Whether it's light or dark or anywhere in between, every coffee has a sweet spot. Our roasters manually add and subtract heat and monitor the progress of the roast from start to finish ensuring that the coffee is roasted in a way that maximizes its potential.

Lighter roasts tend to emphasize acidity and preserve many of the unique characteristics of the coffee. As you get darker and darker, the sweetness from the acidity diminishes and is replaced by sweetness from sugars that caramelize during the roasting process. Nuances that are present in lighter roasts will gradually disappear as you get darker while certain aspects of body will develop.

If you like coffee with low acidity and darker, smoky, "roasty" flavors, pick something on the darker end but if you like sweet, bright, nuanced coffees without the roasty flavor, pick something on the lighter end.

Whether light, medium or dark, all of Alterra's "single origin" coffees have been roasted in a way that maximizes their characteristics, while blends like French Roast, Italian Roast, and coffees with a "Dark" prefix are specifically roasted dark to appeal to customers who want those flavors.

Any coffee can be "strong", because your brewing method ultimately determines the strength of your coffee. Many people, however, tend to associate dark with strong and dark-roasted coffees usually taste better to coffee drinkers who add milk or cream, because the "dark, strong" flavors do a better job of standing up to milk. Conversely, many people who drink their coffee black choose light or medium roasts because the distinctive character of the bean has not been roasted away.

As always, it comes down to personal preference. You may find that you like different levels of roast for different reasons.