Medium roast coffee beans and ground coffee

Medium roast or medium grind?

The two are easily mixed up. The roast is what happens to the bean in the roaster: light, medium or dark. The grind is how fine the coffee is ground afterwards, and that depends on how you brew. A medium grind suits a filter machine, pour-over and drip bags; espresso needs a fine grind and a cafetière a coarse one. So a medium roast can be ground fine for espresso, and a dark roast medium for filter. If you buy ground coffee, check that the grind matches your brewing method.

How a medium roast is made

A medium roast usually takes 10 to 12 minutes. Along the way the bean reaches the 'first crack', the moment it splits open under the pressure inside. Roasting stops shortly afterwards, well before the second crack. The bean keeps much of its origin character and gains sweetness and body.

Medium roast compared with light and dark

• Light roast: light brown, bright acidity, clear origin flavour, lighter body.
• Medium roast: medium brown, balanced, caramel and chocolate, full body.
• Dark roast: dark brown to almost black, smoky and bitter, little origin flavour.

A medium roast has more body and sweetness than a light roast and less bitterness than a dark roast.

What does medium roast taste like?

Typical notes are caramel, brown sugar, milk chocolate and nuts, sometimes with a light fruitiness such as apple or cherry. The acidity is soft and the body full and rounded without being heavy.

Medium roast espresso beans and other brewing methods

Medium roast works across most brewing methods, which is why it is such an easy everyday choice:

• Espresso and lungo: full body, gentle bitterness, a golden-brown crema.
• Caffè crema from a bean-to-cup machine: the longer cup brings out the sweetness.
• Filter coffee, pour-over and Chemex: the balance stays clear in a larger cup.
• Cafetière (French press) and moka pot.

What you'll find in this category

• Italian espresso blends in 1 kg bags, from Lavazza, Segafredo and other roasters, for bean-to-cup and espresso machines.
• illy in 250 g packs, as beans or ground, including Arabica Selection single origins such as Ethiopia, Colombia and Guatemala.
• Costa Coffee blends with medium roast in the name, such as Signature Blend Medium Roast and Character Bright Blend Medium Roast.
• Café du Jour fresh coffee, including single origins such as Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Peru and Guatemala, and the Single Origins set of 7 x 250 g.
• Decaf, as beans and as ground coffee, such as Decaf Special; more in decaffeinated coffee beans.
• Ground coffee in 250 g and 500 g packs, a few coffee pods and drip bags for filter coffee without a machine.

How to choose the right medium roast

• Espresso or milk drinks: a blend with robusta gives more body and crema.
• Black coffee, filter or pour-over: a pure arabica or single origin shows more of the origin.
• Strength: every product page shows the strength on our scale of 1 to 13.
• Whole beans for a grinder or bean-to-cup machine; ground coffee matched to your brewing method.
• Certifications: look for organic or Rainforest Alliance on the pack if that matters to you.