Do you wonder, “What exactly is this ‘blonde espresso’ I keep hearing about?”
You’re not alone. Millions of coffee lovers, Starbucks devotees, espresso enthusiasts, and coffee bean fans of all stripes are sometimes lost in defining the term.
The confusion happens for many reasons, mainly because of how companies market blonde espressos and coffees.
So, if you want to know what coffee beans are in your favorite hot drinks, lay awake at night pondering the caffeine content in lighter roasts vs. dark roasts. Rest easy.
The following questions and answers should give you all the delicious data your brain craves about those little beans from Latin America, Canada, Africa, Hawaii, and other places that bring so much pleasure to your life.
What’s in the fabled “Starbucks blonde espresso?”
The entire line of blonde roast espressos and lighter roast offerings from Starbucks is enjoying a new wave of popularity.
The famed coffee chain sells many different espresso roasts, but the one they call blonde espresso has a taste all its own.
It contains filtered water espresso made with lightly roasted beans. There’s also a dash of vanilla syrup and almond milk mixed in.
When you taste blonde espresso for the first time, you’ll likely take it for a more mellow drink that has a light taste and fruitier impression than typical dark roast coffee.
Is blonde espresso stronger than “regular espresso”?
What people mean by “stronger” is ambiguous. If you’re talking about taste, then the answer is no.
Most blonde roasts taste less intense than ordinary, darker espresso roasts sold in big coffee chains worldwide.
Light roast coffees don’t have that signature “roasted” flavor from roasting the beans until they’re either dark brown or black.
The new blonde espresso and others popping up on menus everywhere have a less acidic taste than standard roast coffee and espresso.
Can I make blonde espresso roast coffee at home?
You sure can, and it doesn’t matter whether you use a French press to make espresso or a standard drip process for regular coffee.
Buying blonde roast beans from Starbucks, First Crack, or your local grocery store.
After that, if you want to imitate the taste of the big chains’ blonde roasts, add vanilla syrup and preferably use almond milk.
Do light roasts have less or more caffeine than darker roasts?
Generally, all blonde roast coffee, whether drip-made or espresso, has more caffeine than any other roast. Why?
The roasting process dictates how much caffeine a coffee beverage has in it. The longer the beans are roasted, the less caffeine is in the final product.
This is true whether you start with a Latin American bean, use French presses, or any other method of creating the hot drink.
Less roasting time means more caffeine.
More roasting means less caffeine.
What’s up with the terminology?
Want to be puzzled? Check out the menus of competing coffee shops, or just read a few articles on significant internet sites about coffee roasts.
For example, you might notice that the same thing is called by several names, blonde espresso roast, lighter roast, blonde espresso, blonde coffee, light espresso, blonde java, and dozens more.
If you’re over 40, you probably remember something called “cinnamon roast” coffee. It was widely sold in coffee shops in the 1970s and 1980s.
It was nothing more and nothing less than blonde roast coffee now undergoing a second significant wave of faddishness.
Is the Starbucks version of blonde roast espresso different?
Yes, it is. You’re guaranteed a higher price with all the chain’s products because it’s from Starbucks.
But, what’s even more relevant for coffee lovers, the drink that Starbucks calls “blonde espresso” has a more robust flavor due to a bit more roasting time.
Compared to its competitors, Starbucks has always left its beans in the roaster a little longer, so the anti-Starbucks crowd often complains that the seller’s drinks are too strong.
So, if you buy your “blonde espresso” from a local mom-and-pop shop or a non-Starbucks chain, expect a lighter taste.
Why do they call it “blonde”?
The whole blonde thing is about marketing, pure and simple. In the early 1900s, before people had lost their minds over coffee, wholesalers and retailers called it “light roast” or “lighter roast” coffee.
As noted above, in the 70s and 80s, the coffee corporations discovered that they could sell more by renaming light roast “cinnamon roast.”
Now, you hear several terms thrown around, like “light,” “lighter,” and “blonde.”
The truth behind the naming is about what the beans look like before and after roasting. So-called blonde roast espresso beans look a bit lighter in color than average roast beans, deeper brown.
Dark roast is honestly named because those beans are the darkest, produce the most robust coffee, and have the lowest amount of caffeine per gram.
What goes best with blonde espresso?
The ideal food to pair with blonde espresso includes a light sandwich or salad with Parmesan or Gouda cheeses.
The so-called sweet cheeses all work well as a snack, on crackers or bread, alongside a tall glass of blonde espresso.
What else is there to know about blonde espresso?
Here are some random “pro tips” about the popular drink. Make it at home and save a ton of money.
The chains are notorious for charging insane prices for the stuff because it happens to be amidst a popularity streak.
Final tip: if you’re watching your caffeine intake, know that blonde espresso has about 20 percent more caffeine, ounce-for-ounce, than regular espresso.
Then again, if you’re avoiding caffeine, it’s probably a good idea not to hang around espresso bars in the first place. Find a new hobby.
But if you love coffee, and are an espresso fan, try the blonde variety and see if it becomes your new favorite.