An amazing cuppa alone doesn’t quite cut it for a real coffee connoisseur – they need to know where the beans were sourced from, the roasting process, as well as the specific brewing procedure.
If you’re a die-hard fan of Starbucks coffee and have always been one of the first ones to try all their specialties – whether single origin or signature blends – you’d be delighted to know that you can tell where do Starbucks beans come from?
All About Starbucks Coffee
With the world having embraced coffee as their favorite drink, and coffee culture on rise across the globe, coffeehouse chains like Starbucks have become omnipresent. The first Starbucks coffeehouse dates back to 1971 in the historic Pike Place Market in Seattle.
Today Starbucks operates more than 18000 outlets worldwide, more than 10000 of which are present in the United States.
Aside from being a fan of Starbucks coffee blends, most of their loyalists also find the comfortable décor and fun atmosphere appealing. Starbucks has always emphasized on building communities where coffee enthusiasts can relax with their favorite coffee drinks, chat with friends, and even work if they desire. Hence, it doesn’t come as a surprise when Starbucks reported that it sells nearly 90 million pounds of coffee beans annually.
Starbucks is also renowned and appreciated for promoting sustainable agricultural practices and economic development for coffee-growing communities. Their C.A.F.E. (Coffee And Farmer Equity) practices have helped in setting firm standards in place to ensure fair management of economic transparency and worker rights. Starbucks is also known for establishing support centers which strive towards protecting the ecosystem in coffee-growing regions, along with improving the livelihoods of coffee farmers.
Common Starbucks Coffee Blends & Their Origins
Before we show the list of the coffee blends Starbucks produces, we are going to briefly mention the names of the countries where they procure their coffee beans from:
- Indonesia
- Ethiopia
- Tanzania
- Costa Rica
- Mexico
- China
- Guatemala
- Columbia
- Rwanda
Starbucks Veranda Blend
One of the bestselling varieties of Starbucks Blonde Roast originating from Latin American coffee beans, the Veranda blend embodies lighter and mellow notes. If you’re looking for a light roast with distinctly soft flavors, this is the ideal blend for you.
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Pike Place Roast
Named after their first store in Pike Place Market in Seattle, this is a smooth, balanced medium roast with subtle notes of cocoa and nuts. Pike Place coffee is a custom blend of different Latin American coffee beans.
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Espresso Roast
If a full-bodied dark roast with sweetish caramel notes is what you’re looking for, this blend from Starbucks is the perfect answer. Beans sourced from Latin America and Asia/ Pacific regions are custom blended for this robust coffee.
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Breakfast Blend
A medium roast with bright, citrusy flavor profile that appeals to wide range of Starbucks aficionados, this blend is perfect for those looking for a sublime cuppa with distinct character. The beans originate from Latin America.
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Caffe Verona
Also known initially as the 80/20 Blend, this 100% Arabica blend boasts of full-bodied flavor with a dark roast and dark cocoa notes. This is a multi-region custom blend from Starbucks, with beans from Asia/ Pacific and Latin America.
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French Roast
This light-bodied, intense and smoky blend is the darkest roast available in Starbucks, with beans that come from Asia-Pacific & Latin American regions.
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Italian Roast
This quintessential dark roast from Starbucks, minus the smoky character of their French Roast is another multi-region blend. With beans from Latin America as well as Asia/ Pacific regions, this is ideal for those looking for a full-bodied, intense cuppa with a helping of cream and sugar.
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Sumatra
Spicy, lush and earthy with herbal notes, this dark roast is one of the most treasured signature blends at Starbucks. The beans for this mahogany-colored blend come from Indonesia.
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5 Important Facts About Starbucks Coffee
- High on Arabica – Starbucks buys 3 percent of the entire share of the Arabica beans harvested worldwide, and one can witness this from their hot-selling 100% Arabica coffee blends. These beans are of various origins, procured from different coffee-growing parts throughout the world.
- Pike Place = Standard coffee – If you walk into a Starbucks coffeehouse in the United States and in several other parts of the world, order a “regular coffee” and don’t specify any other preference, you are likely to be served a drip coffee serving of Pike Place.
- Single origin coffees aplenty – Coffee enthusiasts who are curious about diverse coffee variants with unique flavor notes and aromas can experiment with a wide range of single-origin coffee range from Starbucks. These single origin coffee beans are sourced from major coffee-growing plantations across the world, like India and Indonesia in the Asia/ Pacific region, Guatemala, Colombia, Costa Rica etc in Latin America and Kenya, Malawi and Ethiopia in the African subcontinent.
- Darker side of the roasting spectrum – Most Starbucks critics and aficionados are on a consensus that Starbucks roasts tend to be slightly darkerthan the blends found at their competitors’ coffee stores. If you are looking to try new blends at Starbucks, it might be wise to be prepared to get a darker roast than the usual benchmark and what you’re used to.
- Find the coffee right for you– Starbucks has an easy interface compatible with Google and Alexa, using which you can answer a few vital questions while at home, and find out the right coffee blends that suit your personality best.