Roast Levels

Roast Levels

SSC roasts each type of bean to optimize flavor and produce the best tasting cup of coffee possible. Use the image below to help you navigate the coffee roast levels available at South Street Coffee. This meter will appear in all of the coffee descriptions. Below you will also find written descriptions of each roast level and general descriptions of what each level does to the cup’s qualities.


Green Beans (Not Roasted)

These are beans that have not been roasted. This image is for your reference only. We do not sell green beans.

Light Roast (a.k.a. Cinnamon Roast)

This is the lightest drinkable roast. This roast results in toasted grain flavors with a sharp acidity to it.

City Roast

This roast is medium brown and really highlights the flavor of the beans, emphasizing their individual characteristics, unique aroma, complexity, and depth.

City Plus Roast

This roast has about the same flavor characteristics as a City Roast. It is a little darker, which decreases the above flavor qualities, but imparts a bit more body to the cup.

Full City Roast

This roast imparts much more body than the City Plus Roast and emphasizes bitter-sweet flavors. Oils can just barely be seen on the beans’ surface.

Vienna Roast

The lightest of the dark roasts producing a full-bodied cup with a strong aroma. The depth and sweetness of the beans are very well-developed but the individual characteristics of the beans are starting to become weaker. Oils are more well-formed on the bean’s surface.

Espresso Roast

This roast is a moderately dark roast, similar to a French Roast. The beans will have oils on their surface and the coffee will have much body, depth, and sweetness. At this point, you’re starting to taste the roast much more than the beans, but hey, who doesn’t like a nice, dark-roasted coffee?

Italian Roast

This roast is very dark with a thin body, and it is beginning to impart slightly burnt tones to the flavor. It is also a common roast for espresso blends.


*To view source and copyright information for each image, click the image and follow the link provided. All images of coffee beans were provided by Dan Bollinger.
**The Roast-O-Meter is provided by Nina Scurti, and it is subject to copyright laws. Please email Nina Scurti at southstcoffee@yahoo.com for more information regarding this image.