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Co ee Bean Color Chart

– Ultimate Guide to
Co ee Bean Colors

While it’s true that co ee is world’s most consumed beverage, not all co ee-lovers
will have the same preference when it comes to their favorite co ee roast. Some
people prefer a light roast, others talk about dark Italian roasts while most choose
from the plethora of roasts in between the two extreme ranges.

Why is it important to know about the relation between color of beans and the
corresponding co ee roast? For those who roast their own co ee beans or plan to
do so in the very near future, the color of beans is the primary cornerstone to
judge the degree of roasting. Co ee bean colors can tell the roasters a lot about
the resulting avor and aroma when the brewed co ee is nally poured into a
cup.

Table of Contents 
1. Color of Beans Determines the Degree of Roasting
2. Co ee Bean Color Chart – Know Your Roasts
3. Color of Beans – Few Tips for Achieving the Perfect Roast
3.1. Consistency is the Key!
3.2. Investing in a Good Roasting Machine Helps
3.3. Use Your Eyes and Good Sense

4. Conclusion – Roasting and Color of Beans

Color of Beans Determines the Degree of
Roasting
The extent to which the co ee beans have been roasted plays an important role
in determining the characteristics of the resulting co ee, i.e. taste and fragrance.
Although most individuals don’t realize this, co ee beans are not really beans, but
seeds. The foremost co ee drinkers and traders called these beans owing to their
bean-shaped appearance, and the colloquial term stayed on.

The natural, unroasted co ee seeds are green, and this forms the baseline for the
co ee bean color chart. Co ee beans are generally stored in their green state. The
green beans on their own do not exhibit any of the properties of roasted beans –
they are soft and easy to bite. In fact, a novice may not associate the green color
of beans with co ee at all.

Once the green co ee seeds are picked, processed and packaged, the roasting
process transforms them into the distinct aroma- lled, avor-packed, crisp beans
we all know as co ee. The avor and aroma of the co ee is brought through the
chemical changes that take place inside as well as on the outside of the co ee
bean. Once the desired level of roasting is achieved, the roast co ee beans are
rapidly cooled to lock down the perfection in terms of avor and aroma.

However, the fact remains that each degree of roasting confers distinct and
unique avor notes and aroma to the pertaining cup of co ee when brewed. Also,
it can’t be denied that the preferences of co ee-lovers across the world vary
vastly.  Hence it is important for co ee enthusiasts to understand the degree of
roasting, done through close observation and monitoring the color of beans
during the roasting process.

Co ee Bean Color Chart – Know Your

Roasts
Co ee roasts from lighter or darker color of beans. While there are several
roasting stages, the general rule remains the same – the darker the bean color,
the longer its roasting duration. The naturally occurring sugars in the bean tend to
caramelize during the roasting process, gradually turning from sweet to burnt-like
towards the end stages.

Since di erent co ee beans achieve di erent roast levels at di erent

temperatures, depending on the origin characteristics of the beans, roasting
machine and method used, the color of the beans is the easiest yardstick to
understand the degree of roast.

Here is the commonly employed co ee bean color chart that determines the
extent of roasting, and the pertaining properties of the roast beans:

Roasting
Color of
Image temperature Properties
Beans
(°F)

#1 Green 75 – Natural, sealed-in aroma & flavor

Coffee – Spongy texture, grass-like flavor
Beans –
Unroasted

#2 – Takes 2-5 minutes depending on the

Beginning 270 make and type of roasting machine
to Pale used

– Bean starts to lose moisture but no

#3 Early
physical expansion happens
Yellow 327-330
– Humid, hay-like fragrance
Stage
materializes

– Steam begins to emerge from beans

– Toasty smell, similar to toasted
bread or grain.
#4 Yellow
345 – Early appearances of browner
Tan Stage
shades.
– Marbling patterns begin to emerge
on the bean surface.

– We proceed towards the paramount

1st crack
– The central crack in the center of
#5 Light
the coffee bean opens up slightly,
Brown 370
signifying minor expansion
Stage
– The chaff or silver skin on the
exterior of the coffee bean begins to
shed

– Preliminary stage to 1st crack

– Considerable browning occurs due
#6 Brown
390-395 to caramelizing or reduction of sugars,
Stage
as well as from Maillard reaction
(burning of amino acids)

– First crack occurs, which sounds

distinctly like a bowl of Rice Krispies
#7 or popcorn pops
1st Crack 401 – As internal bean temperature
Stage reaches about 356°F, carbon dioxide
is released from within, and the beans
physically expand.

– Internal temperature of bean rises to

370°F, wherein melting point of
sucrose is achieved. Caramelization
begins inside the bean
– Bean expansion continues even as
#8 Mid- the brown color looks mottled and
1st Crack 415 uneven.
Stage – The center groove almost loses its
chaffed texture
– Essential to keep the heat supply
ongoing so that the further
caramelization process can be carried
forward

– Bean surface looks smoother drom

the expansion, is harder at the edges,
and dark etched patterns can be
#9 noticed on the bean
1st Crack 425 – This stage is called City Roast, and
Finishes the beans are now officially
considered as coffee
– Carbon dioxide release fastens at
this point
 #10 City+ 435 – Knocking on the door of the 2nd
Roast crack, which is 15-30 seconds away
Stage – Bean surface is allowed to
smoothen, softer at the edges

– On the verge of the 2nd crack

– Characterized by softer edges and
light oily luster on the surface of the
#11 Full beans
444
City Roast – Considerable swelling of beans due
to outgassing of carbon dioxide and
water
– Also known as French roast!

– Bean barely enters the 2nd crack at

446°F
– A few subtle cracks are heard,
following which the roasting process
should be halted
#12 Full – Few beans continue into the 2nd
City+ 446-454 crack even in the cooling phase which
Roast is also known as coasting
– Beans resemble shade of dark
chocolate
– The faster the cooling process,
better the ability to achieve the extent
of roast one prefers

– Also known as Continental stage

#13 Vienna
– Mostly preferred for flavor notes of
– Light
465 distinct origin coffee
French
– Roasts begin to be characterized by
Roast
carbon-like roast flavors.

– Rapidly achieved after 2nd crack

stage
– Very dark brown-black shade of
beans due to burnt out or caramelized
sugars
– Nearly carbonized, wood-like bean
#14 Nearly
465-474 structure
Carbonized
– These beans result in a coffee that
is very light, since most of the
aromatic oils and compounds have
been burnt out during roasting
– Smoking starts at this stage of
roasting.

– Characterized by beans turning into

#15 Fully nearly-charcoal stage
485
Carbonized – Fills the roastery / home with smoke
– Fully carbonized beans

– Full on carbonized, ashy, loose

beans which are literally on the verge
of fire
#16
– The beans need to be dumped
Imminent 496
quickly onto a cool tray to prevent a
Fire Stage
potential large fire
– Dark black beans, similar texture to
charcoal.

As is evident from this color chart, as the co ee beans get darker, the sugars
caramelize and the oils start to loosen down, making the resulting cup lighter and
lled with roasted aroma. Thus it is important for roasters to take the color of the
beans as a tentative reference for achieving the desired aroma and avor.
Color of Beans – Few Tips for Achieving
the Perfect Roast

Degree of roasting | De’Longhi | The excellence of Italian r…

r…

Consistency is the Key!

This goes without saying – roasting is a science, and no roastery could ever have
achieved that perfect roast on the rst go. The key to achieving the perfect color
of beans that one loves to brew is consistency, so it helps to remain patient and
learn about the co ee bean colors and corresponding roasting stages via several
rounds of trial and error.

Investing in a Good Roasting Machine Helps

While drum roasters can help in turning over larger quantities of roast beans, air
roasters allow for more e cient heat transfer and hence facilitate quicker
roasting. Talking to professional roasters and reading about di erent kinds of
roasting machines available out there would help one make educated decisions
about their machine preference. Some machines even have an inbuilt chroma-
meter to check the color of roast bean in an accurate manner, thus avoiding the
angle of human error.

Use Your Eyes and Good Sense

The best way to judge whether a particular roast has reached perfection or not, is
to use your own eyes! Even with the umpteen technological advancements made
in the world of co ee roasting, there is no accurate yardstick that can be applied
to bring uniformity in color of beans once they’re roasted.

Roasting levels are subjective – no two City Roasts developed in di erent parts of
the world could ever be absolutely same. The confusion will stay on, and hence it
helps to use your own eyes and good sense as the measure of a roast’s
perfection.

Conclusion – Roasting and Color of

Beans
We now know that since co ee beans from di erent origins vary in size, shape
and characteristics, co ee roasters employ the color of beans as a helpful guide to
determine when to stop roasting. This guide helps co ee enthusiasts and roasters
achieve the perfect degree of roast, by estimating the color of beans through the
various stages of roasting.

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Ivan Radicevic

Ivan is a 24-year old graphic design and computer science student from Serbia
who loves driving motorcycle in his free time and is absolutely obsessed with
nature, sports and hanging out with friends.

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