Does French Roast Coffee Have More Caffeine? True Or False?

That question, does French roast coffee have more caffeine? Is a question that I myself asked when I was starting on my coffee journey in my own quest to find the ultimate coffee.

The answer is, for those of you that are in a rush, is that it depends on how you measure your coffee, with a scoop or by weight using a digital coffee scale.

What does this mean?

Keep reading to find out!

Does French Roast Coffee Have More Caffeine?

Coffee lovers that try a French roast coffee for the first time often ask themselves the question does French roast coffee have more caffeine due to associating the strong flavor with an increased caffeine content.

The hard fact of the matter is the roast of a coffee bean plays a very small role in the caffeine content that a cup of coffee has.

What has a larger factor is how your coffee is measured, by scoop or by weight, the beans themselves, origin, how they were processed, and of course the brewing technique used and the coffee drink that you are brewing.

The general rule of thumb is that a dark roast coffee has slightly less caffeine than a light roast coffee. Using this rule, this would make a French roast the coffee roast with the second-lowest caffeine content of all coffee roasts behind an Italian roast.

The caffeine content from a coffee bean from the lowest roast, a white roast coffee, to the darkest roast, an Italian roast, is minimal.

For example, a shot of espresso made with blonde roast has 90 mg of caffeine while an espresso roast made with an Italian roast has 75 mg of caffeine.

Read: What does French roast coffee taste like?

What Is French Roast Coffee?

A French roast coffee is a coffee bean, the second-darkest roasted bean that you will find behind an Italian roast.

It’s roasted at 464F (240C), which is a significantly higher roast level than the other two dark roasts below it, full city roast and Vienna roast, which form part of the dark roast category of coffee roasts.

The French roasting process produces a deep, dark, roasty and robust coffee with an intense and bold flavor with a reduced acidity, and a hint of bitterness and caramel notes due to the caramelization of the sugars.

It’s smoky and earthy without being burnt.

French Roast Coffee Caffeine

It is impossible to predict the caffeine content of every single type of coffee bean as there are many variables including the location of origin where the bean was cultivated, the way in which it was processed and brewed and if it is a blend or single origin coffee.

An average espresso brewed using French roasted coffee beans has 75 mg of caffeine while a brewed coffee 8 ounces (240 ml) has 130 mg of total caffeine content.

Which Coffee Is Stronger Light Or Dark Roast?

The question of which coffee is stronger light or dark roast is of dark roast or lighter roast having more caffeine, it is a question of how your coffee was measured.

If you measure by scoop, a light roast will have slightly, and I mean a tiny amount more caffeine than dark roasts. This is due to the density of a light roast being greater than a dark roast.

But, if you are measuring by weight, a dark roast has a tiny amount more caffeine than a light roast. The reason is the water content. During the roasting process, more water and other compounds are roasted out and evaporated from the dark roasted coffee bean and are lighter, and thus need more coffee grounds to make the same weight as light roast which contains a higher water content than the dark roast.

The total difference in caffeine, regardless of the method of measuring, is insignificant as you and your body will not notice the difference.

Don’t expect to have a massive caffeine boost just because you used a certain roast and a specific way of measuring the amount of coffee used.

There are many more factors that contribute to the caffeine content, namely the coffee to water ratio, the brewing temperature and extraction time.

More coffee and thus a more focused coffee to water ratio like a ristretto which has a 1:1 ratio and a high temperature of 96C (205F) brewing temperature results in a greater extraction.

Hot water extracts better than colder water, thus the perfect temperature range of 92C (195F) to 96C (205F) lean to the highest temperature to get more caffeine.

The brewing time, without producing an overtly bitter coffee beverage plays its role too.

The largest factor is not the roasting level of the coffee bean, it’s the variety as a robusta coffee has an average of 2.2x to 2.7x more caffeine than an arabica coffee bean.

Read: What is the difference between French roast and Italian roast coffee?

Is Dark Roast Coffee Stronger Than Medium Roast?

For the same reasons as above, a dark roast coffee has slightly more caffeine than a medium roast when you are measuring by weight due to the greater water content in a medium roast coffee and is heavier than a dark roast and thus less coffee by weight is used

A medium roast also has slightly more caffeine when you measure by scoop.

Regardless of which way you measure, the caffeine content and the difference between a medium roast and a dark roast is even smaller than the difference between a light roast and a dark roast coffee.

Does Light Roast Have More Caffeine Than Espresso?

It’s not a question of does a light roast have more caffeine than an espresso as it depends on what brewing method you are using with your light roast coffee beans.

For the record, an espresso is the coffee beverage with the highest total caffeine content as many coffee beverages have more and almost all of the popular coffee drinks have an equal or greater amount of caffeine than an espresso.

An espresso is a focused and concentrated drink with the second-highest amount of caffeine per fluid ounce (or per 100 ml) behind a ristretto.

If you were to brew an espresso with light roasted coffee beans like a blonde roast you would have 85 mg caffeine per shot compared to 75 mg of a dark roast. A white roast, even lighter than a blonde roast, would result in 90 mg of caffeine per shot of espresso.

Which Roast Has The Most Caffeine?

The roast with the highest caffeine content, with 5.4% more on average than blonde roasted coffee beans, is a white roast.

A white roast, also called a golden roast, is very rare, hard to find and roasted to before the first crack.

It is the only roast that is roasted before crack happens; the lightest of the light roasts.

Frequently Asked Questions About Does French Roast Coffee Have More Caffeine

Is French Roast Coffee Higher In Caffeine?

The caffeine content of a French roast coffee is notably lower than lighter roasts and light roast coffee beans. Of the compounds and molecules that are lost during the roasting process, caffeine is one that does get lost, not much, just a little.

Is French Roast Coffee Stronger?

French roast coffee is stronger in terms of flavor as the deep roasting process produces a significantly stronger and more traditional coffee flavor. In terms of caffeine content, it is slightly weaker than other coffee roasts.

As a general rule of thumb, the darker the roast, the deeper, stronger, bolder and more intense the flavor is and the slightly less caffeine it has.

Which Type Of Coffee Has The Most Caffeine?

The type of coffee that has the most caffeine is the Robusta coffee bean. A Robust coffee bean has an average of 2.2x to 2.7x more caffeine than an Arabica coffee bean.

Read: What is French roast coffee?

Which Coffee Roast Has The Least Caffeine?

There are scientific studies that indicate that dark roast coffee beans have slightly less caffeine. Given the findings of those studies, the coffee roast that has the least caffeine content is the darkest of all dark roasts, which is an Italian roast.

Does French Roast Have More Caffeine Than Dark Roast?

To say that French roast has more or less caffeine than dark roast is almost like an oxymoron, a French roast is a dark roast coffee.

The term dark roast in coffee is in reference to a category of coffee beans that are roasted beyond the second crack. There are four roasts in this category which are, from the lightest to the darkest of dark roasts:

• Full City Roast.
• Vienna Roast.
• French Roast.
• Italian Roast.

A French roast has more caffeine than an Italian roast but less than a Vienna and Full City Roast.

Does Roasting Coffee Affect Caffeine Content?

Yes, roasting coffee affects the caffeine content. The higher a coffee bean is roasted, the less caffeine the bean has. The difference between each roast and from the lightest to the darkest roast the difference is minimal.

There are many other factors that affect the caffeine content in a cup of coffee, including the coffee brewing process and type of coffee drink yoru are making have a greater influence over the total caffeine content. The variety, Arabica or Robusta, plays a large factor also.

Which Is Better Italian Or French Roast Coffee?

Coffee is a very personal thing and everyone has their own personal taste and preference. For me an Italian roast coffee is better due to having a deeper, darker and richer flavor than a French roast.

Is French Roast The Same As Espresso?

A French roast is an espresso roast; it is just another name.

However,

French roast coffee is not an espresso coffee as an espresso coffee is a particular brewing method that uses a very fine grind size and high pressure to brew the famous coffee with the thick rich crema on top.

Final Thoughts – Does French Roast Coffee Have More Caffeine?

If you have read this far you know why French roast coffee has more caffeine when you measure using a scale and why it has less when you measure using a scoop. You should also know what plays a more important role in the caffeine content of a cup of coffee.

I hope that I have answered this question: Does French roast coffee have more caffeine? To your satisfaction. If you have any questions, seek us out and ask us your questions. I’ll answer all of that!

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Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location