Colombian Coffee vs. French Roast

Most people cannot tell the difference between Colombian coffee and French roast coffee. Still, there are quite a few differences between the two terms. Knowing the difference between a French roast and a Colombian coffee will help you make the most informed decision when you buy a new coffee blend.

While Colombian coffee is coffee from Colombia, French roast coffee is coffee that has been roasted to the darkest point possible. Colombian coffee that has been french roasted is usually called French coffee.

Understanding the names that coffee sellers give their coffees can be difficult because they often mislabel their coffees to sell more. Understanding the real difference between French roast coffee and Colombian coffee will help you determine where your favorite coffee comes from and how it was made, so read on!

Colombian vs. French Roast

What is in a coffee’s name? Admittedly, most coffee sellers label their coffees with the most popular or trendy names so that their coffee sells. The terms that coffee sellers use can mean many different things.

Generally, if you are curious about where your coffee came from and how it was prepared, it is a good idea to do some research and read the coffee label thoroughly.

Technically, only coffees that are sourced from Colombia can be accurately labeled as Colombian coffee. Sometimes, coffee makers mark French roasts as Colombian coffee just to sell more coffee.

Because the dark, rich taste of Colombian coffee is often similar to that of French roast coffee, many coffee sellers use the Colombian name to make their French roast coffees sound more exotic and fancy.

On the other hand, French roasted coffee is not from France. The term French roast means that the coffee beans were roasted to a very dark point. Since the term French roast only indicates that the coffee was dark roasted, French roast coffees can be sourced worldwide.

Understanding where each French roast coffee comes from will help you make informed decisions when deciding on your favorite coffee blend.

Although it sounds like French coffee is from France, it rarely is. Some coffee sellers use the misleading term “French coffee” to label Colombian coffee with French Roasted. Still, French coffee is not necessarily Colombian coffee, but it can come from places like Kenya, Ecuador, or Mexico. This can be very confusing for coffee consumers.

So, if you ever see French coffee on the shelf, you may be looking at a coffee that is both Colombian and French roast, but the beans may also have been sourced from some other country. When buying any coffee labeled as French coffee, you should always check the label to determine where the coffee was sourced.

If you want an excellent French-roasted Colombian coffee, I recommend Koffee Kult’s ThunderBolt Coffee because it is sourced from Colombia, organically produced, and it is ethically sourced.

Overall, the coffee blend’s marketed name is not always an accurate representation of where the coffee beans came from. Dark roasted coffee beans, which should be labeled as French roasts, are often labeled Colombian coffee just to sell better.

You should always check the origin of any coffee that is marked as Colombian. When you are buying any coffee, you should be skeptical of the label at first.

Always do your research when buying a coffee blend for the first time so that you can know what you are putting in your body. Coffee labels and names can be very misleading.

Determining where your coffee came from and how it was made is the best way to get an accurate idea of the coffee. Understanding the difference between Colombian coffees and French roast coffees will help you make informed decisions when trying a new coffee blend.

Colombian Coffee

Colombia is well known for being the best place to grow coffee beans. Colombia’s coffee beans are often regarded as the mildest, most well-balanced beans. Colombia is the third-highest producer of coffee in the world. Since Colombian coffee is prized for its flavor and reputation, coffee sellers often label coffees that do not come from Colombia as Colombian coffee.

The highest quality Colombian coffee is called Colombian supremo. Colombian supremo has a sweet smell and tastes a bit like caramel. Colombian supremo usually has about 95 milligrams of caffeine per cup of coffee.

Colombia is the world’s largest producer of arabica coffee. Whether it comes from Colombia or not, Arabica coffee is almost always labeled as Colombian coffee, so you should always check any arabica coffees’ origin to make sure that they are actually from Colombia. Arabica coffees usually have between 70 to 180 milligrams of caffeine per cup.

When you are buying Colombian coffee, it is essential to look for fair trade or rainforest alliance coffees from Colombia. Java Planet’s Single-Origin Columbian Coffee is an excellent single-sourced coffee that actually comes from Colombia.

With the overharvesting of rainforests in Colombia, it is crucial to help Colombian farmers keep their sustainable and ethical businesses open. Many coffee farms in Colombia also use pesticides and other toxic chemicals to grow their coffee, which is not good for the environment or your body.

Buying quality Colombian coffee will support farmers who protect the Colombian rainforests and pay their living wage, and you will know that your coffee is healthy and safe.

French Roast Coffee

The name “French roast” is a way to grade the coffee beans’ color after being roasted. French roast coffees are one of the darkest coffees in color. French roast coffees usually have a deep, rich, and smokey flavor. French roasted coffee beans typically have an almost black color, often compared to unsweetened dark chocolate.

Nowadays, the roast of coffee beans is measured with a machine called an agtron. Agtron machines can scan an image of a handful of roasted coffee beans and rate the coffee beans’ darkness on a scale from one to one hundred. Lighter coffees have a higher score, and darker coffees have a lower score. Most french roast coffees are rated between 25 and 35.

The name of French roast originated in the 19th century. French roast is named ‘French’ because the French were the first to roast their coffees to this dark, almost blackened point.

To this day, most European coffees are french roast coffees. The popularity of dark roast coffees in Europe is why most European coffees are prized for having a more intense, rich flavor.

French roast coffee can come from anywhere globally, as long as it was roasted to be very dark. Often, dark roast coffees that are labeled as coming from a specific country are also French roasted.

You should always check the label of your coffee’s package to find out how and where it was sourced to inform yourself of what you are drinking.

It is hard to go wrong with French roast coffees. French roast is one of the most popular coffees, and it is usually the kind of roast that cafes and restaurants serve.

If you are looking for a lovely French roast, I recommend Peace Coffee’s French Roast. Peace Coffee is a great brand because they always label the country that the beans were sourced from, and they always source their coffees from organic farms.

Summary

Whenever you buy a new coffee blend, you should be skeptical about the terms that coffee sellers use because they are often misleading. The real difference between Colombian coffee and French roast coffee is not always apparent in a coffee’s taste or color.

Colombian coffee is only a coffee that is sourced from Colombia. However, French roast coffee has been roasted to the darkest point possible without burning the coffee beans.

Sources

• Duke University Press: Coffee and Conflict In Columbia
• Linking Globalization to Local Land Uses: How Eco-Consumers and Gourmands are Changing the Colombian Coffee Landscapes
• Marketing as a Means to Transformative Social Conflict Resolution: Lessons from Transitioning War Economies and the Colombian Coffee Marketing System
• Bloomberg: World’s Top 10 Coffee-Producing Countries
• Coffee Sesh: Coffee Insight
• Henry’s House of Coffee: Why You Need to Know What French Roast Actually Means