Italian Roast”, the fourth darkest that CBI offers, creates a stout,
bittersweet coffee marked with smooth, mellow undertones and spicy flavor. The
extended roasting time causes a profound flavor difference, though an untrained
eye may not detect a color difference between Italian and Espresso roasts.
Italian Roasted coffees are marked by heavy oils on the beans’ outside surface.
The heat of roasting causes the beans’ sugars to fully caramelize, creating
bittersweet flavor throughout the coffee. Normally, Italian roasted coffees are
drip extracted, but they can also be brewed in any espresso maker.
FRENCH ROAST (Darker Roast)
Low in acidity, yet high in spicy bittersweet flavor, this coffee has been a
favorite for generations. Legend says “French Roast” coffee is so named because
Old World chefs used frying pans for roasting, giving the coffee a distinctive
charcoal (almost black) color. In this roast, delicate coffee aromatics are
sacrificed to achieve the spicier flavor.
DOUBLE FRENCH ROAST (Darker Roast)
“Double French Roast” exhibits a spicy, bittersweet flavor that cannot be
matched by any lesser-roasted exotic roast coffee. Roasting for a mere 15 seconds longer than
our regular French Roast, it is positively amazing how a short variation of time
and temperature completely changes a coffee.
ANNIVERSARY ROAST (Darker Roast)
All of the attributes of our Double French Roast, but taken to the extreme. Any
darker roast than Anniversary would likely be flat and lifeless, with a
carbonized note. The one blend that we apply this roast to – our Anniversary
Blend – is deeply flavored, yet balanced, despite the advanced roast.
Dark Roast Coffee Blends:
The chart below is an alphabetical listing of CBI’s dark roast blends, with
product numbers and current pricing (as of August, 2002). Following this chart
is a subjective ranking of these same dark roast blends in the order of the
strength of their relative tastes. (Note that this is not the same as ranking
the coffees in relative roast order – taste is influenced by other factors
besides roast level.) A description of each dark roast Panache blend comes next.
Note: The following chart – showing Panache Dark Roast Blends in ascending
strength – also illustrates three sets of coffee pairings, designed to showcase
the three very different classic styles of dark roast coffees.
Try a comparative tasting between Midnight Satin and Black Magic (dark and full
bodied), Silky Jazz and Italian Roast (dark and rich), and French Roast and
Anniversary Blend (dark and intense).
PANACHE® DARK GOURMET SPECIALTY COFFEE BLENDS
Anniversary Blend 114-0270 $5.99
Black Magic 115-0229 $5.84
Double French Roast 114-0146 $5.99
French Roast 114-0007 $5.69
Haitian Bleu™ Voodoo 115-0314 $7.54
Italian Roast 114-0011 $5.99
Midnight Satin 114-0143 $6.14
Millennium Blend 114-0339 $6.39
Silky Jazz 114-0194 $5.99
RELATIVE STRENGTH OF BLENDS’ TASTE
Haitian Bleu™ Voodoo 115-0314
Midnight Satin 114-0143
Millennium Blend 114-0339
Silky Jazz 114-0194
Black Magic 115-0229
Italian Roast 114-0011
French Roast 114-0007
Double French Roast 114-0146
Anniversary Blend 114-0270
Dark Roast Gourmet Specialty Coffee Blends:
ANNIVERSARY BLEND
A mixture of three different coffees, from Central and South America as well as
Indonesia, all done to our darkest roast level. The Sumatra from Indonesia
contributes the smooth body and richness, with the balance of the blend
contributing flavor and aroma. It is difficult to blend coffees for roasting to
this depth, as most coffees do not hold up well at these levels, with the blend
becoming shallow or even burnt tasting.
BLACK MAGIC
A mixture of two different combinations of coffees, one containing coffees from
Central and South America, as well as one including coffee from Africa, combined
with a full-bodied single-origin coffee from Indonesia. Each component is
roasted individually, then blended. This blend delivers a strong, dark flavor
with depth and snap, but without bitterness.
DOUBLE FRENCH ROAST
The same mix of Latin American exotic roast coffee used in our regular French Roast, but
taken to a slightly darker roast level. This blend delivers an intense dark
roast flavor that dominates the cup (unlike several of our other dark roast
blends such as Midnight Satin or Anniversary Blend, where the very dark roast
flavor is more counter-balanced by full-bodied coffees in the blend).
FRENCH ROAST
The same mix of Latin American coffees used in our Double French Roast, taken to
a traditional West Coast dark roast level. This blend delivers a moderately
intense dark roast flavor that dominates the cup (unlike several of our other
dark roast blends such as Midnight Satin or Anniversary Blend, where the very
dark roast flavor is more counter-balanced by full-bodied coffees in the blend).
This is a top-selling blend for CBI, and has been for many years.
HAITIAN BLEU™ VOODOO
This blend was designed to serve both as a rich and dark filter-drip coffee, as
well as a commercial quality espresso blend. (This blend is unusually successful
at doing well at both. Most drip or espresso blends are really designed to be
best for only one type of brewing, and are usually mediocre at any other). The
blend is 50% Haitian Bleu, a flavorful and smooth low-acid coffee. The other 50%
of the blend contains Asian and African coffees for a dose of intense flavor, as
well as a South American coffee for body and crema.
ITALIAN ROAST
Our Italian Roast is close to (but a tiny bit lighter) the roast level of our
French Roast, but is an entirely different flavor experience. Similar in blend
design to the French, but with a flavorful and aromatic African coffee added,
the Italian Roast offers depth and aroma in addition to the taste of the roast.
MIDNIGHT SATIN
A smooth, dark blend of two coffee combinations, roasted separately to two
different roast levels, and accented with a dark roasted, full-bodied Indonesian
coffee. This particular blend is similar to our Black Magic blend in concept and
design, yet with significantly different ratios of components. Where the Black
Magic blend is dark and bright, this blend is dark and very smooth.
MILLENNIUM BLEND
Dark, smooth, and luxurious, Panache Millennium Blend combines three different
coffees taken to three different roasts. The underlying smooth flavor is
contributed by a dark roasted coffee from Indonesia, counter-balanced by both an
intermediate-strength coffee from Latin America and a dark coffee from East
African. The aroma and upfront flavor is dark, but the middle is deeper and
smoother than you would expect from this roast profile. The backend of the cup
is excellent, smoothly tapering off with a fine finish.
SILKY JAZZ
A combination of very dark and regular roasted coffees creates this flavorful
and full-bodied blend. The base of this blend contains moderately dark roasted
coffees from Asia, South America, and Africa, creating a complex and flavorful
blend. To add spice and depth to this moderately dark base, we add a portion of
our Double French Roast.
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