Is Coffee Black or Brown? (Solved & Explained!)

Coffee is universally considered to be brown in color despite some of the coffee-based drinks being called “black”. There’s even a shade of brown that’s often called coffee-colored. However, depending on various factors some coffee drinks may seem black to the naked human eye, where the misconception of coffee being black came from in the first place.

This is also theorized to be the reason why certain coffee drinks are referred to as “black”. No one knows where the term “black coffee” actually arose (i.e. if there was ever a witty coffee trader who used it for marketing reasons or if a random coffee aficionado – or detractor – called an especially dark blend “black”, we don’t know who they were), but it has obviously stack around for reasons.

In the article below, we’ll be breaking down what color coffee is, what influences the coffee color, and how distinguishing between the different shades may be helpful for a coffee connoisseur.

So what color is coffee?

The answer to this question is far more complicated than it has any right to be, truly. The easy version would be “some kind of brown”, and even that is only true if we’re talking about roasted coffee.

What shade of brown is a whole other business, since – despite there literally being a shade of brown called coffee – it varies wildly between roast levels, whole beans and ground coffee, and last not but least, the brewing method.

Unroasted coffee is another thing still, and it’s not brown at all. Luckily, when somebody’s inquiring after what color coffee is, we can usually make the assumption that they’re asking about roasted coffee.

What color is unroasted coffee?

If we’re talking about unprocessed coffee beans – then the answer is pretty straightforward and it’s “some shade of green”.

The green in question can be bright green, gray-green, or yellow-green (that is arguably more yellow than green). But unroasted coffee beans are universally referred to as being green, and no one is fighting over technicalities.

If it’s coffee cherries we’re talking about (since coffee beans aren’t actually beans, but coffee cherry seeds), then the answer is either yellow or red.

What color is the light roast coffee?

The beans for light roast coffee should be a very light brown when roasted right. It’s only a little darker than you’d imagine a milk-based coffee beverage to be. Due to this light shade, a light roast is also sometimes called a blonde roast.

It should be mentioned that the shade seems darker when the beans are grounded.

This light shade can also be somewhat deceptive since baked coffee and underdeveloped coffee also bear similar coloring.

What is baked coffee?

Baked coffee is a defective result of the roasting process – it’s when beans are roasted for far too long without reaching the first crack. It may happen if the roaster keeps heat too low in an attempt to make a light roast.

Can you recognize baked coffee via color?

Unfortunately, you can’t. This defect is invisible to the naked eye and at a glance, the beans look like any regular light roast would.

Coffee experts easily recognize it by taste, though. It’s sad that baked coffee has a very flat flavor profile, and tastes papery, having none of the underline sweetness that comes with good coffee.

What color underdevelopment?

Underdevelopment happens when the roaster doesn’t let the flavor “bloom” while attempting to make a light roast.

Can you recognize underdeveloped coffee via color?

As with baked coffee, underdeveloped coffee is usually the same shade of light brown as a light roast.

The difference, once again, is in taste – sugars aren’t caramelized in underdeveloped coffee, so it lacks complexities and tastes grassy.

What color is the medium roast coffee?

The medium roast is darker is a solid brown color and is the closest to the coffee shade we’ve been talking about. The surface of medium roasted beans is oily and can seem shiny, which alters the shade a little.

As with blonde roast, the shade becomes darker when the beans are grounded.

What color is the dark roast coffee?

Dark roast is, well, dark brown and probably closest in shade to a cup of actual coffee. As with medium roast, it can sometimes seem even darker due to oily surface, and ground coffee is said to approach black.

It, however, isn’t actually black.

Can coffee become black if roasted for too long?

Well, anything can become black if you reduce it to ashes, but it would take a lot of effort on your part.

It can, however, become so dark a brown it may be mistaken for black by the naked eye at first glance. If you focus and carefully examine your beans, you’ll see they’re still only a very dark brown.

This can happen by accident when the roaster overdevelops coffee, or by design if the design is to make a continental roast or scorch the coffee.

What is a continental roast?

Continental roasts are specialty roasts that are supposed to be very strong, and so are roasted longer than a standard dark roast.

These roasts tend to be very dark brown and their oily surface sometimes makes them seem black.

If you’ve ever come across coffee blends named “French roast”, “Italian roast”, “espresso roast” – they’re all a type of continental roasts.

Their strong flavor may seem like the beans have been burnt, but the process to achieve that taste is deliberate. Continental roasts are not very popular on their own (though they do have their fans), but are often successfully used for milk-based beverages.

What is overdevelopment?

Overdevelopment is what happens when the roaster goes too far trying to achieve a dark roast.

Arguably, it’s when roasting strips all subtlety from the flavor, but many experts maintain that overdevelopment is not a thing at all. Rather it allows certain beans to bloom in a unique way and has its own charm.

On the other hand, there are those who’d say that overdeveloped coffee tastes like burnt.

What color is overdeveloped coffee?

Very dark, closer to black than to the standard coffee color.