Starbucks is one of the biggest and most popular coffee chains worldwide, serving millions of customers every day.
It provides almost all coffee drinks, from drip coffee to coffee concoctions with unique flavors and styles.
If you’ve tried the beverages at this chain store, you may be impressed by their distinctive taste. What coffee bean does Starbucks use?
Let’s dive into this article to learn the secret element of their famous blends!
What Are Types Of Coffee Beans?
Coffee beans come in four primary varieties. Here are the typical daily drinks that we have:
Arabica
The most common type of coffee bean used worldwide is Arabica, also known as “high-quality” beans.
These beans originate from the belt of Africa, Asia, and South America. These regions affect their flavors.
They are more expensive than most other types since they’re more challenging to grow.
These beans have an overall greater acidity level. It’s beneficial because it blends the coffee richness and can add fruity aromas.
Robusta
The caffeine content of the Robusta beans is double that of the Arabica beans. Both high and low altitudes are ideal for these beans.
People grow Robusta beans mainly in Indonesia and Africa. They are easier to cultivate than Arabica. They are “lower-quality” beans and appropriately priced.
This type often has higher bitterness and less flavor than other varieties. Thus, it’s ideal for espresso. Also, you can combine it with sugar and milk.
Liberica
This coffee bean, cultivated in Liberia, divides coffee lovers due to its vast range of taste profiles and physical attributes.
These beans are robust, woody, and smoky, so people often use them to enhance the flavor of the blends.
Liberica accounts for only 2 percent of the coffee production in the world because of severe growing requirements and climatic conditions.
Excelsa
Excelsa beans combine traditional dark roast aromas with delicate notes like fruit and flowers.
This variety is popular in Southeast Asia. People use it to produce unique flavor profiles in their blends.
What Coffee Bean Does Starbucks Use?
Starbucks only uses Arabica beans sourced from Africa, South America, and Asia to make their coffee drinks.
Starbucks coffee has a bold flavor thanks to these beans’ excellent, refined, and acidic characteristics.
This brand is proud of getting coffee beans that have been ethically sourced in different regions in the world.
Moreover, coffee drinks made from these beans bring various health benefits because of their healthy ingredients, as shown below:
- Vitamin E
- B Vitamins
- Potassium
- Magnesium
Continue reading to learn more about the kinds of beans that Starbucks utilizes for its various coffee drinks and products.
For Espresso
Starbucks uses Dark Espresso Roast to make its espresso and other espresso-based drinks like lattes, mochas, and cappuccinos. According to the company, this dark roast has caramelized sugar and molasses notes.
The company introduced this blend in 1975. It’s been popular today. Since 2018, it’s provided a creamier, more caffeinated blonde espresso.
For Cold Brew
Starbucks has been selling this drink since 2015. It uses Arabica beans from Africa and Latin America.
If you want a cup but hate the acidity level, this drink is a good choice with naturally sweeter and smoother tastes.
People never heat the cold brew over room temperature to preserve the drink’s complex and well-balanced taste.
For Decaf
This brand uses its roast to make decaf. These beans are also completely Arabica.
Starbucks’ website states these beans have the same taste notes as those of highly caffeinated ones.
Thus, you may expect this drink also has the same caramelized sugar and molasses notes.
For Lattes
As lattes are espresso-based drinks, they have the same beans as espresso. Starbucks uses Dark Espresso Roast for these drink options.
If you want to make Starbucks lattes at home, let’s watch this video to get a recipe:
For Macchiato
Starbucks offers both espresso macchiatos and caramel macchiatos in cold and hot versions.
Macchiato is another espresso-based beverage blended with milk for the cold version and foamed milk for the hot version.
For Americano
Americanos is a drink option made from espresso. So Starbucks also makes them using its unique espresso mix.
These drinks’ ingredients are simple, including brewed espresso, water, and coffee foam.
For Frappuccino
Starbucks uses Frap Roast to make Frappuccinos. It resembles an instant coffee blend.
Frap Roast has a bitter flavor to balance the sweetness of the sugar and syrups added to the drink.
For Others
Because Starbucks offers such a large selection of coffee blends and roasts, the intensity and caffeine concentration might vary.
However, Starbucks drink is well-known for its more robust and higher caffeine concentration than other brands.
What Kinds Of Coffee Blends Does Starbucks Offer?
Starbucks uses a variety of coffee blends, including the following:
Blonde Roast
It’s the lightest coffee roast. Starbucks plays an essential role in making this roast popular.
This roast type will give the coffee enthusiasts a taste of the coffee cherry’s delicate essence and fruitiness note.
Typically, Arabica beans pair well with blonde roast because the light roasting process can preserve its fruity undernotes.
Medium Roast
The coffee with medium roast has a more balanced taste with a medium body and acidity. However, this roast may be relatively sweeter and darker.
Drinks with this roast are more potent than the ones with a light roast. Besides, they are less acidic.
Coffee with a medium roast may have the following taste notes:
- Caramel
- Stone fruit
- Roasted peanuts
- Dark chocolate
Besides the above flavors, you may notice a smokey note.
Generally, medium roasts are more versatile than other types because they satisfy almost all coffee drinkers.
Dark Roast
Coffee with dark roasts is darker and richer. Starbucks offers some outstanding full-bodied beverages with this roasting level.
Darker roasts have less caffeine content than light roasts. Nevertheless, they provide much vigor and energy.
FAQs
Where Does Starbucks Coffee Bean Come From?
This coffee chain uses Arabica beans from Africa, Asia, and Latin America to make its coffee drinks.
What Makes Starbucks Coffee Different From Other Coffee?
The most significant difference between this coffee house and others is how they roast the beans.
For instance, the company lets the beans undergo a slow roasting procedure to achieve complex flavors in their drinks.
Moreover, they use finer grinds than other brands, which leads to a more robust taste.
Is Starbucks Arabica Or Robusta?
This coffee house uses entirely Arabica beans to brew their drinks. Therefore, you can feel the high quality these beans create.
Who Is The Supplier Of Starbucks Coffee Beans?
This coffee chain uses several bean suppliers like Folgers, Keurig, and Green Mountain. However, the main one is Nestle.
Why Are Starbucks Beans Shiny?
The lipids inside the coffee beans emerge on the surface as oil after the roasting procedure. Thus, Starbucks beans are often shiny.
Wrapping Up
Starbucks completely uses Arabica beans from Africa, South America, and Asia to make coffee.
With unique flavors, these beans provide hints of chocolate and fruit. Besides, they bring various health benefits to consumers.
Next time you visit a Starbucks, take a moment to appreciate the thought and care that goes into each cup.
Thank you for reading!
