The sweet spot between bold and bright. Great flavor without the guesswork, shipped fresh across Canada.
Our Medium Roast Coffee Beans
Browse our medium roast collection – whether you need reliable morning fuel, versatile brewing options, or just want coffee that tastes good every time, we've got you covered.
Hoodoo Medium Roast Coffee Beans
This blend is full of adventure, requires good hiking boots and poles but all worth it. We combined a steady balance of chocolate and honey to get you through the scramble. Hoodoo delivers the kind of smooth, balanced flavors that fuel both mountain adventures and morning routines.
What makes it work: We've sourced specialty beans from Ethiopia, Honduras, and Colombia and roasted them to develop rich milk chocolate sweetness with honey notes. Low acidity means it's smooth and approachable whether you're brewing at basecamp or in your kitchen.
Perfect for: Adventure seekers who need reliable fuel, daily drinkers who want something smooth and sweet, or anyone looking for medium roast that delivers consistent flavor. Works beautifully in coffee press, drip coffee, and pour-over brewing.
Tasting Notes: Milk Chocolate, Sweet, Honey
Roast Level: Medium
Origin: Ethiopia, Honduras, Colombia
Wild West Medium Roast Coffee Beans
We didn't hold back on this one. This unique flavor combination is unpredictably enduring. Our tribute to the never-ending beauty of our home in Western Canada. Wild West delivers complex flavors that capture the spirit of the west – bold enough to be memorable, smooth enough for daily drinking.
What maskes it work: Most medium roasts play it safe, but Wild West brings something different to the table. The cherry notes add brightness while milk chocolate provides richness, all wrapped up in natural sweetness.
Perfect for: Anyone who wants medium roast with personality, daily drinkers who appreciate complexity, or coffee lovers looking for something that represents the best of Western Canada. Excellent in coffee press, pour-over coffee makers, and filter brewing.
Tasting Notes: Cherry, milk chocolate, sweet
Roast Level: Medium
Origin: Peru and Honduras
Why Medium Roast Coffee Beans Hit Different
Let's be honest – medium roast gets overlooked. It's not as trendy as light roast single-origins, and it doesn't have the bold reputation of dark roast. But here's what the best medium roast coffee actually delivers: the perfect balance between bright and bold without the extremes that make coffee difficult to enjoy.
Whether you're looking to buy medium roast coffee beans online in Canada or find the perfect canadian medium roast coffee for your daily routine, medium roast gives you flexibility and consistency that other roast levels can't match.
Small-batch advantage. While big roasters are pushing out thousands of pounds per day, we're roasting in small batches where we can actually pay attention to each one. No rushing, no shortcuts, just coffee roasted the way it should be. That's the difference you taste in every cup.
Fresh roasting matters more than you think. Those bags sitting on grocery store shelves for weeks? They were probably roasted months ago, shipped across the country, then sat waiting for you to buy them. Our beans are roasted weekly in small batches and shipped within days. The difference in taste is night and day.
Quality without the markup. We source speciality beans and roast them properly, but we're not charging café prices because we don't have café overhead. Simple math: better beans + fair pricing = coffee that actually makes sense. Perfect for drip coffee, French press, and pour-over brewing across Canada.
No Kidding: The Truth About Medium Roast Coffee
Medium Roast Isn't "Basic" (It's Actually Harder to Get Right)
Here's something that might surprise you: medium roast is actually trickier to roast well than dark roast. With dark roast, you can hide mistakes behind bold, smoky flavors. With light roast, you're banking on the bean's natural characteristics. But medium roast? You need to develop complex flavors while maintaining balance – there's nowhere to hide.
The sweet spot explained: Medium roast beans are roasted just past first crack but before the oils start coming to the surface. This develops the sugars in the bean (creating sweetness and body) while preserving the origin characteristics that make coffee interesting.
Why most medium roasts disappoint: Big commercial roasters often under-develop medium roasts to save time, resulting in coffee that tastes flat or grassy. Or they over-roast slightly, making it bitter and one-dimensional. Getting it right takes attention and skill.
Why Medium Roast Works for Almost Everything
Coffee shops don't tell you this, but medium roast is the most versatile roast level for home brewing. It works well in almost every brewing method without requiring specific techniques or equipment adjustments.
The versatility factor: Medium roast has enough body for espresso but isn't so intense that it overwhelms drip coffee. It has enough acidity to be interesting but not so much that it tastes sour in milk drinks. It's like the Swiss Army knife of coffee roasting.
Brewing flexibility: You can use the same medium roast beans for your morning drip coffee, afternoon French press, and evening pour-over without having to adjust your technique significantly. Try doing that with light or dark roast.
Fresh-Roasted Medium Roast Beats Stale Premium Every Time
The biggest mistake people make is buying expensive, "premium" medium roast that's been sitting around for weeks. Fresh medium roast from decent beans will always taste better than stale medium roast from amazing beans.
How to tell if your medium roast is fresh: Fresh medium roast beans should be dry with no visible oil. They should smell aromatic when you open the container – if you don't smell anything, they're already past their prime.
The timeline that matters: Medium roast coffee is at its peak 5-14 days after roasting and stays good for 2-4 weeks if stored properly. After that, you're drinking coffee-flavored disappointment.
How to Actually Brew Great Medium Roast Coffee
The Easy Method That Works Every Time
Start with the right ratio: 1:15 to 1:17 coffee to water ratio works for most medium roasts. That's about 30 grams of coffee to 450-500 grams of water for a standard cup.
Water temperature matters: 195-205°F is the sweet spot. Too hot and you'll extract bitter compounds, too cool and you'll get weak, sour coffee. If you don't have a thermometer, let boiling water sit for 30 seconds.
Grind fresh, grind right: Medium roast works with a wide range of grind sizes, but consistency matters more than perfection. Aim for medium grind (like coarse kosher salt) for drip coffee, slightly coarser for French press.
Timing is everything: Most brewing methods work best with 4-6 minute contact time. Longer than that and you risk over-extraction (bitterness), shorter and you might get under-extraction (sourness).
Making Medium Roast Work in Different Brewing Methods
Drip Coffee: Medium grind, 1:16 ratio, 195-200°F water. Should take 4-6 minutes total brew time.
French Press: Coarse grind, 1:15 ratio, 200°F water, 4 minute steep time. Don't press too hard – let gravity do the work.
Pour-Over: Medium-fine grind, 1:16 ratio, 200-205°F water, 3-4 minute total brew time. Pour slowly and evenly.
Cold Brew: Coarse grind, 1:8 ratio, room temperature water, 12-24 hour steep. Medium roast makes excellent cold brew with balanced flavor.
Canadian Coffee vs. The Import Game
Why Local Roasting Wins for Medium Roast
Shipping time matters: Medium roast coffee has a shorter optimal window than dark roast. By the time imported beans clear customs and make it to stores, they're often past their peak flavor period. Canadian-roasted beans can be in your cup within days of roasting.
Quality control: When your roaster is across the country instead of across the world, consistency is easier to maintain. We know exactly when our beans were roasted, how they were stored, and when they shipped.
Supporting the home team: Every bag of Canadian coffee you buy supports local jobs and keeps money in the Canadian economy. It's a win-win that tastes better too.
The True Cost of Café Coffee
Do the math: A large coffee at most Canadian cafés costs $2.50-4.00. Our medium roast beans make about 35-40 cups per bag. That's roughly $0.60-0.70 per cup versus $2.50-4.00 at a café.
But it's not just about money: You get consistency, convenience, and the satisfaction of making something great yourself. Plus, you can dial in the strength exactly how you like it instead of hoping the barista got it right.
Common Questions About Medium Roast Coffee Beans
The best medium roast coffee beans depend on your taste preferences, but look for Canadian-roasted options with recent roast dates - and we mean actual roast dates, not vague "best by" dates. Every Twisted Goat box is stamped with the exact day we roasted your beans. Our medium roasts develop balanced flavors with chocolate and caramel notes, good body and brightness without crossing into bitter or sour territory. Clean, versatile coffee that works for everything from drip to espresso.
Medium roast coffee beans are at their peak 5-14 days after roasting and remain good for 2-4 weeks if stored properly in a cool, dry place. After that, they're still drinkable but you'll notice a significant drop in flavor quality.
Absolutely! Medium roast beans work great for espresso, especially if you prefer a brighter, more balanced shot. They won't have the traditional bold, bitter characteristics of darker espresso roasts, but they'll give you interesting flavors and good crema. Perfect for milk drinks where you want the coffee to complement rather than overpower.
Medium roast coffee is roasted just past first crack, developing sweetness and body while preserving origin characteristics. Dark roast is roasted further, creating bold, smoky flavors but losing some of the bean's natural characteristics. Medium roast tends to be more acidic and complex, while dark roast is more bitter and full-bodied. Neither is "better" – it's about preference.
Both offer quality Canadian-roasted coffee, but our approach differs. While Kicking Horse Three Sisters is their popular medium roast option, our medium roasts focus on clean development without oily surfaces that can clog equipment. We roast for balance and versatility - perfect for daily drinking whether you brew drip, French press, or espresso. Plus every box shows the exact roast date so you know exactly how fresh your coffee is.
Right here! We ship fresh-roasted medium roast coffee across Canada with fast delivery. Our BC location means quick shipping times, especially for Western Canada. Free shipping on orders over $50, and every box is stamped with the exact roast date so you know you're getting peak-flavor coffee.
Look for beans that are fresh-roasted, sourced from quality farms, and roasted by someone who understands medium roast development. Our whole bean medium roast collection is designed to work perfectly in home brewing equipment - from basic drip makers to fancy pour-over setups. The key is beans roasted properly for balance without under or over-developing.
For most brewing methods, use a 1:15 to 1:17 ratio of coffee to water. That's about 30 grams of coffee (roughly 4 tablespoons) to 450-500 grams of water. Start with 1:16 and adjust based on taste – more coffee if it's too weak, less if it's too strong.
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