Blonde Espresso: Overview, Steps to Make It, and How to Order It at Starbucks (2024)

FAQs

How does Starbucks make their blonde espresso? ›

Made up of select Latin American and East African beans, this blend is carefully roasted to coax out sweet, vibrant notes of candied apple and bittersweet chocolate. The result is smooth, well-rounded and versatile, delicious served hot or over ice.

A blonde espresso is brewed using coffee beans that are roasted anywhere between light to medium on the roast profile spectrum. These beans are roasted for a shorter period and make their way into the cooling tray at lower exit temperatures compared to traditional espresso roasts.

Starbucks® Blonde Espresso Roast was introduced in 2017 as our first light-roasted espresso, for customers who wanted a smooth beverage but with a sweet finish. It is a blend of coffee from Latin America and Africa, roasted lighter to showcase the coffee's natural sweetness.

Here's what you do: Boil one cup of water. While you wait for the water to heat up, add two tablespoons of freshly, finely ground coffee to your French press. Add a bit of the boiling water to the French press and stir briefly. Wait four minutes, then slowly push down the plunger, pausing every few seconds.

For example, an average shot of dark roast espresso has approximately 63 mg of caffeine, while the same shot of espresso made with a blonde roast bean may have around 75 milligrams of caffeine.

You may have actually had, what Starbucks calls, a 'blonde espresso' before – just under a different name. 'Light city roast', 'half city' and 'cinnamon roast' are all mostly the same thing. So if you've had any of those before, that's what the blonde espresso is.

Blonde espresso is made from blonde espresso beans. Blonde roast coffee is, essentially, a light roast bean. The coffee community tried calling it a cinnamon roast (because of the color), but it never stuck. Blonde did.

How is Blonde Roast Coffee Made? To achieve the perfect blonde roast, coffee beans are roasted at around 356°F to 401°F for 7-9 minutes. This shorter roasting time allows the natural flavors and aromas of the beans to be preserved, resulting in a light and delicate cup of coffee.

It's fairly simple: Unlike regular espresso, usually made with a darker roast, blonde espresso is made with lightly roasted coffee beans. The result is a milder and more delicate flavor profile with more fruity notes, some floral undertones, a bright acidity, and a lighter body.

Dark roasts go through a roasting process where the beans hit temperatures between 437-446°F. To make a blonde roast, the whole beans are roasted to temperatures between 355-400°F, just before or just after the beans start to crack in the roasting process. White roasts are pulled before any crack at all.

What is a blonde shot at Starbucks? ›

Each espresso blend has its own unique roast profile. Their signature espresso is roasted darker, creating an intense, bold profile and lingering finish. Starbucks® Blonde Espresso is an entirely new roast profile: It's lighter, which highlights the coffee's natural sweetness, and has a smooth, creamy body.

A double shot uses 14g of coffee and produces around 60ml of espresso (about 2 liquid ounces). Double shots are now the standard in America and many places around the world. If you ask for a single, the barista will likely pull a double but use a split portafilter to halve the shot for you.

A blonde latte is a latte made with blonde espresso, which is a lighter roast compared to regular espresso. Blonde espresso is usually made from Latin American and East African coffee beans, delivering a sweet flavor with a smooth and creamy mouthfeel.

Roast Level

Blonde espresso is made from coffee beans that are roasted for a shorter duration, typically around 9-11 minutes. The result is a lighter-colored bean with a more delicate and brighter flavor profile (remember the name "cinnamon roast"? That kind of color).

Blonde espresso is made from blonde espresso beans. Blonde roast coffee is, essentially, a light roast bean. The coffee community tried calling it a cinnamon roast (because of the color), but it never stuck.

It's silky and smooth, and it does not taste burnt like the traditional dark-roast espresso. And the baristas cut down on the flavored syrup additives in drinks made with the new blonde roast, because there's a naturally occurring sweetness in this espresso.

Traditional espresso has a deep, dark color and an intense, rich flavor. Blonde espresso, on the other hand, has a lighter color, and its mild flavor is also a little less intense. It is usually sweeter than regular espresso, and many say it can have citrus notes and hints of chocolate or malt.