Starbucks offers quite an impressive range of Coffee beans, making it hard to decide the best option for you.
There are numerous signature blends and single-origin beans that you can get in Starbucks. Moreover, there are quite a few seasonal offerings, so it may take some time to learn about all of them, not even speaking about trying all of them.
Nevertheless, we believe that the opportunity to enjoy excellent Starbucks coffee in the comfort of your home or take it for a walk in a well-insulated portable mug is worth an effort. Not even mentioning the fact that it can save you a bunch of money.
What Are Starbucks Coffee Beans
It is not a secret that Starbucks is one of the most famous, popular, and successful coffee chains in the world. While it started as a small coffee shop in Seattle, it gained the market and obtained millions of devoted friends. For lots of coffee lovers worldwide, it just became a habit to make a stop at the nearest Starbucks to get their morning coffee when heading to the office, college or just strolling around the city. Due to the quality of their coffee, Starbucks stands out among others.
Nowadays, you have an opportunity not only to enjoy your favorite Starbucks coffee drinks at one of the numerous coffee shops but purchase your favorite beans online and enjoy them at home. It a great option as now there is no need to leave the comfort of your home to have a cup of your favorite coffee drink. But due to a great variety of options, there are lots of people that wonder which one is the best.
To stay the truth, it significantly depends on your preference, but several options can satisfy any coffee lover. We will tell you more about the most famous coffee beans offered by Starbucks and how to choose your perfect ones.
Benefits of Starbucks Coffee Beans
Starbucks beans are known for their pretty bitter flavor. However, it is precisely that bitter dark Roast that made Starbucks so famous and popular. It is due to this specific feature Starbucks became the biggest coffee shop chain in the world.
The distinctive and unique flavor of the Starbucks blends is not the only benefit of the beans of the coffee offered by the company.
Environment Friendly
Starbucks makes sure to earn money from their coffee and make a positive impact on the coffee farming industry by supporting an environment-friendly approach and organic coffee planting.
Coffee Industry Development
As we mentioned, Starbucks supports the coffee industry significantly. For many years, the company invests considerably in this sphere. For example, using the income from each sold pound of coffee, Starbucks plants one new coffee tree in different areas worldwide.
High Quality
Starbucks is known for its quite strict standards when it comes to the quality of its coffee. By purchasing the beans from Starbucks, you can be sure that you get excellent coffee.
Types of Starbucks Coffee Beans
Starbucks offers 3 types of coffee bean roast: light roast, medium roast, and dark roast. The last one, of course, is the most famous.
While there is no specific classification for different roast types, you still should distinguish them easily. To understand the difference between different types of roast offered by Starbucks, let’s “take a look” at each of them.
Dark
The main thing about a dark roast is that it has the longest roasting time. As a result, fruit notes reduce significantly, bringing smokiness, bitterness, and aroma of tobacco and burnt sugar on the surface. Its pretty intense flavor and a talented craftsmaster can turn it into a real masterpiece.
While being intense, this roast type is usually used as an add-on for different blends to create a balanced flavor. Dark roast is also known as French Roast, Italian Roast, or Vienna Roast.
Medium
Medium roast got its name because roasting is stopped right between two bursts of coffee during the roasting process. It is the phase that takes place right before the second explosion when the bean released some oil that can be seen on the surface of beans. This type of coffee is known for its decreased acidity level.
Due to its smooth texture and rich, well-balanced flavor with notes of caramel, medium roast is perfect for espresso-based drinks. This type of rost is also known as American Roast, Breakfast Roast, Brown Roast.
Blonde (Light)
When it comes to the Blond roast, it is the lightest type of roast as the beans are removed from the roaster as soon as the first cracks appear; that usually happens when the temperature reaches up to 195-205 degrees Celsius. This roast type allows preserving the original nature of the beans.
This roast type tends to have rather a sweet flavor with sour notes. It is more fruity and sweet with almost no bitterness. This roast type is also known as Half City Roast, Light City Roast, New England Roast.
How to Choose the Best Starbucks Coffee Beans
Manufactured Date
According to the official Starbucks recommendations, if you purchase beans online, ensure that a vendor provides a manufacturing date. It is the best way to ensure that the beans are fresh as it significantly impacts your brew’s quality. If the manufacturing date is more than 2 weeks, it is more likely that the beans aren’t new enough, so the taste and the texture will be rather poor.
Product Name
As we mentioned before, Starbucks offers a whole variety of coffee beans, and the best way to distinguish them is, of course, the name of each separate blend produced by the company.
Starbucks always makes sure that the features of the blend are evident from its name. For example, if you can see Drak Roast words on the package, you can be sure that this coffee has a rich, robust flavor.
Roast Level
As it was mentioned earlier, Starbucks offers dark, medium, and light roast beans. The first one is pretty bitter with almost no sour notes. The medium one is the most balanced, while the light one is highly acidic and fruity.
Also, based on the roast type, you can choose the best brewing method as it significantly depends on the type of the roast. For example, a pour-over kettle helps boost the consistency of your coffee. Also, you can try brewing your favorite non-low acid coffee as a cold brew.
Origin
All Starbucks coffee beans come from the 3 largest coffee-growing regions: Africa, the Asian Pacific, and Latin America. You will for sure enjoy the fruity notes and vibrant acidity of Kenyan coffee. However, most well-known and trendy Starbucks coffee blends usually come from the Asian Pacific region.
Also, the company owns some lands in Costa Rica on the slopes of Poas Volcano for coffee farming. Moreover, a good portion of coffee is also imported from China annually.
Flavors and Undernotes
Each type of coffee beans has its distinctive and unique flavor that depends on the kind of beans, the origin, the roasting method, and other things. The most known flavors are chocolate, caramel, cocoa, fruity, vanilla, and others.
Brewing Methods
It is important to remember that the brewing method that you use impacts your coffee choice significantly. The reason is that each type of coffee beans has its preferable brewing method that can provide you with the best aroma and flavor. For example, it is better to use dark or medium roast Arabica for the world’s best automatic espresso machine. Making coffee in a pour-over coffee maker may require a different option.
Species
There are various coffee types, but the most popular and well-known ones are Arabica and Robusta. The first one is known for its lower caffeine content, smooth texture, and rich, sour flavor. At the same time, the second one is more bitter and is usually used for blends.
Most Starbucks coffee is 100% Arabica, even if it is a blend. You can easily check it by checking the beans in the package. Arabica beans are long with a wavy groove in the middle, while Robusta beans are round with a straight line.
As for other differences between those coffee types, Arabica tends to contain more lipids and sugar. As a result, Arabica tends to be more aromatic and have a richer flavor after roasting. That is why Arabica is more popular and valuable than Robusta.
Vacuum Sealing
All Starbucks coffee is packed in a secure, vacuum-sealed package to ensure the freshness of your coffee. If you purchase coffee online, ensure that the package is not damaged to make sure your coffee was stored properly.
How to Keep Starbucks Coffee Beans Freshness
If you prefer to have full storage of Starbucks coffee, it is better to learn how to store it properly to make sure it stays fresh and tasty as long as possible. Below, we prepared some useful tips that can help you to store your coffee longer.
Step 1 – Pre-ground vs whole beans
It is a well-known fact that it is better to prefer whole bean coffee and ground them right before brewing. It will let you preserve the flavor and the aroma of your coffee and enjoy the full richness of your favorite beans.
The main point is that as soon as the coffee is ground, it oxidizes pretty fast. As a result, it loses all its benefits, including its flavor, aroma, and richness. In simple words, the best way to keep your coffee safe is to purchase whole beans instead of ground coffee.
Step 2 – Check the roast date
Usually, the closer the date of purchase to the roast date, the better, but you still need to be cautious. The main point is that coffee beans need some time, usually several days, after roasting.
Step 3 – How long does it last
It significantly depends on the type of package. A proper package can keep your beans fresh longer, while a bad one can make your coffee flat and it will lose its flavor pretty fast. For example, craft paper bags will hardly keep your coffee fresh longer than a week and after it, beans lose their freshness and become stale. The most frequent option is a foil bag with pinholes to make gas out while keeping air away from beans. However, the best option to keep your coffee fresh is to use a special air-tight premium coffee canister.
Step 4 – To freeze or not to freeze
There are lots of disputes regarding keeping coffee in a freezer. Some people believe it’s the best way to store coffee and keep it fresh. On the other hand, some claim that it is not good to use a freezer to keep your coffee fresh. We actually believe that the second ones are right. The point is that coffee absorbs smells easy so if you place it in a freezer without an air-tight package, it can absorb the smells of the products from your freezer fast. Moreover, it can make your coffee age faster as it makes coffee condensate and as a result, oils are pushed to the surface that makes coffee stale.
Does More Spending Mean More Quality
When it comes to coffee beans offered by Starbucks, more spending doesn’t always mean more quality. The company offers an incredible variety of coffee beans for any taste and budget.
The point is that you can find your perfect coffee beans from Starbucks and their price can be lower than the ones other options have.
Do’s and Don’ts With Starbucks Coffee Beans
Do’s
- Pay attention to the manufacturing date.
- Check roasting type.
- Check the origin of beans and the name of the blend.
Don’ts
- Never forget to check the state of the package to make sure there are no damages.
- Don’t forget to check the characteristics of the blend, like flavor and aroma.
- Don’t forget to consider your brewing method.
FAQ About Starbucks Coffee Beans
What’s the best brewing method for Starbucks coffee?
It actually depends on your preferences as well as the roast and grind type. There is a variety of options for different brewing methods.
What is the difference between a blonde roast and a dark roast?
Blond roast coffee tends to have a sour flavor with fruity notes. At the same time, dark roast is more bitter with a rich smoky flavor. Moreover, dark roast is significantly less acidic than other roast types so that you can enjoy a distinctive flavor of French roast coffees.
Does Starbucks sell decaf coffee?
Starbucks offers a variety of decaf coffee. It is not so rich as regular coffee, but still, there are plenty of options and Starbucks decaf coffee can be as delicious as regular coffee.
Which has more caffeine, dark or light roasted coffee?
Dark roast coffee tends to have more caffeine than light roast, even though caffeine becomes stable after roasting. Nevertheless, depending on how you measure your coffee, light roast may contain more caffeine as it is denser.
Is It True that Ground Coffee Loses Its Flavor and Aroma Over Time?
For sure. That is why most experts advise purchasing coffee beans instead of ground coffee and grind them right before brewing. The point is that ground coffee starts losing its freshness just in 30 minutes after it was ground.
What coffee blend does Starbucks use for lattes?
Most people prefer to use Starbucks Espresso Roast Whole Bean Coffee for espresso and espresso-based drinks, including Latte. It is known for its rich flavor with sweet caramelly notes.
Conclusion
Starbucks is well-known for its amazing coffee blends and now, using our tips, you should be able to choose your perfect one so you can enjoy it at home. There are even some unique blends that any other coffee company doesn’t produce. Each Starbucks blend has its distinctive features. You need to decide which roast type you prefer and try the options that meet your preference to find your perfect one.
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