French Roast VS Italian Roast, Which is better in taste and health? 7 Great Facts

Are you a person who can drink coffee anytime? A study shows having a cup of coffee will relax you, and you will feel more motivated. In short, it will improve your physical performance and heal you from your pain. Also, coffee is considered as the solution for relieving your stress. But the flavor of coffee plays a valuable role here; how strong is the flavor of coffee that matters a lot. If you love to have coffee with a rich flavor, French roast vs Italian roast will sound friendly to you.

Still, my one more question is: While giving a treat in any coffee shop, do you get confused whether order French roast coffee or Italian roast coffee, and do you know what Italian Roast VS 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.

So, the twist is that French and Italian roasts are not generated from France and Italy, but the difference depends upon roasting style, how robust the flavor is, and many more. To make a clear idea about this, below, we will briefly discuss French roast VS Italian roast. So, let’s get started.

French Roast

We often heard about medium roast coffee, light roast coffee, and dark roast coffee. And these terms we can understand easily. But why do we call it French Roast Coffee?
If we simplify, think the first meaning that comes into our mind (as discussed above)is that it must become from French. The roasting style originated in the 1800s in France. But the name French Roast Coffee is being called because of its “color” after the beans get roasted, it gets the dark chocolate color; they are usually dark at the 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. It was famous throughout the world, much more than Europe around the 19th century. Today, the term we used is only because of its dark and robust texture.

Italian Roast

Having an Italian Roast coffee at a coffee shop and home will taste completely different, yet both will taste great. So, let’s talk about what exactly Italian roast coffee is?
Italian roast coffee is also considered the darkest coffee (why it is called the darkest coffee we will discuss below) and is commonly used to brew espresso. In the initial stage, the Italian roast coffee gives 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 “Maillard Reaction.” Amino acids and sugar react in this reaction, and the output produced is the unique taste of Italian Roast having a dark color. And if you want to know about the Maillard reaction, click here. So, Italian roast coffee is all about the Roast and not about the coffee itself.

A brief history of French Roast VS Italian Roast.

The history behind the French Roast is a bit interesting. But how this coffee came into the world is never known up to now. Well, it’s a tragedy. We only learned about the French roast coffee when it became famous around Europe and when the sailors started selling it at a very high level.

Now discussing how this Roast came in United States, so in United States, this coffee flavor came with the help of merchants. And after a few months, people started reflecting attention in purchasing French roast coffee, and from that time it is well-known till today’s date in US and other countries.

There is no such thing about 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 are roasted in Italy. Now Italian roast flavor was first made in the 1500s when Turkey was known as the leading producer of coffee (click here to know why turkey is known for the leading producer of coffee). So, the Italian Roast shows the Turkish influence in the dark and robust flavor.

After that, when Italy started roasting Italian Roast, they roasted all the coffee together from worldwide. And their idea of producing consistent tasting Italian Roast was to roast this coffee so dark that no one could determine the difference. As French Roast and Italian Roast have the name of French and Italy, let’s look at the culture of coffee in Italy and France.

Culture of Coffee in France and Italy

The culture of coffee has been well known for ages in France but not in Italy. The Italians must prefer to have a coffee immediately after it is pulled from an espresso machine, as it will taste just awesome when served at a 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 seats.

Now in case people of France, they love to spend the whole 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 a memorable moment as we can spend much more time here.

French Roast VS Italian Roast –

1. Roasting Style and Duration

French Roast, as well as Italian Roast, are considered dark roasts. The coffee beans of both roasts are roasted for a longer time to become darker and release more oil. Although, while talking about the French Roast, these coffee beans are roasted at a considerable temperature till the second crack in the bean occurs.

On the other hand, Italian roast coffee has to go through a longer roasting duration to give a comprehensive, energetic flavor. So, the roasting period of Italian roast coffee is more extended than French roast coffee. And this is one of the major point 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, cocoa powder, but French Roast is more intense than Italian Roast and has a thin body. The more 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 give some sweetness will be perfect for enjoying the coffee.

While talking about the taste of lightly roasted beans will give you a taste of complex flavor, having a fantastic body. The taste of fruits (pineapple, berry, citrus) and honey in the lightly roasted coffee can’t describe in words and will have a creaminess after adding milk. So, 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 while roasting the coffee for a more fabulous time, the Chlorogenic acid behinds to seep out. And Chlorogenic acid is considered suitable for your health as it protects your body from the diseases like cancer.

Roasting also affects the caffeine which 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 vs 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 is more vital than French roast coffee?

The coffee beans of both roasts have to pass through first crack and, at this time, the energy of bean build-up. 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 roast 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.

Health Benefits of French Roast Coffee.

Vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in French Roast 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?

While comparing the darkness of French Roast with other coffees, French roast coffee occupies the position in some of the darkest coffee. 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 roast, having a scale of 25 to 95, where 25 means darkest and 95 means lightest (know more about this tool ). So, here French roast coffee occupies the number between 28 to 35. And that’s why this coffee is known for the darkness.

How to make French Roast Coffee

Although one can have this French roast coffee in different ways, the easiest, most common, and time-consuming method of preparing French coast is as follows, but here the ratio of the water and coffee for the French press must be correct. So, understand only one thing, if you want to make 1 cup of coffee, then take 1 cup of water and two 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, and if you don’t have that burr grinder, so need to worry. You can grind it in a sharp pulses blade grinder.

Step 3: After completing the grinding, heat the water required. Then cool it for one minute.

Step 4: Add water and the powdered French Roast into the French press. And stir the brew with the help of up and down motion.

Step 5: Not 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 would you drink your Dark Roast Coffee?

One can try many ways as the health benefits remain the same.
1. So, drink it as it is while you wake up.
2. Make Tiramisu by making the use of dark roast coffee.
3. Have it with ice cream.
4. Make Coffee Butter spread.
5. Make cubes of dark roast coffee.

Ingredients for French Roast

We have personally tried a recipe made by using French Roast, the recipe and the ingredients are as follows.
1. French Roast- One tablespoon
2. Soy sauce- Four tablespoon
3. Brown sugar- Four tablespoon
4. Mustard- Four tablespoon
5. Chinese duck sauce- 1 cup
6. Orange juice- Half cup
7. Dark grape juice- Half cup
8. Onion (chopped)- 1 full
9. Garlic- 4 to 5

Different Process:

Step 1: Preheat the oven (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 enjoy. And one can trust us, and this recipe tasted just 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 so strong and bold, just like a bar of dark chocolate or roasted nuts, or it will start giving the burnt toast of coffee.

Does Italian Roast Mean Espresso?

Espresso word means the way to make coffee and doesn’t refer to roasting. So Italians are famous for their espresso. And that’s why it has a primary thought that Italian Roast can only be used as espresso beans.

Also, we have discussed the darker the Roast, the higher the acidity, and espresso is generally made with less roasted coffee as the acidity is not that much. And this is the crucial reason dark Roast is mainly chosen for making espresso-based products.

But the markable difference between Italian Roast and regular coffee used for espresso is in the grinding of the beans. In the case of espresso, we need excellent ground coffee (And one can check what is meant by ground coffee by clicking here), and for making coffee for drip coffee makers, a standard grind of beans is required.

Health benefits of Italian Roast Coffee

1. Protects against heart diseases: A study in 2012 shows that a person having heart-related disease must take 3cups of coffee in a day.
2. 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.
3. 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 Roast Coffee.

Prepare this coffee in the morning, which will make your whole day happy. Here are the ingredients and recipe:

1. Water
2. Italian Roast coffee
3. Tools
4. Moka

Recipe:

1. Process: Follow the steps (1 to 3) to make Italian roast coffee.
2. Step 4: Heat the half cup of fresh whole milk until tiny bubbles appear (do not boil it).
3. Step 5: Turn off the gas and freeze the cooked fresh whole milk for 4 minutes or until smooth foam appears.
4. Step 6: Now take your favorite cup and add the prepared Moka coffee into it (until it will cover 1/5 cup)
5. Step 7: Then gently add the fresh whole milk to it and sprinkle some Italian roast powder.
6. Ready to drink, enjoy it immediately.

How would you drink Italian roast coffee.

There are many ways and recipes that one can make using Italian roast coffee, but these four are popular.

1. Moka coffee
2. Cappuccino (Which we have made)
3. Iced Coffee
4. Neapolitan Coffee

The Bottom Line:

If you will ask this question: Is the taste of French Roast vs Italian Roast same? The answer of the person who does not love coffee will be 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 mixture taste with a bit of acidity, then Italian Roast will be a great pick. But if you want to have a dark roast with maximum acidity, then French Roast is for you. But remember, both the Roast are must-try coffee flavors. So, what are you waiting for? Prepare a cup of coffee from your favorite Roast and give a treat to yourself. Happy Cheers!!