What is Italian Roast Coffee?
So what is Italian Roast Coffee? The Italians don’t actually produce coffee beans, so that’s not it. Whereas the Italians are famous for Espresso, today’s espresso roast is not the same as Italian Roast either although both are dark roasts. So what is it?
Simply put, most Italian Roasts are a blend of beans, sometimes using lower quality beans, that have been roasted until the oils from the beans come forth. In essence, the flavor of the coffee bean is more about the char on the bean than the bean itself. Originally it was a way to produce a uniform taste by “burning” it so that it all the different beans in the blend tasted the same.
Let’s look at the definitions from the National Coffee Association of U.S.A., Inc. website:
Light roast coffee
Light brown in color, this roast is generally preferred for milder coffee varieties. There will be no oil on the surface of these beans because they are not roasted long enough for the oils to break through to the surface.
- Light City
- Half City
- Cinnamon
Medium roast coffee
This roast is medium brown in color with a stronger flavor and a non-oily surface. It’s often referred to as the American roast because it is generally preferred in the United States.
- City
- American
- Breakfast
Medium dark roast coffee
Rich, dark color, this roast has some oil on the surface and with a slight bittersweet aftertaste.
- Full City
Dark roast coffee
This roast produces shiny black beans with an oily surface and a pronounced bitterness. The darker the roast, the less acidity will be found in the coffee beverage. Dark roast coffees run from slightly dark to charred, and the names are often used interchangeably — be sure to check your beans before you buy them!
- High
- Continental
- New Orleans
- European
- Espresso
- Viennese roast
- Italian roast
- French roast
Coffee Roasting
The roasting process is an interesting one starting with cherries. The beans are removed from the fruit and then put out to dry. Green coffee beans are the result of this process. When I was a kid, I would go to my uncle’s coffee plantation in Puerto Rico where he grew Arabica beans. At harvest time, the men would bring the beans to a large concrete platform to dry. From here they were bagged up and sent to market.
At this point, the beans go to large corporations where many of your supermarket varieties used in your coffee maker are made or to the smaller coffee roaster making small batches and often higher quality batches of coffee. The roasters then decide how to roast the bean so that you, the coffee drinker can enjoy everything from flavored coffee to Iced Coffee and everything in between.
Italian Roast
These darker roasts are due to the oils that come out of them when the bean “explodes” or cracks. A double dark like Passion’s Coffee Italian Roast occurs when the bean actually cracks a second time. This is why the beans actually look bigger than lighter roasted beans. French Roast coffee, also a dark roast stops after the first crack. However, there is a problem when buying coffee, everyone has a little different take on what a certain roast means. The guidance above gives you an idea, but the differences within a category are hard to define and will vary from one roaster to another.
Passion’s Coffee Italian Roast
For our Italian Roast. we spent a lot of time developing roast profiles for this Double Dark Roast that maintains the natural and unique flavor of the bean [coffee cherry seed] and gives you the rich, bold, powerful, strong, majestic flavors you look for in this darker roast. Sit back, relax and enjoy a steaming cup of lusciousness with a glory cloud hovering over the surface of this amazing liquid happiness. This is the classic dark, oily bean that many old-timers love and long for. Make grandpa happy with this throwback to what he drank in the military where the GIs would percolate coffee 24 hours straight and just keep adding more grounds.
Did You Know?
Coffee is actually the world’s most popular and consumed beverage. It is usually served hot and prepared from the roasted seed of coffee beans. Its popularity has given birth to many kinds of instant coffee. The word coffee entered the English language way back in 1598 from the Italian word “caffa” via the Turkish word “kahveh” through the Arabic word “qahwa”. The ultimate origin of the word is uncertain because there are several legendary accounts of the origin of the drink.
Coffee is such a drink that is liked by all people irrespective of their age or geographical location. Coffee is made either hot or cold. The cold preparation of coffee is as popular as the hot one. You can have your coffee with or without milk or simply with some whipped cream to make it sinfully delicious.
Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world next to petroleum. The popularity of coffee can also be judged by the rising number of coffee shops and cafes all over the world. People of all ages can be found hanging out at such cafes enjoying their cups of coffee. In the morning, in the afternoon, or at night the coffee house business does not stop.
Many researchers have shown that coffee reduces the risk of a number of diseases and ailments like diabetes, gallstones, cirrhosis, and many more. Coffee forms the chief source of stimulant caffeine in the human body. The good and bad effects of coffee are still being researched. A cup of coffee, when you are really down, can make you more alert and boost your power of reasoning. Anything, including coffee, when taken in moderation does not have an adverse effect on your health.
Like cocoa and banana coffee is a tropical export that is produced almost exclusively in the rain forests of the developing world, but is mainly consumed in the wealthier nations. Fortunately more and more coffee drinkers are demanding that their favorite baristas serve coffee that is grown in a manner that protects and not destroys the rainforests. Passion’s Coffee only uses free trade and our Guatemalan coffee beans are certified by the Rainforest Alliance.
Did you know that farmers all over the world harvested 7.4 million tons of coffee in 2002, an all-time high, and almost double the amount harvested in 1960? It is also remarkable that one out of every five cups of coffee worldwide is consumed in the United States. Meetings are held, proposals are discussed, marriages are proposed, deals are finalized, and a lot more happens over the magical cup of coffee or java.
Coffee Subscription
You can enjoy your favorite coffee beans from Passion’s Coffee by using our monthly subscription. Each month your favorite beans will arrive at your door and you even get a 15% discount over our regular list price.
