Alan’s Words of Wisdom: French vs. Italian Roast

Today, Alan asked me what was the difference between French and Italian Roast coffees. Upon consulting The Magic Answer Box, Alan attempted to sum up Seattle Coffee Gear’s post:

So… the French are dark and oily… and the Italians are darker and oilier?

For the record, there does not seem to be a consensus about the darkest roasted coffee. Most of the other sites seemed to suggest that French is the darkest roast.