Blonde Roast Coffee: The Lightest Coffee You Can Brew!

The world of coffee bean roasting will always be complex. There are dark roasts, medium roasts, white roasts, and now, there’s blonde roast coffee to add to the mix!

Blonde roast coffee has technically been around for as long as people have been roasting coffee beans and brewing coffee, but it’s only recently that it’s become one of those fashionable coffee trends.

What is blonde coffee? Blonde roast coffee is brewed from lightly roasted coffee beans (as opposed to dark or medium roast beans). Don’t worry if you’re confused, because we’ll explain everything in the article below!

What is blonde roast coffee?

Simply put, blonde roast coffee is a type of coffee that’s brewed using blonde coffee beans. Okay, great, but what does that really mean? 

A coffee that’s characterized as ‘blonde roast’ can be brewed using a pour over coffee maker or an espresso machine, it can be served black, or it can be served with milk, cream, sugar, or any other way you like your coffee!

The distinction made when coffee is termed to be a blonde roast stems from the way the coffee beans are roasted. So, to understand ‘what does blonde coffee mean,’ you need to dive deep into the world of coffee roasting.

That’s because blonde roast coffee is defined based on how it compares to other types of coffee beans that have been roasted darker or lighter. The word ‘blonde’ is an excellent description of the look of the coffee bean because this type of bean has been lightly roasted.

The longer a coffee bean is roasted, the darker it becomes. We often see dark roast or medium roast coffee beans in stores and coffee shops because, traditionally, these are the most popular types of roasted beans. A blonde roast is a light roast in comparison to these and has been left in the roaster for a much shorter length of time (as a barista will tell you, a light roast is only roasted until the ‘first crack’ appears in the bean. A medium until the ‘second crack,’ and a dark roast, the ‘third crack’!). 

What does blonde roast coffee taste like?

The color scheme of a coffee bean is important because the color is an indication of how long the coffee bean has been left to roast (blonde is a light roast) and, therefore, what the bean is likely to taste like when it’s brewed into a drink.

Because blonde roast coffee beans aren’t roasted for as long as darker coffee beans, there will always be several distinct, unique characteristics present in a blonde coffee brew. Any light roast coffee bean is more intact than a darker bean, which means the lighter bean doesn’t release nearly as much bitterness when it’s brewed. 

Much of the acidity of the bean remains, though, producing a brew that has a distinct ‘lemony’ taste to it, but one that, rather interestingly, is also incredibly smooth and incredibly mellow. If you don’t enjoy bitter coffee, then a blonde coffee is the brew for you!

Is blonde roast coffee the same as white coffee?

So at this point, you might be thinking that this all sounds very familiar. Isn’t blonde roast coffee the same as white coffee? 

In fact, while blonde and white coffee have a number of similarities, to the coffee connoisseur, there are some considerable differences between the two. For example, both blonde and white coffee offer similar acidic flavors and low levels of bitterness, but while blonde coffee is a light roast, white coffee is brewed from under-roasted beans.

That means that white coffee is roasted at a lower temperature, which stops the bitterness from being released and produces a very smooth and mellow flavor. If you enjoy smoothness in your brew, then white coffee would be a better choice even than blonde coffee. On the other hand, if you enjoy a dash of bitterness but not overpoweringly so, then blond coffee is the way to go. 

Is blonde roast strong? 

The idea of a ‘strong’ coffee is very subjective. What one person perceives as strong, another may see as weak!

In terms of a strong flavor, darker roasts tend to be more bitter, while blonde roasts are much more mellow. In this respect, a dark roast would be ‘stronger’ in flavor. In terms of acidity, though, a blonde roast is much stronger than a dark roast. 

Darker beans lose their acidity as they are heated for longer, and the acidity is broken down. In this respect, a blonde roast would be stronger than a dark roast!

Are blonde roast caffeine levels higher than dark roasts?

Often when we talk about the strength of a coffee, we are referring to the caffeine levels of a coffee. After all, many of us drink coffee not just for the taste but for that much-needed caffeine boost in the morning!

The levels of caffeine in a coffee bean can be affected by how long they are roasted. Generally speaking, the longer the bean has been roasted, the less caffeine there’s going to be - like the acidity, the high temperature can break down the caffeine. 

That means that, yes, a blonde roast coffee (or any other light roast) is going to have more caffeine than a dark or medium roast. However, the type of roast isn’t the only factor to consider when discussing caffeine levels. 

Different types of beans (from different species or varieties etc.) can have different levels of caffeine. The way you brew a coffee can also affect the caffeine content - an espresso is much more concentrated, for example, than a latte!

How do I brew blonde roast coffee?

You can brew blonde roast coffee in the same ways that you brew any other coffee beans. That means you can use pour-over, an espresso machine, or any other method you prefer. You can even try cold brewing blonde roast coffee as well.

Because the flavor is central to a blonde roast coffee, many coffee lovers will tell you that the best way to enjoy a blonde roast is straight (black, or as an espresso, and with no sugar or sweetener). But, of course, that’s up to you - the mellow flavors will still shine through if you add milk, cream, or even butter (yes, butter coffee is a thing!) to your morning brew.

Is blonde roast coffee healthy?

Blonde roast coffee isn’t necessarily any healthier (or unhealthier) than other types of coffee beans. However, one advantage that blonde roast coffee does hold over darker roasts is that there’s likely to be a higher number of antioxidants present in the bean - in darker roasts, the roasting process can break these down.

When considering how ‘healthy’ a blond roast coffee is, the more important factors to consider are how you brew it and drink it. If you’re adding lots of sugar to the brew, then it’s not going to be quite so healthy as a non-sugary coffee, for example!

Blonde roast coffee: the last cup 

Blond roast coffee beans are not just lighter in color than dark or medium roasts, but the coffee you brew from the beans has a distinctive flavor that’s almost fruity (lemony!) in taste and aroma!

A light roast is more acidic but a lot smoother than darker roasts, and if you’re the sort of person with love for those smooth, mellow coffee tastes, then the blonde roast coffee is for you.

If you’re searching for the best coffee, then why not bookmark our guide to blonde roast coffee for future reading?