In the last two years, the term “Blonde Roast” or “Blonde Espresso” has been popping up everywhere. But what is it exactly? Is it just a super light roast or is it, in fact, the lightest of the light roasts?

We’re here to answer all your questions about the blonde roast. As per, from what people define it to how it can affect your health. So sit back and read on!

Blonde Roast: A Roast by Any Other Name

Although, blonde roasts seem to have come out of nowhere. The idea of an extra-light roast has been around for a long time. Asado de Canela was the original name for a dish made with beans. Those beans are separating from the grill at the start of the first crack. This is because of the hue of the resulting roast, not any particular flavor notes.

Light City, Half City, and New England Roast are other names for considering a “blonde” roast. In the United States, yet, it began in January 2018. In that year, Starbucks popularize the word “Asado Rubio” or “Espresso Rubio.” “Light-bodied and flavorful is as their easiest coffee to drink,” they claim. As well as they also claim for “a genuine light roast.”

Lighter than light toast?

Let’s take a look at how the roast map works for your convenience. Since the coffee industry lacks a standardized roast chart. So there is a lot of variation between brands. There are, yet, some generally accepted guidelines that we should discuss.

The most basic way to divide your roast is into these categories. Those categories are light, medium, medium-dark, and dark. Those are the terms you will come across most often when shopping for coffee. They are measuring a variety of factors. Those factors consist of bean color, roast temperature, and crack.

Note: At about 400 ° F, the outer shell of the kernels begins to burst to allow expansion, creating the first “crack.”

Light roast

It’s a light roast if you see things like “light city,” “half city,” and “cinnamon roast.” It was roasting between 356 and 401 degrees Fahrenheit and has a moderate to very high acidity. The grain’s surface is dry, and the body is usually light or thin. They’re taken out of the toaster only before or at the start of the first crash.

Some believe it is closer to midtown (the lightest roast) or the cinnamon roast. Because of the concept of “Blonde Roast” differs so much. Others claim it’s something of a medium roast. Starbucks, for example, has a “blonde roast” that resembles a city roast in color (medium).

Note: Cinnamon Roast, Midtown, and Blonde beans are very tough. So they can wear down your grinder and won’t work well as a chocolate-covered snack.

Medium roast

Medium roasts include normal roasts, American roasts, city roasts, and breakfast roasts. They’re roasted between 410 and 428 degrees Fahrenheit. They have a dry surface as well, but they have more acidity in the middle and a fuller body than light roasts. To remove a medium roast from the oven, they used broilers. The process is between the middle and end of the first slice and the beginning of the second slice.

Medium-dark roast

Citywide Roast, Citywide Roast+, After-Dinner Roast, and Vienna Roast all are medium-dark roasts. They can classify it as dark. They’re roasted between 437 and 446 degrees Fahrenheit. The roast’s flavor starts to merge more prominently with the varietals at this stage. That is resulting in hints of spice and a heavier body.

Dark roast

Finally, dark roasts include French, Italian, Espresso, Continental, New Orleans, and Spanish roasts. And all roasts are making this the most diverse group. The key rule is that they remain below 482 degrees Fahrenheit. But roasters usually get them to about 464 degrees Fahrenheit. The surface of these beans is oily, and the acidity is mild. The amount of body and sweetness varies greatly. During the second crash, it created Dark roast.

Final Verdict About the Taste

Everyone’s palate is different. It’s not shocking that some people enjoy the taste of an extra light roast while others despise it. A true blonde roast is unusual in that. It might fall outside of the generally accepted flavor spectrum.

Now, you or someone you know may surprise to learn. You or someone you know likes something sold as a blonde roast. Yet, since there is no standardization in the way companies market their roasts. But, some of them (for example, Starbucks) are labeling light to medium roasts as “blond.”

You might, yet, be the one who enjoys the hyper-acidity of a “blonde” or midtown barbecue. Now as you presumably have that friend who cheerfully munches on lemons at the dinner table. Roasts like this are generally preferable to have a soft stain for a deep shine (brown for acids) and a lighter body. Lighter roasts also tend to retain more floral. Plus citrus notes characteristic of the coffee origin.

Yet, keep in mind that ultra-light roasts are missing many elements. The missing elements are all of the typical coffee flavor profile. Buttery, caramel notes, and sweeter aromas are largely absent. Because they normally only develop after heat interacts with the sugars in the coffee.