Over the last few years, the term Blonde Roast has been appearing more and more in coffee shops and wherever you can purchase coffee. Isn’t coffee just coffee? What is a Blonde Roast, and is it light as its name suggests?
What is Blonde Coffee?
The short answer is that blonde coffee is a light roast. Before Blonde Roast became known by this name, many people called it cinnamon.
Unfortunately, this confused customers because the coffee didn’t taste like cinnamon. Starbucks made the term Blonde Roast popular with their light-bodied coffee.
- PREMIUM COFFEE IN A K-CUP—Starbucks delivers exceptional coffee cup after cup with this 32-count K-Cup pod box of Veranda Blend lightly roasted coffee for Keurig brewers
- STARBUCKS VERANDA BLEND COFFEE—Our lightest roasted coffee with notes of toasted malt and baking chocolate
- FRESH TASTE—Starbucks adheres to the highest quality standards—shipping you the same carefully roasted 100% arabica coffee beans we brew in our cafés
- MAKE IT YOUR OWN—The perfect everyday cup, Starbucks coffee is great for adding personal touches of inspiration like milk, cream, syrup or a variety of other additions to make it your own
- ETHICALLY SOURCED—Starbucks is committed to 100% ethical coffee sourcing in partnership with Conservation International
Unlike traditional coffee beans, a Blonde Roast is made from green or blonde coffee beans. Ultimately, Blonde coffee is named this because when the beans are brewed, the result is lighter-colored coffee and lighter-bodied.
You may find yourself thinking that there’s already light roast coffee on the market. A Blonde Roast is even lighter than a light roast. It’s an easy coffee to drink, especially for those who really don’t like strong coffee.
A good cup of Blonde Coffee will have fruity notes, a high level of acidity, and a delicious after-taste. You’ll know you’re sipping on a lousy cup of Blonde Roast if it tastes like boiled peanuts with a banana aftertaste. You may not think this sounds too bad, but that’s not how it’s supposed to taste.
What You Need to Prepare Blonde Roast at Home
If you don’t want to head to the local coffee shop for a Blonde Coffee or use Keurig cups or pre-ground Blonde Roast at home, you can make it. But, there are a few things you’re going to need to pull this off. First things first, you need green coffee beans or coffee beans made for Blonde Roast.
When you’ve purchased unground Blonde Roast coffee beans, you’ll need to grind the beans at home. To do this, you’re going to want a solid burr grinder. Using a burr grinder that isn’t strong may cause the burrs to break or your beans not to be ground to the ideal fineness.
A strong grinder is needed because lighter coffee beans are generally hard, and using a cheaper grinder won’t hold up against these beans.
Alternatively, you can also buy ground coffee right off the bat. Starbucks offers blonde roast ground coffee.
- A lighter, gentler take on the Starbucks roast, Veranda Blend is flavorful without being overly bold
- Blonde is our lightest roast with more mellow and approachable flavors
- Enjoy the Starbucks coffee you love without leaving the house
- For finest taste, use cold, filtered water and store ground coffee in a cool, dark place
- Each pack includes a 20-ounce bag of ground Starbucks coffee
Another thing you’ll need to prepare Blonde Roast at home is a pour-over cone. If you don’t know what a pour-over cone is, it’s a cone that helps increase the steeping time. Increasing the steeping time lets the coffee be fully extracted.
Lastly, you’ll need soft water for brewing. Soft water is water that is free of hard minerals. Tap water tends to be too harsh on these types of coffee beans because they need much more time to dissolve than darker coffee beans. You won’t end up with a delicious cup of Blonde Coffee without soft water.
If you don’t have access to soft water, we’ve reviewed the best coffee makers for hard water for you.
How to Prepare a Cup of Blonde Roast Coffee
Now that you know everything you’ll need to make Blonde Roast Coffee, how do you create a perfect cup of Blonde Roast at home? Keep in mind, if you purchase ground coffee that is a Blonde Roast already, you can skip to the part where you actually brew the coffee.
Before you even grind your coffee beans, you’ll want to roast them. If you’re looking for a quick process, this isn’t for you. Blonde Roast requires you to roast the beans on low heat slowly to achieve the right aroma and flavor.
You’ll need to roast the beans over low heat until you hear the first crack. You may be wondering what that means, but you will hear it when it happens. The first crack will occur when the beans reach anywhere from 356 and 401 degrees Fahrenheit.
After you’ve roasted your beans, the next step in getting that perfect Blonde Roast is to grind the green coffee beans. You need to load your coffee grinder with about a quarter cup of coffee beans and begin grinding. Grind your beans until you get them to the desired fineness. For general coffee, a medium to coarse grind works best.
After you have ground coffee beans, you can begin the steeping process. Load your coffee machine with soft water and freshly ground beans and watch the magic happen. Once your machine has finished brewing, you can pour yourself a cup and enjoy.
Calorie Content of Blonde Roast
Just like darker roasts, Blonde Coffee is relatively low in calories. If you’re drinking your coffee without any sweeteners, milk, or creamer, it will stay very low in calories. A traditional eight ounce cup of Blonde Roast is only about three calories before adding in anything.
Compared to a dark roast, it’s only one more calorie for the same amount of coffee. If you want to keep your coffee beverage low calorie, you’ll want to drink it black or limit the amount of sugar, creamer, or milk you add-in.
Caffeine Content of Blonde Roast
If Blonde Roast is a lighter coffee, does it have less caffeine than a medium or dark roast? Generally, no. For the most part, the caffeine content in Blonde Roast is similar to medium and dark roasts.
For an eight ounce cup of Blonde Roast, the caffeine content is about 180 mg. If you were to look at Starbucks Blonde Roast compared to their darker roasts, the Blonde Roast has a higher caffeine content.
Ways to Drink Blonde Coffee
Of course, you can drink a cup of Blonde Coffee like how many people choose to drink coffee, hot. But, when those summer months hit, and a hot cup of coffee is not the move, you can use Blonde Roast for your iced coffee.
If you do use the Blonde Roast to make an iced coffee, be aware that the flavor may not be as strong as it would be when you drink it hot because the ice can water it down. Since the flavor is already light, you may only want to drink it in iced coffee if you plan to do so quickly.
