light roast

noun

plural light roasts

: a coffee roast (see roast entry 2 sense 3) that is characterized by light brown coffee beans with a dry texture, high acidity, little bitterness, and high caffeine content and that is produced by roasting coffee beans at temperatures typically between 350-410°F (180-210°C)

Because subtle aromas and flavors have not been cooked out of the beans, light roasts will show individual notes like caramel, nuts, fruit, and cinnamon. Light roast also has a little more caffeine than medium and dark roasts.

—Lisa Kolb Ruland

While many people enjoy light roasts, some feel that the flavor profile is too extreme. If you're going to enjoy a light roast, you'll want to pay even more attention to make sure you get a high-quality bean.

—San Francisco Chronicle

compare dark roast, medium roast

Examples of light roast in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The findings also indicated that light roast coffee had the highest antioxidant activity—contrary to other findings with dark roast coffee and antioxidant activity. —Amanda MacMillan, Health, 29 Oct. 2023

The team also saw that dark roast coffees produce much finer particles than light roasts when ground at the same setting. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Dec. 2023

This lends a brighter, fruitier flavor that lets the raw ingredients shine (kind of like light roast versus dark roast roast coffee). —Tiffany Hopkins, Bon Appétit, 16 Nov. 2023

Types of light roast coffees include cinnamon, half city, and light city. —Amanda MacMillan, Health, 29 Oct. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above