By far one of our most popular drip coffees is a French Roast made with beans from Colombia. The term French Roast began as a regional standard referring to beans roasted to approximately 464°F, a temperature that produces a characteristically dark, oily profile. During roasting, the beans crack twice: the first crack occurs when steam escapes from inside the bean, and the second crack happens when the cell structure breaks down and oils migrate outward. This second crack brings the oils to the surface, giving French Roast its distinctive sheen.
Taste is subjective. I think Ernest Hemingway’s descriptions of food in A Moveable Feast—set a standard I can’t hope to match—but nevertheless, I shall try.
To describe the taste of our Colombian French Roast, imagine unsweetened baker’s chocolate: a rich, bitter, slightly acidic liquid rolling across the front of the tongue before jarring awake the bitter receptors concentrate at the back of mouth. I add half‑and‑half to my coffee, and the interaction between the milk fat and the coffee’s natural oils, sugars, and acids gives the cup more body and creates slightly but pleasantly fermented taste.
That first sip quickens on the back of my tongue, and suddenly the morning becomes real. Work gets done, and my daily routine begins.