Why do they call it "French Roast" over here?"

[bif]

When French coffee in France is so awful?

[BurtWorm]

1. I bet it has more to do with N'Awlins than Paris.

[MiddleFingerMom]

2. Here's a pretty good explanation:

.
.
.
.
.
http://www.cobblestonecoffee.com/frenchroast.html
.
.
.
And most Americans have an extremely romanticized notion of
sipping French coffee outside little cafes in Paris -- that IDEA
is delicious in and of itself.
.
Hence, wanting to make the association in the minds of coffee
consumers.
.
.
.

[MajorChode]

3. French roast is an awful roast, so it actually fits quite well

French roast is simply a very dark roast. What happens is during the roasting process, the beans are undergoing the Maillard reaction via the sugars contained in them. Better (and fresher) coffees are typically roasted to lighter roasts so that the inherent flavors of those beans won't be masked by too much carmelization. In other words, for lighter roasts you are tasting more of the inherent flavor of the beans. With darker roasts you are taking the roast itself. Substandard and stale beans may be masked by darker roasts. That's not to say this is always the case. Some beans and brewing methods do well with darker roasts and some people just prefer darker roasts.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. I hate dark roasted coffees. Tastes like I'm swilling water poured into an ashtray.

[IcyPeas]

8. GreenPartyVoter - I totally agree

I love coffee but I find french roast and other dark roasts taste burned to me. Yet so many people love it. oh well - different taste buds.

[Odin2005]

14. LOL, good analogy!

[tigereye]

18. love dark roasts, the same way that I love stouts!

It would be good to know which were the "good" ones. I used to go to a place that roasted all their own beans, I should start doing that again.


on edit, Starbuck's coffee tastes "burnt" to me, though.

[mcollins]

4. After spending three years in Europe

I couldn't stand American coffee.

You develop the taste for it over time.

[gmoney]

6. Why do they call it "French Toast" over here?

When it's probably not something you'd find in a restaurant in France?

[Bassic]

7. You won't find it in a restaurant,

but they'll sometimes make something similar called "pain perdu" with breads that's just about to go bad.

[progressoid]

10. Or French Fries

Pomme frites

[old mark]

9. What do they call it in France?

Shitty coffee?

mark

[nolabear]

12. Le Royale with Caffeine.

[Moondog]

11. French kiss?

[Odin2005]

13. Dark-roast coffee sucks and tastes BURNT.

I like light-roast coffees.

[HEyHEY]

15. I just ask for freedom roast

[tigereye]

19. snort!

[old mark]

16. What do they call French Toast in France? Le Royale with syrup?...nt

[Orsino]

17. We don't want to admit to having burnt the coffee...

...so we blame it on the French.