Roasted: Do blondes have more fun
Starbucks, the largest coffee shop corporation in the world, is starting off the new year with a bang. Caffeine consumers around the world can introduce their auto-drip coffee machines to a different breed of coffee: the blonde roast. While Starbucks in Canada and other countries only recently unveiled the new product, Starbucks in the U.S. has already bombarded customers with free samples and even complimentary one-pound bags since mid-January in hopes of building a new army of blonde enthusiasts around the country.
Why would the already vastly successful company make such a daring change? Starbucks claims that about 5.4 million coffee consumers in the U.S. have long yearned for a much lighter, less intense roast than the "mild" roast that is offered. Along with introducing a much lighter roast, Starbucks has revamped its roasting levels and packaging design. Previously, the beans were categorized as mild, medium, bold and extra bold. Soon, only blonde, medium and dark roasts will occupy the shelves of Starbucks stores around the globe. Starbucks affirms these changes are to help make choosing the perfect coffee easier and much less time-consuming.
What's so great about being blonde anyway? In comparison to its previous mild roast, Starbucks claims its blonde Veranda Blend to be "mellow and soft" and the blonde Willow Blend to be "bright and clean." The new, much lighter roast offers a very subtle, muted coffee flavor, while containing more caffeine than any other roast the international coffee retail king has to offer.
While some bolder customers have complained that the blonde roast tastes much like a watered-down wannabe of the mild roast, others prefer the softer flavor compared to the mouthful of burnt grounds the store sells in its signature cup of Pike Place. Chances are that the coffee chain was tired of its old nickname "Charbucks" and finally decided not to over-roast its Fair Trade coffee beans.
Shouldn't an even lighter roast mean less caffeine? Contrary to popular belief, lighter roasts contain higher caffeine content compared to darker ones. Roasting coffee beans for longer periods of time destroys the caffeine-containing oils while also bringing out a sweeter, more bold flavor by dissolving the acids in the beans. The blonde roast is indeed stronger than any Starbucks coffee I've had to date. Unlike its darker counterparts, the blonde's "strength" comes straight from the caffeine concentration itself instead of the deceivingly intense flavor of darkly roasted beans.
How does the blonde measure up? Being a smoother, medium roast kind of girl, I had my doubts about how a cup of blonde coffee would taste. After much skepticism, I sampled the blonde for myself and was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't half bad; in fact, I actually liked it enough to buy a cup of it. Initially, it was indeed reminiscent of watered-down coffee, but after a few sips, I began to enjoy the mild, crisp flavor, the subtle sweetness and the natural, almost unhampered flavor of fresh coffee. A full cup left me feeling clean and rejuvenated in comparison to the overpowering, chalky feeling that Pike Place and dark roasts leave behind. While I am not planning on leaving my good old medium roast and converting to blonde any time soon, I did enjoy the light taste and caffeine kick of the blonde and would recommend every coffee connoisseur to give it a chance.
If you drink coffee solely for the caffeine and are indifferent or have an aversion to the traditional taste of coffee, then blonde may just be your type. However, if you're looking for the full-bodied savory taste of roasted coffee beans, then you would probably prefer the Starbucks medium roast over the blonde. Guatemala Antigua, my personal favorite, is sweet, savory, rustic and still offers enough caffeine to wake you up for that dreaded 8 a.m. class.
As for the overall success of the new blonde in the business, only time and sales figures will tell whether blondes really do have more fun.
Amanda Gutierrez is a Hanszen College junior. Roasted is a column that examines the coffee culture in and around Houston
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