I always thought light roast had less caffeine, but a barista in Portland showed me a chart from a roaster's training guide that proved me wrong.

It was at a place called Proud Mary on Alberta Street. The chart broke down caffeine content by bean weight, not roast level. Since light roast beans are denser, you actually use more beans by weight for a scoop, so you can get slightly more caffeine. I'd believed the opposite for years. Has anyone else had their mind changed by a specific piece of info from a roaster or cafe?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy_knight921mo ago

Wait, was it that color chart with little bean diagrams? I had the exact same thing happen at a shop in Austin. The barista pulled out a laminated sheet showing how volume tricks you because dark roasts shrink. Felt like my whole coffee life was a lie.

finleyfox1mo ago

Know that feeling all too well. It's like a tiny coffee betrayal when you realize the bag isn't as full as it looks. Those diagrams showing the beans actually get smaller and less dense with a darker roast totally blew my mind the first time I saw them. Makes you question every purchase you ever made. I started weighing my beans at home after a similar wake up call, and the difference was shocking. Whole new way to look at your morning cup.