That bold, hit-you-in-the-face, wake-you-right-up flavor of dark roasts is deceiving. Turns out you might actually be getting more caffeine from that fruity, citrusy light-roasted coffee!
When coffee beans get roasted, the heat damages their physical structure, releasing gases and acids trapped inside the molecules. Caffeine is one of the elements that suffers. The roasting process breaks it down, so the longer (darker) a coffee is roasted, the less caffeine it has.
It doesn’t make a huge difference, and there are lots of other factors that influence how much caffeine is in your coffee (varietal, brewing method, dose, etc). All other factors the same, a darker roast of one type of bean would have less caffeine than it’s more lightly roasted version. Still though – those citrusy, light roasted origins will perk you UP.
Any questions about coffee keeping you up at night? Shoot an email to social@lacolombe.net and we’ll share what we know!