The factors that determine the difference between a blonde, medium, and dark roast are the degree of roasting, temperature, color of the beans, flavor, amount of caffeine, and aroma that result from turning green coffee beans into any type of coffee drink in your cup.
The roast distinction between blonde, medium, and dark coffee beans occurs in a fraction of a second. A few seconds more at that temperature changes the bean roast.
Choose a coffee with a blonde roast for light and mellow flavors, a coffee with a medium roast for rich and full, and a coffee with a dark roast for robust and bold flavors.
| Differences | Blonde Roast Coffee | Medium Roast Coffee | Dark Roast Coffee |
| Roast Temperature | 355 – 401 F | 410 – 435 F | 440 – 480 F |
| Coffee color | Light brown | Medium brown | Dark brown to charred |
| Caffeine Content – 8 oz | 180 mg | 185 mg | 190 mg |
| Flavor Profile | Fruity, Citrus, Floral & Sweet | Spices, nuts and chocolate | Dark chocolate and brown sugar |
| Acidity | High Acidity | Balanced Acidity | Low Acidity |
| Taste | Preserves coffee bean natural flavors | Balance of natural flavors and roast | Roast flavors |
| Roast Characteristics | Beans are dry, the roast is light & coffee true potential isn’t achieved | Beans are slightly oily, well balanced coffee flavors achieved | Beans are oily, subtle nuances are diminished, less flavor, less aroma, body dominates |
Coffee Roast Guide
Roasting coffee beans is a combination of science and skill. There are three different types of coffee roasts that are widely used. The three types of coffee roasts are light roast, medium roast, and dark roast.
The roasting of coffee beans is largely determined by the aroma, color of the beans and sounds pertaining to the first crack and second cracks of the bean.
The perfect roast for an individual totally depends on personal taste, where we live, and what kind of beans are used at that location.
The color of the roasted beans is typically used as a scale to characterize how dark or light a coffee roast is. Coffee beans darken as they absorb more heat during roasting. When heated, oils rise to the surface of the beans.
The color of the coffee is not a good indicator of how dark the beans are roasted because coffee beans themselves vary in color. However, when combined with the normal roasting temperature that produces a given shade of brown, color is a simple method to define roasting stages.
Starbucks uses three main coffee roasts, blonde roast, medium roast, and dark roast. The popular Starbucks blonde roast is the light roast coffee, specifically the cinnamon roast.
What Is The Difference Between Light, Medium, And Dark Roast Coffee?
Blonde roasted coffee includes the roasts full city, half city, and cinnamon roast. These roasts are typically light brown in color, light in the body, and high in caffeine. Ideal for morning coffee.
City roast, breakfast roast, regular roast, and American roast are common types of medium roast coffees. These roasts are medium brown in color and have a strong flavor and rich texture. Coffee drinkers prefer it because it has a balanced strength and acidity in a cup with a slightly bitter mouthfeel.
Dark roast coffee includes French roast, Italian roast, New Orleans roast, and high roast. Depending on the roast, the color ranges from dark brown to charred. Dark roast coffee has a strong, heavy mouthfeel with pronounced bitterness and is less acidic.
Blonde Roast Vs. Medium Roast? Which Coffee Roast To Choose?
The difference between a light and medium roast coffee is the amount of time the beans spend in the roaster, the size of the beans, the flavor, and the temperature. Blonde roast beans are roasted for less time than medium roast beans and are cooled to perfection for 2-3 minutes immediately. Medium roast beans are taken from the roaster after the first crack. Because the crack aids in bean growth, medium roast beans are larger than blonde beans. The beans collected before this first crack are light roast beans, which are light brown in color.
The extra time spent in the roaster allows medium roast coffee to be smooth and slightly bitter with perfect acidity. Whereas in blonde roast coffee, all of these flavors are underdeveloped. They taste earthy, acidic, and bright, with a citrusy mouthfeel.
| Blonde Roast Coffee | Medium Roast Coffee |
| Roasted at 355 to 401 degrees Fahrenheit | Roasted at 410 to 430 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Light brown color beans | Even medium brown color beans |
| Collected before the first crack of the bean | Collected after the first crack of the bean |
| Oils are not formed on the bean | Coffee bean has oily shine |
| High acidic coffee | Balanced cup of coffee |
| Light body, fruity, sweet and floral taste | Rich body, strong, roasty & heavy taste |
| Cinnamon roast, Full city & Half city | City roast, Breakfast roast, American roast |
| Tastes notes of toasted malt & milk chocolate in Starbucks | Tastes rich flavors of cocoa and praline in Starbucks |
Blonde Roast Vs. Medium Roast Taste At Starbucks
Starbucks uses Arabica beans, which require lighter roasts to retain the delicate aromas. Blonde roast is used as an espresso roast at Starbucks and is even enjoyed by many customers.
Starbucks blonde roast coffee has a mellow and lighter flavor profile. Veranda blend, espresso roast, Sunny day blend, and Madagascar vanilla macchiato are all available in-store. Starbucks blonde roast is a popular morning coffee blend.
Because blonde roast coffee has a mellow and sweet flavor, it does not taste good in a latte because the milk flavor overpowers this light bodied coffee. The best way to drink Starbucks blonde roast is as an Americano or espresso.
Starbucks medium roast provides rich, smooth, and balanced flavors in a cup. Colombian, Pike Place, and breakfast roasts are all available in-store. Anyone who enjoys balanced flavors in a cup will enjoy this medium brown coffee.
Which Is Stronger, The Blonde Roast Or The Medium Roast?
The coffee’s strength is mostly determined by the individual’s taste and the type of drink. Body, acidity, caffeine, and taste all contribute to the roast’s strength. A medium roast coffee has a richer body and a heavier aftertaste. In terms of acidity and caffeine, the blonde roast is stronger.
But if you have a sensitive stomach, I highly advise you not to try the blonde roast coffee.
Blonde roast coffee is highly acidic!
Each roast is distinct, and each roast has advantages and disadvantages. Try blonde roast coffee if you prefer a sweet, mellow, and less bitter beverage. If you prefer a balanced cup of coffee, try medium roast.
Medium Roast Vs. Dark Roast? What’s The Difference?
The difference between medium roast and dark roast coffee beans is determined by the amount of time the beans spend in the roaster, their size, flavor, and temperature. After the first crack, medium roast coffee beans are removed from the roaster at various intervals to achieve City roast, American roast, and Breakfast roast. Dark roast beans are roasted until they turn a dark brown color and then collected at intervals to achieve French roast, Vienna roast, Italian roast, and New Orleans roast.
Medium roasted beans are a bright brown shade, while dark-roasted beans range in color from dark brown to burnt. Coffee with a medium roast has a full body, robust aftertaste, and just the right amount of acidity. Coffee roasted to a dark color has a more intense flavor, a fuller body, and less acidity than coffee roasted to a lighter color.
| Medium Roast Coffee | Dark Roast Coffee |
| Roasted at 410 to 430 degrees Fahrenheit | Roasted at 440 to 480° Degrees Fahrenheit |
| Even medium brown color beans | Dark brown to burnt color beans |
| Collected after the first crack of the bean | Collected until the second crack is complete |
| Coffee bean has oily shine | Bean surface is very oily |
| Balanced cup of coffee | Bold cup of coffee with less acidity |
| Rich body, strong, roasty & heavy taste | Smooth, never bitter, smokey & chocolate |
| City roast, Breakfast roast, American roast | French roast, Italian roast, High roast |
| Tastes rich flavors of cocoa and praline in Starbucks | Tastes notes of dark cocoa and toasted marshmallow in Starbucks |
Medium Roast Vs. Dark Roast Taste At Starbucks?
Starbucks medium roast coffee is a well-balanced cup of coffee that sits in the middle of the roast spectrum. Richness, mouthfeel, aftertaste, and texture are all satisfied by a medium roast. It is even better if you add a dash of milk, cream, or other flavors of your choice.
Starbucks offers a variety of palates in a medium roast. The breakfast blend is the lightest medium roast available at Starbucks, with sweet orange and brown sugar notes. Pikes Place has hints of cocoa and toasted nuts. And the House blend has a well-balanced, soul-filling, rounded flavor profile with toffee and cocoa notes. The Columbian blend has toasted walnut and herb flavors. Select the blend that best suits your tastes to enjoy your perfect cup of coffee.
Starbucks dark roasted bean coffee is a bold, dark coffee with a lingering mouthfeel and a sweet depth of flavor. Sumatran dark roasted beans have an earthy and herbal flavor. The Morning joe blend has notes of baking chocolate and dried fruit, while Caffé Verona has notes of caramelized sugar and dark cocoa.
Is Medium Roast Or Dark Roast Stronger?
Medium-roasted coffee is more robust than its dark-roasted counterpart. Due to the longer roasting period, what we taste in dark roast coffee is more roast than a coffee bean. Medium-roast coffee provides more balanced and complex coffee characteristics, is more flavorful, and has a richer mouthfeel.
Dark roast coffee blends well with milk, making it ideal for flat whites and cappuccinos.
The strength of coffee depends more on the ratio of coffee to water than on the type of roast. Despite the fact that each roast has distinct flavor profiles, if you manage the coffee-to-water ratio, you will be able to enjoy every roast as strongly as you choose.
Blonde Roast Vs. Dark Roast? Which Roast To Choose?
The difference between blonde roast and dark roast beans is the color of the beans, the temperature at which beans are roasted, the surface of the beans, the taste profile, flavors in the cup, aftertaste, acidity, and caffeine. Blonde roast beans are collected at intervals when the beans are barely getting roasted and changing color, the bean for blonde roast changes from green to light brown. Dark roast beans have a dark brown to charred color, which is the color at which the coffee bean flavor is lost and the roast flavor is achieved.
The primary difference between blonde roast and dark roast coffee beans is the amount of acidity in your cup. Blonde roast coffee is the most acidic, while dark roast coffee is the least acidic! And then comes the taste. Blonde roast coffee tastes fruity and sweet with a light body. However, dark roast coffee is robust, bold, and smooth coffee!
| Blonde Roast Coffee | Dark Roast Coffee |
| Roasted at 355 to 401 degrees Fahrenheit | Roasted at 440 to 480 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Light brown color beans | Dark brown to burnt color beans |
| Collected before the first crack of the bean | Collected until the second crack is complete |
| Oils are not formed on the bean | Bean surface is very oily |
| High acidic coffee | Bold cup of coffee with less acidity |
| Light body, fruity, sweet and floral taste | Smooth, never bitter, smokey & chocolate |
| Cinnamon roast, Full city & Half city | French roast, Italian roast, High roast |
| Tastes notes of toasted malt & milk chocolate in Starbucks | Tastes notes of dark cocoa and toasted marshmallow in Starbucks |
Blonde Roast Vs. Dark Roast Taste At Starbucks
Blonde roast has mild flavors because of the shorter roast time, whereas dark roast has bold and robust flavors. The taste of blonde roast and dark roast is completely opposite, with blonde roast tasting under roasted and dark roast tasting extremely rich. Blonde roast and dark roast are at opposite ends of the roasting spectrum.
Blonde roast beans coffee at Starbucks has a smooth and light body with less bitterness and a more pronounced acidity. Starbucks has a product line with blonde roast, defying all odds of making espresso with dark roasted beans.
Starbucks dark roast coffee has a full body and rich flavor, it’s a bitter coffee, but it’s good for sensitive stomachs because it has less acidity. Dark roast coffees have a thick and heavy mouthfeel. Starbucks dark roast beans can be used to make espresso, as well as with milk or cream, and are amazing for cold brew!
What Is The Best Coffee Roast?
Each roast has its own distinct flavor, and all three roasts, whether blonde, medium, or dark roast, are worthy of being the best!
Blonde roast coffee contains fewer roasted bean flavors. You will be able to taste fruity and floral coffee flavors with high caffeine and a highly acidic cup of coffee.
The bean flavors in medium roast coffee are well-balanced. In a cup, you will be able to taste balanced flavors of nuts, spices, caffeine, and acidity.
Dark roast coffee has strong flavors. You can taste rich, robust, and bold flavors with less acidity and caffeine in a cup.
Which Coffee Roast Is Stronger?
Dark roast coffee is stronger if the strength of the roast is determined by taste, body, and aroma. Blonde roast coffee is stronger if acidity and caffeine are used to calculate cup strength. The more flavorful the bean, the darker the roast. A dark roast is the best roast to taste the robust coffee bean flavor. Furthermore, as coffee beans are roasted more, their caffeine content decreases. Even though the difference is insignificant.
Medium roast coffee beans make a strong coffee with a more balanced flavor, aroma, and acidity. Coffee experts typically recommend this roast because it is a combination that often brings out the best flavors in coffee. Caffeine content has been reduced slightly, but there is still more caffeine per bean in light roasts than in dark roasts.
Most people correlate strong coffee with caffeine or acidity in the cup. It totally depends on the preference for high caffeine, and dark roast is stronger. A blonde roast has more acidity if you want it.
Which Coffee Bean Roast Has More Caffeine?
The caffeine content of any roast type of bean is roughly the same. Caffeine content varies depending on volume and weight. When coffee beans are roasted, their color darkens, their weight decreases, and their size increases.
When caffeine is calculated by weight, dark roast beans are required more than small blonde roast beans due to their lower weight. As a result, a rich, bold, and strong dark roast coffee with slightly more caffeine is produced.
When caffeine is calculated by volume or scoop, the amount of dark roast beans required is less than that of blonde roast beans due to their larger bean size. As a result, coffee contains less caffeine.
Caffeine is the main component of a coffee bean. Each bean contains 2-3% caffeine. Caffeine is the last element in the bean roasting process to be depleted due to the high temperatures at which they are roasted.
Coffee Roasting Process
From the time coffee beans are taken from the coffee plant until they become a cup of coffee, they go through an extensive roasting process.
What Happens When Coffee Beans Are Roasted?
Coffee beans when roasted go through a series of steps, the details step by step process of roasting the coffee beans is
1. The green coffee beans turn pale, yellowish, and light brown in color.
2. The transformation of beans to a light brown color indicates Coffee with a light roast
3. HALF CITY and CINNAMON roasts are formed before the oil breaks through the bean.
4. Additional roasting causes coffee beans to lose water content, resulting in the first crack.
5. The first crack sounds like popcorn popping, and the beans begin to brown.
6. This stage is known as Medium roast because the beans have a strong flavor and a non-oily surface.
7. The coffee bean begins to expand, resulting in visible cracks on the bean.
8. The first crack process yields CITY ROAST and BREAKFAST ROAST.
9. After the first crack, the beans begin to become oily and are referred to as FULL CITY ROAST, a Medium dark roast.
10. The second crack occurs 15-20 seconds after the first crack, the beans shine with oil, and this stage is the Dark roast.
11. The FRENCH ROAST appears on the first audible 2nd crack.
12. Vienna Roast is in the process of going through its second crack at this time.
13. ITALIAN ROAST is the result of finishing the second crack.
Conclusion:
When beginning with green coffee beans, the degree of roasting, temperature, bean color, flavor, caffeine content, and aroma all influence the final product. Coffee beans can be transformed from light to medium to dark roast in mere seconds. At that temperature, a distinct roasting time will be required.
The flavors of a blonde roast are mild and subtle, those of a medium roast are rich and full, and those of a dark roast are bold and striking.
FAQ’s
What Are Starbucks Three Best Blonde Roast Coffee Drinks?
Coffees prepared with a blonde roast have a mild flavor and a delicate body. The black preparation of this sort of roast brings out its full flavor. When combined with even a small amount of milk, coffee with a blonde roast produces an extremely weak beverage.
Coffee prepared with a blonde roast is at its best when consumed black and in the morning. A blonde roast is probably not the best choice on an empty stomach. Taking into consideration the high level of acidity
Here is a list of the 3 best blonde roast drinks I recommend at Starbucks
1. Blonde Roast Espresso
2. Iced Espresso
3. Brewed Coffee Veranda Blend & Starbucks Blonde vanilla Latte
3 Best Medium Roast Coffee Drinks at Starbucks?
Coffee with a medium roast has a strong body and a well balanced flavor profile. This is also known as the breakfast blend and is recommended to be had first thing in the morning.
Coffee prepared with a medium roast can be consumed either alone or with various additives added to it. The coffee won’t lose any of its strength in the process.
Here is the list of the 3 best medium roast drinks I suggest at Starbucks
1. Caffè Americano
2. Espresso Macchiato
3. Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
3 Best Dark Roast Coffee Drinks At Starbucks?
Coffee that has been dark roasted is characterized by having a body that is full-flavored, robust, and heavy. Excellent for use in espresso and as a base for other beverages such as cappuccino and latte.
Dark roast coffee is delicious whenever you want it, no matter what time of day it is!
Here is the list of the 3 best dark roast coffee drinks I suggest at Starbucks
1. Flat White
2. Caramel Macchiato
3. Irish Cream Cold Brew
What Are Blonde Roast And Medium Roast Temperatures?
The temperature of the roasting process for blonde roast beans can range from 355 to 401 degrees Fahrenheit. The audible sound of the first crack of the beans can identify the beginning of a medium roast coffee. The coffee beans used to make a medium roast are roasted at temperatures ranging from 410 to 430 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the beans have reached the desired color and roast, they are placed in a cooling tray. Also, use forced air to cool the internal bean temperature and stop the roasting process.
Coffee tastes different at different roast temperatures. The chemical reaction must be stopped quickly in a cooling tray to achieve the desired flavor.
Resources:
The science of coffee
