Starting on Tuesday January 9, 2018, at Starbucks you’ll find a new option for your espresso beverages. It’s Blonde Roast espresso. This is a lighter roast profile espresso.
About one year ago, Starbucks launched the same Blonde Roast Espresso in Canada. I wrote about it here. At that time, Starbucks coffee guru Anthony Carroll described it like this: “With our signature Starbucks Espresso, the caramelly roast comes through in the beverage while Blonde Espresso is a sweeter, gentler flavor.”
With Blonde Espresso Roast, the coffee beans are literally a lot lighter than traditional core Starbucks Espresso:
You can really see the different between the Blonde Espresso Roast (in the small part of the espresso hopper) compared to the dark espresso roast.
You can use Blonde Espresso Roast any way you’d use core espresso: Have it as a solo shot of espresso, enjoy it in an Americano, enjoy it in a Latte or any espresso beverage, or have it poured over a coffee Frappuccino or any other way you like your shot of espresso.
It is a gentler, approachable flavor. My Americano does look decidedly lighter than what you’d normally expect from this drink:
Notice that the custom cup code is “B” for Blonde espresso.
You’ll find signs for it all over your store:
Because it’s a lighter espresso, it might be something that people are drawn to in the summer. Blonde roast coffees are often great iced and can be jazzed up as a “Coffee Shandy” too.
I recommend trying Blonde Espresso an iced Americano or in a vanilla latte. I prefer it as an iced Americano.
I think it’s great that Starbucks is giving espresso fans another option for their drink! Just ask for Blonde Roast at the register. Starbucks traditional core espresso has been around since 1975. Dave Olsen used coffee beans roasted by Starbucks to create a perfect espresso blend, and shortly after that he came to Starbucks as the top coffee person. Starbucks forever used his formulation and blend for traditional core espresso. You can learn more about the stories behind the coffee here.
