Author: John Bird

Starbucks introduced us to Blonde roasted coffee which just added to our list of another-coffee-related-phrase-we-don’t-understand. 

It turns out, blonde roasted coffee is quite simple and actually super delicious! As a fellow coffee lover, we thought it might peak some of your interest to know more about this. 

In this article, you will find everything you need to know about blonde coffee. From what blonde coffee is to how you can make it at home, this is a complete guide to blonde coffee. 

What is Blonde Coffee?

What is blonde roast coffee exactly? Just like the name, blonde roasted coffee is a version of roasted coffee that is lighter in color. 

This means the coffee beans are not roasted for an extensive period of time. Most of us are used to darker and deeper roasts so it can be quite a jump to try blonde coffee.

But once you do, the appeal of blonde coffee will be clear to you. As it does not get long exposure to heat, it has a higher acidity level than any other coffee roasts. This creates a distinctive flavor to your cuppa. 

Blonde coffee was initially advertised as “cinnamon roast” but people kept confusing it with Starbucks cinnamon flavor. So they changed the name to blonde and it immediately caught everyone’s attention!

Blonde coffee is all about the coffee beans. You will be able to tell whether the bens are quality or not upon the first sip. Dark roasts often help to hide the bean quality as it all looks and tastes quite similar after brewing. 

Blonde coffee on the other hand is like an open book. So if you use cheap beans, it will show. 

We think blonde roast should only be done if the beans are of premium quality. This type of roasting really lets the coffee beans shine. 

History of Blonde Coffee

“Light City”, “Half City”, and “New England Roasts” are other names for the blonde variety of coffee that has gained popularity due to its mellow flavour and light roast. Blonde coffee, as opposed to darker roasts, is noted for having a milder and smoother flavour that even occasional coffee drinkers can appreciate.

The Origin of the Name

The name “Blonde Coffee” was derived from the light color of the coffee beans, which is a result of the light roasting process. In the past, this type of coffee was called Cinnamon Roast, but the name was changed as it was believed to refer to the taste and not the color of the beans.

Misconceptions About Blonde Coffee

In the past, blonde coffee was often thought of as weak or less powerful because of its light color. However, this belief was due to the fact that darker coffee was often imported from politically more developed countries. Today, the misconception about blonde coffee’s weak flavor has been dispelled, and it is widely recognized as a delicious and approachable coffee roast.

The Benefits of Blonde Coffee

One of the key benefits of blonde coffee is its mild flavor profile, which makes it a great choice for those who don’t drink a lot of coffee. Unlike other roasts that can be overpowering and bitter, blonde coffee has a smooth and approachable taste that is more accessible to a wider range of coffee drinkers.

Additionally, blonde coffee is considered to be a great option for coffee drinkers who are looking to reduce their caffeine intake. Because of its light roasting process, blonde coffee has less caffeine compared to darker roasts, which can help to limit jitters and other side effects associated with caffeine.

What is Blonde Espresso?

Blonde espresso is made using lighter roasted beans. This specific roasting level provides a sweet and smoother taste compared to a regular espresso. 

If you are someone who does not like too bitter or sharp coffee, blonde espresso might be just what you need. It has all the flavor and aroma of regular espresso but with a fruity, specifically lemony undertone. 

This is due to the high acidity level of the beans. So you will feel pretty refreshed after having one of these. 

Some complain how Starbucks coffee always tastes harsh and intense. You can try the blonde-roasted version for a mellowed-down experience. Blonde americano tastes really good too. 

What is a Blonde Latte?

Blonde latte is a latte made using Starbucks blonde roast. Due to its mellow and sweeter taste, blonde coffee goes really well as caffè latte. Blonde vanilla latte is very popular and tastes wonderful. 

The acidity of blonde roast goes better with certain drinks than others. One thing to mention is, if you plan on making a blonde latte at home, add the cream first to the cup and then add your espresso shot to it. Starbucks blonde vanilla latte is a classic example of doing it right. 

The high acidity level of blonde coffee can cause the cream to separate. Adding coffee to the cream prevents that from happening. 

Difference between Blonde and Regular Coffees

The main difference between coffee blonde and signature regular espresso is where the beans come from and how long they have been roasted. 

Blonde coffee beans usually come from Latin America although they can be found in other places too. They are then roasted at a very specific temperature for a short amount of time. 

The result is a soft and subtly sweet coffee experience. It is less bitter and intense than regular espresso and has a light fruitiness to it. You can drink it with any type of syrup. 

Blonde coffee requires less sugar and syrup as it’s naturally a bit on the sweeter side. Starbucks blonde roast caffeine level is also higher than regular coffee. 

Coffee blonde has a 10mg higher caffeine level per shot compared to regular coffee. As the coffee is almost intact after roasting, it has a higher caffeine level. 

The espresso coffee we enjoy normally is made using African beans. They are roasted for a long period of time which gives them the classic dark chocolate brown color. When we think of coffee, this is what comes to our mind by default. 

Signature espresso is dark and bold. If you are someone who doesn’t drink coffee regularly, this might not be what you want to try. It can taste almost bitter. 

Some say traditional espresso has a chocolaty undertone to it whereas blonde espresso is more lemony. So you can understand how drastically different they are from each other.

How to Brew Starbucks Coffee at Home

We all love Starbucks coffee in the morning, but they are so expensive and often too much of a hassle to get. If you could make it by yourself at home, would you go out every morning to buy it? 

Here’s our guide to making Starbucks coffee at home:

1. Start with picking the grind size. If you want an intense espresso, pick the finest grind you can find. 

Medium-fine grind provides a mellower coffee. An easy way to remember is, fine grind looks like granulated sugar. 

2. A standard coffee mug can hold around 8 ounces of water. For a standard cup of coffee, use 2 ½ tablespoons of freshly ground coffee beans. 
3. Use your coffee maker to brew the coffee. Brewed coffee tastes better and richer compared to any other method. You get the best flavor this way. 

That is it. It’s that simple. Now you can take it from here in whichever way you want. You can make an iced coffee from this or you can add cream to make a delicious latte. 

You can add hot water to make an americano. There are so many different options and flavors to try. You can also use coffee creamers to make the coffee taste sweet and creamy.

Frequently  Asked Questions 

01. Is Blonde Coffee Strong?

Blonde coffee is not stronger than other types of coffee. If anything, it has a lower caffeine level than dark roast coffee. 

The reason why it’s called blonde coffee is because it’s a fairly light roast. This provides a smooth flavor profile and feels very refreshing in the morning. 

Contrary to popular beliefs, roasting of the coffee beans does not impact much on how strong it’s going to be. The type of bean you use determines the caffeine level. So if you get a blonde roast with Robusta beans, it’s going to be stronger than a dark roast of Arabica beans. 

If you want strong coffee, look for Robusta beans instead of Arabica. The blonde  roast Starbucks espresso shot caffeine level is 10% higher than their classic Italian roast. 

02. Is Blonde Roast Healthy?

Yes, blonde roast coffee is healthy just like any other roasted coffees. Blonde roast in general is not very different from any other type of coffee in terms of nutrition level and caffeine content. It’s just a lighter roast. 

If you add a lot of sugar to your coffee or consume too many cups of blonde americano every day, then it might become a health issue in the long run. 

03. How Does Blonde Roast Taste?

Blonde coffee does not taste like regular espresso in any way. It has a sweeter and almost tangy taste with a very strong scent. Some say blonde coffee tastes sour and lemony. 

The density of blonde roast is another thing to mention. Blonde roast is not as thick as a dark roasted brew. 

Blonde roast tastes so distinctive due to its higher acidity level. Many think blonde roast actually shows the real flavor of the coffee beans. 

If you compare blonde roasts with darker roasts, you might say darker roasts have a chocolaty and caramelized flavor compared to blonde coffee. The longer you roast your coffee beans, the more caramelized it tastes. Blonde flat white is something worth trying. 

04. What Makes Blonde Roast So Special?

Due to its quick roasting process, blonde coffee develops something called “coffee silverskin. It’s basically an outer layer on top of the beans. This layer has high antioxidant properties which can help to improve your immune system. 

Blonde coffee also has a high Vitamin C content which is why it’s so acidic. Vitamin C also provides the signature tangy and sour undertone to it. 

05. Do Blonde Coffees Have More Caffeine?

Coffee blonde does not have more caffeine than regular roasted coffee. The level of caffeine solely depends on the type of coffee beans you are using. So if you use Arabica beans, both light and dark roast would have the same caffeine levels. 

If you want higher caffeine content, try using Robusta beans instead of Arabica. Robusta has richer and higher caffeine that will keep you awake at night. It’s also super delicious! 

Bottom Line

Starbucks has been one of the world’s top coffee chains for a reason. They keep adding new drinks and roasts to their menu which means there’s something for everyone! Blonde roast, something that started quite innocuously, has become a classic choice for many coffee drinkers.

Even though Starbucks was the first company or person to create blonde roast, they are the one who brought it to mainstream attention. Now that you know what blonde coffee is, you might plan to give it a try. 

It’s a hit or miss for many people. In the end, we think it all depends on personal preference.

You’ve heard it everywhere: you need to make coffee bloom. The only response when you’re a beginner to coffee is a confused look to these kinds of statements, but we’re here to clear things up for you!

For everything about coffee bloom, how to do it, and why it should be done, read our article below:

What Is Coffee Bloom?

If you see foaming and bubbling in the surface area of your coffee during the brewing process, you’re watching coffee bloom. Nope, the bubbles aren’t just there without a name — it’s actually an important part of your coffee-brewing process!

Blooming coffee is also called pre-infusion by many coffee drinkers.

History of Coffee Blooming

Coffee was first found in the highlands of Ethiopia, where it was used for thousands of years by nomadic tribes. Coffee was used in Yemen monasteries to help people stay awake so they could pray. I guess it’s just the way people are that they find studying boring.

By the 16th century, trade routes through the Mediterranean brought it to Europe and the Middle East, but only the wealthy could get it, and it wasn’t popular in Europe until the 17th century, when coffee houses opened. The Dutch brought coffee to America in the end.

Today, it’s one of the drinks that millions of people all over the world drink the most. Some people can’t start their day until they’ve had a cup of coffee.

What Makes Coffee Bloom? The Science Behind It

But what does make coffee bloom like this?

The answer is simple. Coffee bloom is really just the coffee releasing carbon dioxide when the coffee comes into contact with water. Fresh coffee grounds then bubble and expand.

The mystery behind the coffee bloom is also straightforward.

Coffee, once roasted, begins a degassing process. It gives off carbon dioxide over fourteen days or two weeks.

However, the most gas is released during the first few hours of the roasting process, then over the next week. Apart from naturally degassing, grinding your coffee also releases carbon dioxide.

The grinding increases the coffee’s surface area, which increases the amount of gas each coffee bean releases.

When ground coffee comes into contact with hot water, the degassing process is sped up even more. This is what causes the coffee bloom in the first place!

Why Should I Bloom Coffee? Benefits of Coffee Blooming

Okay, so you know what a coffee bloom is, and how it happens. But what’s the point of blooming coffee anyway? Can’t you just drink freshly roasted coffee as it is without the coffee blooming process?

You could do so, but you’ll be missing out on the benefits that blooming coffee gives:

Improved Taste

Believe us: carbon dioxide does not taste good. And if you don’t bloom your coffee, the carbon dioxide in the coffee beans will be infused into the taste of the coffee itself.

Carbon dioxide tastes sour, sure, but it also does more of a disservice to your freshly ground coffee. This is because carbon dioxide repels water. As a result, the water won’t be able to start extracting flavor from freshly roasted beans!

Better extraction

Blooming causes the coffee grinds to expand and become more porous, allowing for greater flavour and fragrance extraction.

Consistency

Blooming may assist to make a more uniform cup of coffee by ensuring that all of the grounds are wetted equally.

Increased Scent:

The release of carbon dioxide during flowering may also improve the aroma of the coffee, providing a more pleasing sensory experience.

Better crema

Blooming may also aid in the improvement of crema, the froth that develops on the surface of espresso shots.

Reduced Bitterness

Blooming may assist to lessen bitterness in the cup by allowing for improved extraction, resulting in a smoother, more balanced coffee.

So, let coffee bloom! Let the carbon dioxide escape and you won’t have a sour taste in your coffee. You’ll have all the flavor compounds you could want with all the natural gases and other volatile compounds out of the way.

How to Bloom Coffee? What Equipment Required? 4 Different Brewing Methods

With different brewing methods, it may be hard to know how to bloom coffee properly. Whether you’re using a coffee maker or a French press, we have you covered:

With a French Press

It helps to start the bloom process with a timer ready. You can either have a dedicated kitchen timer or simply use your phone for tracking how long you bloom freshly roasted coffee for.

Boil some water first. You want your ground coffee to be as fresh as possible, so it helps if you’re grinding your very own coffee beans.

Place your ground coffee beans at the very bottom of the French press. Now, it’s time to bloom!

Set a timer to at least four minutes. Prepare your hot water. Pour the hot water onto the coffee grounds — just enough to have them all uniformly soaked. Once the hot water hits the coffee, the beans degas!

Slowly pour hot water in a circular motion until the coffee grounds are dripping wet. Let it soak for a while. Once the timer has 30 seconds left on it, pour the remaining water into the French press to steep it for around five minutes. Then, you can press the plunger down to separate the grounds. You’ve got good coffee in such a short time!

With Automatic Drip Coffee Makers

Is it possible to bloom coffee grounds in your automatic drip coffee maker? Every local coffee shop and coffee enthusiast seems to think so! All you have to do is follow our steps.

Use a paper filter for the drip basket. Make sure you’re not using an absorbent coffee filter — you don’t want the flavor compounds from the ground beans to be absorbed, and as a result, lessening the rich flavor profile of your coffee. Instead, we recommend using a Gold Tone Coffee Filter like this.

Add your ground coffee to the paper filter. Let the filter basket fill up halfway as you pour in hot water. It helps if you stir the coffee grounds for a little before letting the coffee bloom on its own.

Around 60 seconds should be enough for blooming your coffee. After this brewing method, you can go ahead and start on your coffee brewing routine. Go to your regular brew cycle and start it up!

With Pour-Over Coffee

With pour-over coffee, brewing coffee — and blooming it — has never been easier! The concept of blooming coffee comes from the pour-over method anyway. All you have to do is put down a paper filter into your cup and measure out the coffee grounds.

Measure out the amount of hot water you’re going to use next. For pour-over coffee, we recommend coffee blooming and brewing with a gooseneck kettle. We recommend this electric gooseneck kettle from COSORI! The shape of the spout allows for a more even blooming and brewing phase.

Pour over the hot water over the grounds to allow the coffee to bloom.

With an Espresso Machine

Remember how we mentioned coffee blooming your coffee bed is also known as pre-infusion? That applies to blooming with an espresso machine! In fact, the crema we all know and love with espresso is because of coffee bloom — it’s all sealed in, where gas can’t escape.

With pre-infusion, you soak the puck of your ground coffee gently in hot water. Make sure that water evenly penetrates all the coffee grounds for an even extraction!

How to Ensure a Bloom

Want to know how you can achieve a coffee bloom? Maybe you’ve always been curious — or you actually want it to be a vital step in the brewing and roasting process. See how you can ensure a bloom below:

#1 Make Sure the Coffee is Fresh

A coffee bloom only happens with fresh beans and coffee grinds. How much gas coffee ends up releasing depends on the freshness of the coffee itself. So, if you’ve already roasted and ground your coffee for a while, it might not bloom at all. The organic material and volatile compounds have already been released!

#2 Store Your Coffee Properly

Have you already roasted and ground your coffee, but you still want coffee to bloom? Freshness will depend on how you store your coffee then!

Before we get into storage, make sure you maximize whatever freshness you get first. Use whole beans fresh from coffee harvests, and grind your own beans. To get the most out of your coffee, we recommend drinking a cup of coffee within a month that you get coffee roasted.

Now, let’s get into storage. Let’s start with the basics: use an opaque, air-tight container. Keeping your coffee beans away from light and air is key to fresh coffee!

You also shouldn’t store each coffee bean for too long. Even if you put your coffee in all the right containers possible, it’s going to get stale and carbon dioxide will be released the longer it’s kept.

Heat should also be looked out for. High temperatures will degas your coffee, releasing the more gas or carbon dioxide in each bean. Cold temperatures will slow down the aging of your coffee instead!

Don’t, however, make the mistake of putting your coffee in the fridge. The fridge has a lot of odors and moisture that will age your coffee further. So, if you love coffee, simply put it in a cool, dry place instead!

If you don’t have an airtight container, a vacuum-sealed bag should do the trick. Happy storing!

#3 Look Into Your Brewing Temperature

Coffee blooms will occur at higher temperatures, which are generally around 92 and 96 degrees Celsius. If you have any device at all that can gauge the temperature of your water, you can make sure you have the right brewing temperature to get coffee blooms.

#4 Check The Roast Degree

In general, we have three roast degrees: light, medium, and dark. As less time is involved in roasting light coffee, it won’t release carbon dioxide the way dark roasts will. There’s less gas and oils trapped in a light roast compared to other roasts that underwent a longer roasting process.

This doesn’t mean, however, that darker Italian roasts, for example, will stay fresher for longer. It just means that they’ve trapped more carbon dioxide and oils into the coffees grown. As much as possible, proper roasting, grinding, and storage should still apply!

#5 Look at the Grind Particle Size

There’s some science involved in the coffee bloom process! Due to the gases exposed and displaced by the water, you might see more of a bloom with finely ground beans instead of coarsely ground coffee. If blooming doesn’t happen right away, you might have had too coarse of a grind.

What If I Don’t See a Bloom?

Not seeing a bloom is mainly a sign that your coffee is no longer as fresh as you thought! It could also mean something regarding your brewing temperature and grind particle size, as we mentioned above.

How to Make a Cold Brew with Coffee Bloom

#1 Grind Your Coffee

Use freshly ground coffee for your cold brew! For cold brew coffee, you’d want a coarse grind.

#2 Start with the Bloom

Bloom the coffee by wetting it evenly with water. Bloom time around 30 to 60 seconds.

#3 Combine Coffee and Water

Start by putting the grounds into the container you’ve dedicated for the cold brew. Add water and combine by stirring gently!

#4 Steep Overnight

Cover your container with a lid or plate to keep it safe from dust and bugs. You can steep your coffee for 12 hours or longer. You can leave it out on the kitchen table or counter, or refrigerate it while it steeps.

#5 Strain

Prepare some cheesecloth or flour sack cloth. Use a large measuring cup or bowl and line it with the cheesecloth or flour sack. Pour the coffee from the jar and through the strainer.

#6 Store or Serve

Transfer the coffee to another bottle or jar. You can store it for a week or serve it with ice and milk! Congratulations, you’ve made your very own cold brew!

How to Make Turkish Coffee with Coffee Bloom

#1 Use Turkish Coffee and a Turkish Pot

Buy some Turkish coffee and a pot to go with this recipe. It’s essential to the success of your Turkish coffee!

#2 Combine Sugar, Water, and Coffee Over Medium Heat

Wet coffee first to bloom it. Then, stir sugar, water, and coffee together in the pot. Put the pot on the stove-top on medium-heat and start boiling.

#3 Transfer Foam Build-Up

As you bring the mixture to a boil, dark foam will build up. Transfer this foam using a teaspoon to your coffee cups.

#4 Pour Boiled Coffee

Pour half of the coffee into the cups filled with foam. Return to the stovetop and let it boil again.

#6 Serve

Transfer the remaining coffee into the cups. Congratulations, you’ve made Turkish coffee!

How do I Avoid Under-Extracted Coffee?

Aside from a sour taste that not having a bloom gives, under-extracted coffee will give the same results. The solutions are quite simple! All you need to do is tweak the following:

#1 Water Temperature

Just use hotter water! Many coffee brews won’t extract its flavors with colder water. Don’t use cool or lukewarm water — but be careful not to use too hot water either. The tradeoff is burnt, bitter coffee if you do so!

#2 Brewing Time

Extraction is all about how long your water has interacted with coffee, so your brewing time is important. This is a common mistake with pour-over coffee and the French press! You should let the coffee steep for longer to be able to extract all the flavor possible from the coffee.

#3 Coffee Grind

You can experiment with different grinds to see which is the better choice for your brewing method, but if you want more flavor, you should grind your coffee finer. There’s more area for the water to extract flavors from!

Frequently Asked Questions: