French Roast

Bold and hearty, French Roast is a classic favorite among dark roast lovers. Our fresh take on this classic dark roast is a cup that's heavy bodied, with a smoky twist and a lingering finish.

More than 30% of the coffee in our French Roast originates from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms.

Here are some great drink ideas that you can make with the ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS French Roast coffee:

• Premium DOVE® Mocha (Add DOVE® Hot Chocolate to make your mocha)
• A delicious French Roast Cappuccino (Add Cappuccino/Latte Swirl to make your cappuccino)
• A creamy caramel MilkyWay® Swirl Latte (Add MilkyWay® Swirl to make your latte)
• Half-Caf with French Roast Decaf
• Or mix French Roast with any ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS coffee you choose

*Approximate values based on standard brew settings.

Caffeine as a function of agricultural variation;
Unlike manufactured products, such as soft drinks and some pharmaceutical that introduce caffeine into products as a measured ingredient, caffeine is a naturally occurring component in agricultural crops such as coffee, tea and cocoa. Agricultural products do not have a single fixed chemical composition instead they are subject to variance due to factors inherent in the agricultural practice. For this reason approximate levels of caffeine for each product have been established within the respective industries. Approximate levels are based on repeated testing and average results.

Caffeine as a function of coffee type;
There are two species of coffee grown commercially, Robusta and Arabica. Each of the species has a unique of range of levels of caffeine content, the exact level of which is dependent on several factors including the variety of the plant, the growing climate and the stage of maturation when the coffee is harvested. In general Robusta has approximately twice the natural caffeine content as Arabica.

Caffeine as a result of roast profile;
There is minimal caffeine loss as a result of the roasting process. The difference in caffeine content, when compared bean to bean, in a light roasted coffee and the same coffee dark roasted is negligible. During the roasting process, coffee beans simultaneously expand in size while losing weight as water and other volatiles are driven off. As a result, coffee loses density; dark roast coffee is less dense than light roast coffee. Varying densities in coffee help address the belief that dark roast coffee has more caffeine than light roast coffee.

Caffeine as a result of the brewing process;
The caffeine content of the final beverage is determined by the amount of caffeine contained in the roasted coffee and the rate of extraction that occurs during the brewing process. The ideal coffee brewing process will control the parameters which influence extraction; the amount of coffee used per water, the grind of the coffee being used, the water temperature and the length of time the coffee and water will remain in contact.

Decaffeinated Coffee;
Coffee contains caffeine naturally and must undergo a process of caffeine removal to produce decaffeinated coffee. There is a variety of processes employed in the industry to decaffeinate coffee but no process is able to achieve 100% removal of all caffeine inherent in the product, thus decaf coffee does contain trace amounts of caffeine. Regulations regarding the exact amount of residual caffeine allowed in the product differ in some countries but all are consistent with a residual amount of caffeine that will be physiologically negligible. The caffeine content of decaffeinated coffee is controlled by analysis and measurement.