In brief
A medium roast is coffee that has gone through first crack but comes out before second crack. Bean Box describes medium roasts as developing "in the gap between cracks." On Wikipedia's temperature list, that gap runs from about 196°C (385°F) to about 224°C (435°F).
The result sits between the two extremes. It keeps some of the fruit and acidity of a light roast, and picks up some of the caramel and nutty sweetness of a darker one.
There is no standard for what counts as medium. One roaster's medium can be another's light or medium-dark, so the word on the bag is a rough guide.
On this page · 5 sections
What does a medium roast taste like?
Usually rounder and sweeter than a light roast, with less acidity and less fruit. Bean Box's catalog data shows the shift. Fruity notes appear in 36% of its light roasts and 27% of its medium roasts, while nutty notes rise as roasts get darker.
Wikipedia describes the general trade: lighter roasts show more "origin character," and darker roasts show more "roast flavor." A medium roast is where the two are closest to even.
Why does one roaster's medium look different from another's?
Because nobody enforces a definition. Bean Box states plainly: "There's no industry standard." It also notes that the Specialty Coffee Association has called judging roast by eye "a terrible way" to determine roast level.
Roasters use older names instead. Wikipedia lists American roast at about 210°C (410°F) and City roast at about 219°C (426°F). Both fall inside the medium range. Some roasters measure roast color with an Agtron meter, which Bean Box says reads on a 0 to 130 scale where higher is lighter.
| Roast name | Approx. temperature | Where it falls |
|---|---|---|
| Cinnamon | 196°C (385°F) | Light, at first crack |
| American | 210°C (410°F) | Medium |
| City | 219°C (426°F) | Medium |
| Full City | 225°C (437°F) | Around second crack |
Temperatures are from Wikipedia's coffee roasting article. Roasters do not all use these names the same way.
Does medium roast have more caffeine than dark roast?
Not by weight, and only slightly by volume. Wikipedia explains that beans lose water and expand as they roast. A scoop of denser, lighter beans holds a little more coffee than a scoop of darker ones.
Bean Box makes the same point: dark roast does not have more caffeine. If you weigh your coffee, roast level makes little difference.
How should you grind and brew a medium roast?
Start in the middle of your grinder's range for your brew method, then adjust by taste. Perfect Daily Grind explains that lighter roasts are less porous, extract more slowly, and want a finer grind and hotter water. Darker roasts are more soluble and want a coarser grind and cooler water. A medium roast sits between.
Perfect Daily Grind cites the SCA's recommended brewing range of 90 to 96°C (195 to 205°F). A medium roast usually brews well inside that range without pushing either end.
For starting points by method, the coffee grind size chart covers the common brewers. If a recipe gives a setting for a grinder you do not own, the grind converter maps it to yours.
Which brew methods suit a medium roast?
Most of them, which is why many people buy medium roasts as an everyday coffee. Bean Box calls medium roasts "the easy default" for French press. It also notes that medium-to-dark roasts dominate espresso.
For drip coffee, the machine sets the temperature and flow, so grind size is the main thing you control. If you are choosing a grinder for a mix of methods, the grinder finder narrows the list by how you brew.
Sources
- Bean Box: Coffee roast levels explained
- Wikipedia: Coffee roasting
- Perfect Daily Grind: Adjusting a brewing recipe to your coffee roast level
By Jeff Gluck · Checked Oct 21, 2026