What exactly is Blonde Espresso? Unique Tasting Coffee!
Coffee lovers are excited about Blonde Espresso that is made from East African and Latin American coffee beans. What exactly is blonde espresso?
It is a lighter roast of coffee beans that provides a creamy, sweet, and smooth mouthfeel. It is also sought after owing to its health advantages. The blonde roast we speak of, vs a dark roast generally comes off as more acidic.
Lower pH can impact people with migraines, fatigue, joint pain, digestion issues, and muscle pains. It has plenty of antioxidants even more of a dark roast.
What exactly is blonde espresso?
Blonde espresso, a new roast marketing profile, is called blonde owing to its coffee beans color and the way they are roasted. It is a little less bitter, mellower, and a perfect choice espresso for coffee lovers.
This espresso is made from Arabica coffee beans from East Africa and Latin America. The region where the coffee beans play an essential role as the beans impact the final taste of the coffee/espresso.
History- This is a lighter roast coffee bean profile which was earlier referred to as Cinnamon Roast.
However, the market did not pick this name with several of the customer's assuming Cinnamon to be the taste of the coffee and not the color.
Half city, New England Roast, and Light city were other names used for this light roast. However, Blonde Espresso became trendy and Starbucks adopted this name which picked up real fast in the coffee market.
It was first marketed in Canadian stores in 2017 and then in USA stores from 2018 Jan.
About Blonde espresso-Blonde Espresso is a lighter roast that is usually finished right after the initial/first crack. The roasting process stops here without proceeding to the second crack.
The first crack occurs when the heat within the coffee beans rise to around 205 deg C and water vaporizes that is trapped within the beans.
This process results in the expansion of the coffee bean cracking it audibly and physically. This is the first crack.
Blonde Espresso is in huge demand by coffee lovers with a lighter body, high acidity, and retention of citrus/floral notes while capturing coffee flavors of the origin.
The roasting time is reduced and the coffee bean profile is lighter with the same levels of caffeine as in the darker coffee roasts in Blonde Espresso.
Is blonde espresso stronger than regular espresso?
The blonde espresso is lighter even than a light coffee roast. This is why this espresso coffee has lesser bitterness as compared to darker roasts. This makes this coffee/espresso an ideal option for coffee lovers.
However, the strength of the blonde espresso is also dependent on which brand you are choosing. For instance, Starbucks serves the medium or light roast of blonde espresso.
Regardless of light or medium roast, the caffeine levels remain the same though there is variation in the color. The taste is not impacted in any way.
True blonde espresso is lighter owing to its high acidity content. The roast levels are generally determined by roasting temperature, color of the coffee bean, and how many times and when the first crack occurs in the bean shell.
Blonde espresso is
- Lighter than light coffee roast
- Smoother
- Less bitter
- Creamy
- Lighter
The Blonde Espresso is made with lightly roasted East African and Latin American coffee beans. It has a delicious lemon and orange citrus taste with a touch of sweet caramel.
This is a super smooth and refreshingly lighter roast. The caffeine amounts do not differ from a dark roast coffee espresso. It is also referred to by many as summery and sweet as an iced or frozen beverage.
Blonde also gives a powerful buzz in both the hot and cold versions of the latte.
Recommended Article: The Best Espresso Machine Under $200
How is blonde espresso different?
Blonde espresso has a unique coffee roast profile. It is different from the regular espresso in their roasting methods. Regular espresso is dark roasted while blonde espresso is made out of first crack roasted coffee beans.
Blonde espresso is creamy, naturally sweet, and smooth with a new roast coffee profile while regular espresso is bold in profile, lingering finish, intense in taste with its dark roasted coffee beans.
Blonde espresso is different in:
The Roast- The coffee beans are roasted to their first crack. The roast profile results in smooth, creamy, and sweet coffee espresso. They are made from East African and Latin American coffee beans.
The roast impacts the intensity, flavor, and level of caffeine when you brew the espresso.
The Blend- The blonde makes use of coffee beans which deliver citrus notes with a balanced natural sweetness, unlike regular espresso that blends sweet and bold flavor.
The Flavors- The blonde espresso is a lighter roast, subtle in sweetness, smooth, and citrus in flavor while regular espresso is dark in roast, rich, nutty, and caramel sweet in flavor.
Coffee beans origin- Origin of the coffee beans impacts the espresso taste. To optimize the flavor, the origin, the roast, and the blend play an important role. Notice how the different origin coffee beans give a different taste.
Blonde coffee beans are of East Africa and Latin American origin and so a blend that gives a unique coffee/espresso flavor.
Is there more caffeine in a blonde espresso?
A blonde espresso has the same amount of caffeine as in classic espresso by the ounce. However, if you take a cup of blonde espresso, it will have more amount of caffeine when compared to an individual shot of espresso.
1 ounce of blonde espresso comprises 170 mg while 1 ounce of regular espresso has 150 mg of caffeine.
The amount of caffeine also depends on:
- The roasting method
- Harvest
- Brewing method
- The batch
- The serving amount
It is understood that light roasted comprises somewhat more caffeine than dark roasted caffeine. So, it might not be uniform each time. A drip coffee serving has more caffeine as compared to an espresso serving.
It would require about 3 to 4 shots of espresso to reach the same level of caffeine as a drip coffee in a large mug. The longer the coffee bean is roasted, the lesser the amount of caffeine remains.
Dark roasted will have lesser caffeine as compared to a lightly roasted bean.
How do you order a Blonde Roast from Starbucks
Now that you know what exactly is a blonde roast or espresso, you may be wondering how do you exactly go about ordering one from Starbucks.
When you next go to Starbucks, simple order your favorite espresso based drink and say "blonde" anywhere in your order. The team will know exactly what you're meaning, as it implies the type of bean they'll base your drink from.
There are several drinks that you can get from Starbucks that are made from blonde roast beans, these are:
- Blonde Iced Americano
- Blonde Cappuccino
- Blonde Latte; and
- Blonde Espresso Shot
Conclusion
So now you know what exactly is blonde espresso compared to a regular espresso. A blonde espresso is made from first crack roasted coffee beans derived from East Africa and Latin American blend. They are lighter than the light roast coffee beans and are referred to as blonde owing to their light color.
You will find this roast even by the name cinnamon roast or half city roast. The espresso is sweet, creamy, and light. It is an ideal choice for coffee lovers.
