Is a Blonde Roast Bigger & Better?

All of us are all familiar with the options of choosing either a medium or dark roast to start our day; are we leaning more towards a rich and delicious flavor, or perhaps something more bold with an intense flavor? But then you have started seeing an option at your local coffee shop for a “blonde” roast. So if you feel intrigued by this new roast, but not sure if you want to try it yet, here’s a few things that may be helpful to know.

The Flavor of Blonde

Why don’t we start with flavor? You may have guessed it from the name alone, that a blonde has a lighter flavor than other roasts. Some describe it as having a citrus or floral taste to it. The reason why you may pick up on a more citrus zest, is actually because of the higher acidity levels. The less time a coffee bean stays in the roaster, the more acidity that bean will have. In fact, some steer clear of blonde roasts for this exact reason. if you already have a hard time with highly acidic foods, then blonde may not the route to choose on a regular basis.

Roasting for a Blonde

But lets back up a little bit to the roasting process. How long would you roast a batch of coffee beans to attain this blonde roast? When you’re roasting to acquire a medium roast, the beans will remain in the roaster until at least the second crack, which could be around 205 to 220 degrees Celsius or 401 to 428 Fahrenheit (the temperature and humidity levels in the air can cause these measurements to fluctuate), and then you would drop the beans and start the cooling process. However, to acquire a beautiful Blonde roast, you only wait until the first crack, which may come at 190-200 degrees Celsius or 374 to 392 degrees Fahrenheit , then you immediately drop the beans and start cooling them.

The Color of Blonde

So you’ve just dropped the beans, but they’re looking darker than what you had anticipated, which begs the question: why is it called “Blonde“? Interestingly, this has typically been known as a Cinnamon roast, due to the gorgeous, golden-cinnamon color of the bean. However, if and when it was referred to as a Cinnamon roast or Cinnamon espresso, this may confuse the consumer into thinking that the “Cinnamon” referred to the taste instead of the color. Therefore, cinnamon roast has been rebranded as a Blonde roast.

Blonde at Home

Suppose its warmer weather, and you don’t require a warm cup of java in the morning. Can blonde roast be used for your iced coffee? Absolutely! There are no rules about what roast is “allowable” for your cold beverage. Its good to note though; blonde = lighter. Lighter in color AND taste. So if you are drinking your blonde roast plain over ice, no worries. But if you’re more a cream and sugar person, just remember that anything added could quickly overpower your delicious blonde coffee.

As far as the best way to brew your light roast at home, there are a few different options to choose. Some use it in their regular auto-drip coffee maker at home, while another may go to a french press in order to get a fuller taste from the brew. It seems, however, that the Pour Over method is the best for when brewing a blonde roast. With the pour over, you have much more control over how long and how much water is poured over the grounds of coffee. And since there is a shorter period of time that the water and grounds are in contact with one another, your coffee will yield that more acidic, citrus taste. The paper filters used in a pour over also block more of the natural oils from the coffee grounds, giving you a cleaner,  lighter result.

Does Blonde = More Caffeine?

Last but not least, what is all this talk about the Blonde roast having more caffeine? If you are to search the internet about topic, you will find an enormous amount of conflicting opinions. So let’s make it simple: during the roasting process, coffee beans will lose caffeine and mass. So the shorter amount of time they spend in the roaster, the less caffeine they will lose.

Many have confused the taste of their coffee for determining whether or not it has less/more caffeine. So if you’re drinking a dark roast, and enjoying the incredible rich and strong flavor it has to offer, you may conclude its giving you that higher caffeine jolt you require. But remember, the longer beans roast, the more the beans lose, i.e. caffeine and mass. So a darker roast will actually have less caffeine than a medium or light roast. However, its good to remember that there is not a huge discrepancy in the amount of caffeine you’re getting between a light, medium, or dark roast.

Live Life & Give Blonde a Try!

So to sum it up, even if it doesn’t become your favorite go-to roast, Blonde is a really fun and light way to mix up your regular coffee routine, and is a great refresher for the warm summer months! Why don’t you give it a try here, with our Ethiopia Light Roast option.

Written by Marisa Rone

References used for inspiring this blog:

freshcoffeehouse.com

beanpoet.com

thedarkestroast.com

unocasa.com