Does dark roast have more caffeine? Four coffee myths

Questions at our counter often start from a belief picked up from friends or the internet. Here are four we hear most weeks, with what we tell customers. “Dark roast has more caffeine.” Not really. Roasting changes caffeine very little. Dark roast tastes stronger because of the roasting flavours: smoke, bitterness and less acidity. Bean for bean, the caffeine is about the same; the bigger difference is between robusta, which has nearly twice the caffeine, and arabica. If you want less caffeine, choose an all-arabica coffee, not a lighter roast.

“Thick crema means a good espresso.” Crema shows that coffee is fresh, because it comes from gas trapped in recently roasted beans. Robusta makes thick crema too. A thick crema on stale or badly extracted coffee still tastes flat, so taste first and look second.

“Coffee must be ground just before brewing to be any good.” Grinding fresh helps, especially for pour-over. But coffee ground by us on roast day, sealed and used within two weeks, still makes a very good cup. If you do not own a grinder, buying ground coffee in small amounts is a sensible choice.

“Chicory is a cheap filler.” In some blends it is used to cut costs, but in South Indian filter coffee, chicory is part of the taste, adding body and the dark, slow drip people grow up with. What matters is that the label states the ratio honestly. Ours says 80:20 on every bag.