Think back to the last time you looked at a cup of coffee and felt disappointed because the colour seemed unappealing.
While people typically judge coffee by aroma and taste, coffee colour is also a crucial aspect of the experience and says a lot about the cup.
This is not just about brewed coffee. The colour of the bean is an indicator of processing method and roast level.
Let’s take a look at what coffee colour actually means.
The Bean Colour
Coffee beans start green before they are roasted. Even at this stage, the colour of the bean can be attributed to a combination of factors like origin, moisture content, and processing. Some coffees are bluish-green, whereas others are pale or yellow-green.
Once roasting begins, the heat changes the chemical composition of the bean, thereby altering its visual appearance too. The colour changes gradually from light to a dark brown.
So what does the colour of the roasted coffee tell us?
Beans that are a light, cinnamon brown or warm tan are light roasted. The surface would appear to be matte or dry. They often highlight brighter acidity, clarity, and more delicate or floral characteristics, depending on the coffee. It’s a great choice for those who enjoy complex flavours.
If the roasted coffee appears slightly darker and has a chestnut or cocoa-like shade with a slight sheen, it’s likely a medium roast. These typically preserve balance, have a rounded body, and caramel sweetness. The best way a medium roast is often described is as comforting flavours in the cup.
Finally, dark roast beans are quite shiny and range from a deep brown to almost black-brown. You’ll get a heavier body with notes like cocoa, toasted nuts, smoke, and spices. These don’t focus on origin characteristics and deliver a softened acidity.
Sometimes, you may come across batches of beans where they don’t all appear the same. The uneven bean colour could be a result of inconsistent heat application or blending of different roast levels.
The Brew Colour
One common myth about coffee colour is that “dark = strong” and “light = weak”, but these assumptions can surprise you.
Coffee that is brewed contains another set of clues. Every brew method has a tendency to produce a certain visual style. Additionally, the dose, grind size, roast level, origin, and extraction also influence the colour of your brewed coffee.
Let’s start with espresso. A well-brewed espresso has crema that appears reddish-brown or deep golden. If the crema is pale, it could be because of under-extraction or the use of stale coffee. On the flip side, if the crema is extremely dark or thin, the beans have likely been over-roasted or over-extracted.
Beneath the crema, the espresso itself should have a rich mahogany hue or appear to be a dark caramel brown. Espresso that’s very dark may indicate over-extraction that can taste muddy, and if it’s quite pale, it’ll be sour or thin. Both indicate that it’s not a well-extracted shot.
One thing to keep in mind is that the colour of the coffee alone cannot indicate strength, as the dissolved solids matter more than the shade of the brew.
In the case of a French press, a good cup of coffee ranges from a chestnut tea-brown to a dark cocoa-brown. They are more opaque and can contain suspended sediments that add to the murky look of the brew.
Pour-overs, on the other hand, are cleaner and clearer. When held to the light, they tend to be a copper or auburn brown.
Lastly, your cold brew can look like cola or have a brown-black colour. It’s almost black in concentrated form, but is often perceived to be smoother.
What Colour Cannot Tell You
Judging coffee based on colour alone is never recommended because the colour cannot fully predict complexity, balance, or sweetness.
Two coffees that have a similar colour and appearance can taste entirely different.
A dark-coloured coffee could be smooth and nuanced, whereas a pale brew may be vibrant and intense. That’s why colour should be treated as one sensory cue and interpreted along with a combination of other factors.
The best approach is to observe colour, smell aroma, taste mindfully, and then connect the dots.
When you pay attention to the coffee colour, you can enhance your brewing skills and build sensory awareness.
Consequently, this will help you appreciate different coffees, notice the roast style and other aspects of the cup. So the next time you’re at your favourite café, and you order a new coffee drink, pause before you take a sip and listen to what the cup is telling you.