Coffee flavor is important; how strong the coffee flavor is matters a lot. If you love coffee with a rich flavor, French roast vs. Italian roast will sound friendly to you.
Still, my one more question is: When shopping or ordering your coffee, do you get confused about whether to order French roast coffee or Italian roast coffee, and do you know what the difference between Italian roast and French roast is?
If you think that the main difference between a French roast and an Italian roast is that one is from France and the other is from Italy, you’re right.
So, the twist is that French and Italian roasts are not made in France and Italy. Instead, the difference depends on how the coffee is roasted, how strong the flavor is, and a lot of other things.
We’ll compare French roast to Italian roast below to help you understand.
French Roast
We often hear about medium-roasted coffee, light-roasted coffee, and dark-roasted coffee. And we can easily understand these terms. But why do we call it French-roasted coffee?
If we simplify, the first meaning that comes to mind (as discussed above) is that it must come from France. The roasting style originated in the 1800s in France. However, the term “French roast coffee” refers to the “color” of the beans after they are roasted, which results in the dark chocolate color; they are usually at the dark end of the scale.
You have often seen “French Roasted Coffee” on some bags of coffee. It is straightforward compared to our regular coffee, but it has a darker color and an oilier look. It has a strong flavor. French-roasted coffee is a very dark roast. A study related to this shows that it is the darkest roast available. Around the turn of the century, it was famous throughout the world, much more than in Europe. Today, the term we used only refers to its dark and robust texture.
Italian Roast
Having an Italian-roast coffee at a coffee shop and at home will taste completely different, yet both will taste great.
What is the definition of Italian-roasted coffee?
Italian-roast coffee is also considered the darkest coffee (we will discuss below why it is called the darkest coffee) and is commonly used to brew espresso. In the initial stage, the Italian-roasted coffee has only one color, but later, when exposed to heat, it becomes darker.
A chemical outcome takes place during the roasting, and the name of the reaction is “the Maillard Reaction.” Amino acids and sugar react in this reaction, and the output produced is the unique taste of Italian roasted coffee with a dark color.
So, Italian-roasted coffee is all about the roast and not about the coffee itself.
A brief history of French and Italian roast beef
The history behind the French roast is a bit interesting. However, it is unknown how this coffee entered the world. Well, it’s a tragedy. We only learned about French roast coffee after it became famous throughout Europe and sailors began selling it at a high level.
Now that we’re talking about how this roast came to be in the United States, this coffee flavor came from merchants. After a few months, people began to pay more attention to purchasing French roast coffee, and it has since become well known in the United States and other countries, including today.
There is no such thing as the origin of the Italian roast in this case. But coffee plants in Italy cannot be grown because of the climate. And therefore, Italian beans are grown somewhere else and roasted in Italy. Italian-roast flavor was first made in the 1500s, when Turkey was known as the leading producer of coffee. So, the Italian roast shows the Turkish influence in its dark and robust flavor.
After that, when Italy started roasting Italian Roast, they roasted all the coffee together from around the world. And their idea of producing a consistently good Italian roast was to roast this coffee so dark that no one could tell the difference. As French Roast and Italian Roast have the names of France and Italy, let’s look at the cultures of coffee in Italy and France.
The culture of coffee has been well known for ages in France, but not in Italy. Italians must prefer to have a coffee immediately after it is pulled from an espresso machine, as it will taste awesome when served at the perfect temperature. Also, the Italian people do not love to stop at the local coffee shop, so they collect their orders and move on their way. Also, the coffee break means having coffee with a pastry, and the coffee shops here have limited seating.
People in France now prefer to spend the entire afternoon in a coffee shop. So here, the coffee shops are made by keeping in mind the comfort of the customers. So, a coffee treat in French will be memorable as we can spend much more time here.
French Roast vs. Italian Roast:
1. Roasting Style and Duration
French and Italian roasts are considered dark roasts. The coffee beans of both roasts are roasted for a longer time to become darker and release more oil. Although we are talking about the French Roast, these coffee beans are roasted at a considerable temperature until the second crack in the bean occurs.
On the other hand, Italian-roasted coffee has to go through a longer roasting duration to develop a comprehensive, energetic flavor. So, Italian roast coffee is roasted for a longer time than French roast coffee. And this is one of the major points of French roast vs. Italian roast. One more thing: only a few people know that coffee’s name refers to the degree of roasting.
2. The Difference in Flavor
Both roasts taste like dark chocolate, baking chocolate, and cocoa powder, but French roast is more intense than Italian roast and has a thin body. The more intensely roasted coffee will lack sweetness, but it’s an addiction, and French roast coffee will also give you a real taste of coffee. Adding dark roast coffee with heavy cream, frothy milk, or anything that will add some sweetness will be perfect for enjoying the coffee.
While talking about the taste of lightly roasted beans, they will give you a taste of complex flavor with a fantastic body. The lightly roasted coffee has an indescribable taste of fruits (pineapple, berries, citrus) and honey. If you add milk, it will become creamy.
In short, it will give you a completely natural taste.
3. Nutritional difference:
Roasting and nutrients, in the case of coffee, are inversely proportional. The more roasted coffee has fewer nutrients, as the studies show, because while roasting the coffee for a longer time, the chlorogenic acid begins to seep out. And chlorogenic acid is considered suitable for your health as it protects your body from diseases like cancer.
Roasting also affects the caffeine that remains in the coffee. So, this means that French roast is a perfect choice to boost your energy. So, the key differences between French Roast and Italian Roast are:
- Italian roast beans are roasted for a more excellent time than French roast beans to get a richer taste and a darker color.
- The antioxidants like chlorogenic acid and Caffeine are in a higher percentage in French Roast than Italian Roast.
- The taste, as well as the smell, of Italian roast are somewhat harsher as compared to French roast.
Is Italian-roast coffee more vital than French-roast coffee?
The coffee beans of both roasts have to pass through the first crack, and at this time, the energy of bean buildup is released. After that, the roasting continues until the second crack (the second crack is not that loud). And the second crack on the bean means that the cell structure has widened even more, which is why dark beans look more massive than lightly roasted beans.
At the second crack, the oil inside the bean comes out to cover the bean’s skin, which is why dark roasted beans have an oily look. So, while comparing the darkness, the French roast is dark, but the Italian roast is darker. Also, Italian roasts are stronger than French roasts.
The Health Advantages of French Roast Coffee
Vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in French-roasted coffee provide essential health benefits as follows:
- Lowers the risk of diseases like Cancer: As we have discussed above.
- Improve liver health: The dark and rich color in a French roast result from the antioxidant. Antioxidants are the primary source that lowers the risk of having disease related to the liver.
- Provides Mental energy: Dark roast coffee possesses Caffeine which is a perfect source for providing mental energy to feel refreshed.
- Also, the French Roast is a fantastic source of Riboflavin, Niacin, Thiamine, Potassium, and Magnesium.
How dark is French roast?
When comparing the darkness of French roast coffee to that of other coffees, French roast coffee ranks among the darkest. Also, there is a way to determine the darkness of the coffee.
In this method, an “Agtron Gourmet Scale” tool is used to categorize coffee roasts, having a scale of 25 to 95, where 25 means darkest and 95 means lightest (know more about this tool).
French-roasted coffee occupies the number range of 28 to 35. And that’s why this coffee is known for its darkness.
How to make French Roast Coffee
Although one can have this French roast coffee in different ways, the easiest, most common, and most time-consuming method of preparing French roast coffee is as follows, but here the ratio of the water and coffee for the French press must be correct.
If you want to make 1 cup of coffee, then take 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of French roast coffee beans.
Step 1: Measure the coffee according to the above ratio.
Step 2: Then grind it in a burr grinder; if you don’t have a burr grinder, don’t worry. It can be ground with a sharp-piston blade grinder.
Step 3: After completing the grinding, heat the water required. Let it cool for a minute.
Step 4: Add water and the powdered French roast to the French press. Then stir the brew with the help of an up-and-down motion.
Step 5: Don’t steep it for 4 to 5 minutes. And when the timer turns off, press the plunger, and it’s ready.
Drink it immediately and enjoy the flavor of French roast coffee
How do you like your dark roasted coffee?
The health benefits can be obtained in a variety of ways.
- Drink it
- Make tiramisu
- Have it with ice cream
- Make a coffee butter spread
- Make dark-roasted coffee ice cubes
Ingredients for French Roast
We have personally tried a recipe made with French Roast; the recipe and the ingredients are as follows:
- French Roast: one tablespoon
- Soy sauce: four tablespoons
- Brown sugar: four tablespoons
- Mustard: Four tablespoons
- Chinese duck sauce: One cup
- Orange juice: Half cup
- Dark grape juice: Half cup
- Onion (chopped): One full
- Garlic: 4 to 5 cloves
Different Process:
Step 1: Preheat the oven (to 350 degrees).
Step 2: Put the chopped onions and garlic in a pan, then add the French roast.
Step 3: Now combine all the soy sauce, brown sugar, mustard, Chinese duck sauce, orange juice, and dark grape juice.
Step 4: Let it bake until it is cooked, and then enjoy. And you can believe us when we say that this recipe was delicious.
How dark is Italian roast?
Italian roast is considered very dark coffee, but the main question is how dark it is. So, Italian roast is roasted until it tastes strong and bold, similar to a bar of dark chocolate or roasted nuts, or it begins to give the burnt toast of coffee.
Does Italian-style roast mean espresso?
The word “espresso” means the way to make coffee and doesn’t refer to roasting. So Italians are famous for their espresso. As a result, it is commonly assumed that Italian roast beans can only be used as espresso beans.
Also, we have discussed that the darker the roast, the higher the acidity, and espresso is generally made with less roasted coffee because the acidity is not that high. And it is for this reason that dark roast is primarily used in the production of espresso-based products.
However, the grinding of the beans distinguishes an Italian roast from regular coffee used for espresso. In the case of espresso, we need excellent ground coffee, and for making coffee for drip coffee makers, a standard grind of beans is required.
Health benefits of Italian roast coffee:
- It defends against heart disease. A study from 2012 shows that a person with heart-related disease must take three cups of coffee a day.
- Protects your body from stroke: Studies show that Italian coffee lowers the risk of stroke. In the case of women, drinking coffee will reduce the risk by 20 percent.
- Decreases the risk of type 2 diabetes: Type 2 diabetes means low sugar level, and it occurs when our body cannot use its insulin. Here, the Italian Roast will help you as it contains antioxidants.
How to make Italian-style roasted coffee
Prepare this coffee in the morning; it will make your whole day happy. Here are the ingredients and recipe:
- Water
- Italian Roast coffee
- Tools
- Moka
Recipe:
- Process: Follow the steps (1 to 3) to make Italian roast coffee.
- Step 4: Heat the half cup of fresh whole milk until tiny bubbles appear (do not boil it).
- Step 5: Turn off the gas and freeze the cooked fresh whole milk for 4 minutes or until smooth foam appears.
- Step 6: Now take your favorite cup and add the prepared Moka coffee into it (until it will cover 1/5 cup)
- Step 7: Then gently add the fresh whole milk to it and sprinkle some Italian roast powder.
- Ready to drink, enjoy it immediately.
How would you drink Italian-roasted coffee?
There are numerous ways and recipes that can be made with Italian roasted coffee, but these four are the most popular.
- Moka coffee
- Cappuccino (Which we have made)
- Iced Coffee
- Neapolitan Coffee
Final thoughts on Italian vs. French Roast Coffee
If you were to ask, would French roast and Italian roast taste the same? The person who does not like coffee will answer yes because there is very little difference.
However, coffee tastes fantastic, and it will be a great start. And if you want to enjoy a bitter taste with a bit of acidity, then Italian roast will be a great pick.
If you want a dark roast with a high acidity level, French roast is the way to go.
Keep in mind that both the espresso and the roast are must-try coffee flavors.