Third wave coffee is often paired with a lighter roasting style. These kinds of roasts showcase the full potential of the coffee cherry and reveal through flavors and aromas the varieties, processing methods, and terroir.

The leading force of this movement is certainly Scandinavia. Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and above all Norway are the acclaimed pioneers.  

ALL ABOUT THE RAW MATERIAL

So why does the specialty coffee community worship the “Scandinavian roast”?

Well, like everything in gastronomy, it all starts with superior raw material.

In the past, it was much harder for coffee buyers to purchase high-quality green coffee, so the easier solution was to roast it very dark, to hide those defects in the raw material, or like in many other cultures, just adding an absurd amount of sugar or milk to their drinks, until those off-flavors disappear.

20 years ago, Nordic roasters and importers decided they want to focus on coffee’s origin, variety, terroir, and processing method. They realized that if they want to taste the actual purity and fruitiness of the coffee cherries, they should use a lighter roast, in contrary to the dark version, which highlights solely earthiness, nuttiness, and burnt aromas.

Thanks to long-term relationships with origins, they managed to put their hands consistently on high-quality beans, and so they started roasting their green coffee much lighter, which in reality means a shorter roasting time and perhaps a lower temperature. 

COFFEE ROASTING 101

If we go a bit deeper and geekier into coffee roasting, you should know that the reference point of roasting level is often called “crack”.

After the coffee beans spend a certain amount of time inside the roaster, usually between 7 and 12 minutes, they will start “cracking”. Many consider the time after those first cracks, as the reference of the roasting level.

So when talking about Scandinavian roasting, coffee could be dropped to cool down already 40 seconds after the first crack, although even after a minute and slightly more it’d be considered light.

In comparison, in commodity coffee, beans reach through the “second crack”, which occurs a few good minutes after the first one. Therefore, quite simple to understand: light roasts stay at least 4-5 minutes less inside the roasting machine, in comparison to dark roasts. Sometimes even significantly more.

That’s a huge difference in color, aroma, and flavor.

Many coffee lovers, especially the more traditional ones, are still struggling with this kind of coffees.

These coffees are everything but #Vigorous or #Fascinating, as old-school folks are used to. Nordic-style coffees are usually #Adventurous and #Chill.

Traditionalists would claim these roasts are under-developed and possess an overwhelming acidity, not to say sourness.

Modernists, or pro-Nordics, would say that these flavors and aromas are the true, purer notes of the coffee beans, and would repeat a popular mantra among specialty coffee professionals: COFFEE IS A FRUIT.

It should have acidity, it’s should be sweet and fruity. So just like our #Adventurous character: fresh, citrusy, and fruity aromas. Fruitiness at its best.

In very light roasts, the coffee’s body and mouthfeel slightly diminish, so the more #Chill notes would be present – delightful, light-bodied, and floral. 

FILTER COFFEE’S DOMINANCE

Those characteristics are also the reason that filter coffee, contrary to Espresso in Southern Europe, is very popular and admired in Northern Europe, especially Scandinavia.

It’s never mixed with “masking” ingredients like milk or even sugar. It represents the cleanliness and elegance of the coffee cherries, with very balanced but also complex notes. Delicate, but sophisticated. Just like light roasts, actually…

Coffee roasters like Tim Wendelboe (Norway), La Cabra (Denmark), and Drop Coffee (Sweden) are amongst the most appreciated and renowned names in the specialty industry.

Nordic approach, from the trading point of view, is also considered by many to be a top-notch green coffee buyer.

And in fact, they’re all perceived as the leaders of the specialty coffee industry, the ones to imitate and be inspired of. Thankfully, all of these companies and brands are pushing towards a much more sustainable, traceable, and transparent coffee supply chain.

Light roasts encapsulate all of these values, to improve the coffee industry and to change the perception of coffee around the world. That’s a hell of a mission that is easy to support.

Take out Coffe test and discover your ideal #Character!