Coffee Sourcing, Roasting, and Blending
Roasting
Starbucks Roast™, in other words, roasting coffee with the Starbucks method is more than just roasting the beans for a certain time at a specific temperature or capturing the distinctive color of the coffee beans. It is a craft, and, more than that, a roasting philosophy underlining an intense taste experience.
We roast green coffee beans to bring out its aroma, acidity, body and flavor. Each coffee is roasted to a unique taste profile to highlight these inherent flavor characteristics.Our experienced roasters and taste experts work together to decide how long each of the arabica beans derived from the coffee trees in high regions should be roasted to bring out the flavors we look for in coffee.Going through repeated roasting and taste trials, our coffee experts finally achieve the ultimate roast to unlock the flavor hidden inside these high-quality beans. At the end of this process, our coffees reach our guests with delightful aromas and flavors that appeal to all the senses.
Blending
What we love most about our job is to serve our guests superb coffees from around the world.
At Starbucks, we aim to create blends that bring out the potential of each distinctive green coffee from a specific region or combine various qualities from different regions to achieve a balanced taste.
Coffee Sourcing
At Starbucks, we aim to bring our passion for coffee, people and quality to every moment, from selecting the coffee beans to presenting it. Our coffee buyers spend four months a year on average in countries where the best coffees are grown.
In the evaluation process, our coffee experts taste green beans roasted and cooked in small batches. Our tasting center is where more than 150,000 cups of coffee are tried every year to find the best arabica coffees. Ultimately, the best quality products are selected from all the coffee grown worldwide and sourced every year.
At Starbucks, we care about the long-term sustainability of the quality coffee market as we work to source the world’s best coffees. We know our success as a company is linked to the success of the thousands of farmers who grow our coffee. Therefore, we apply a comprehensive coffee-buying program for quality coffee while cultivating lasting relationships with the people who grow our products and create our manufactured goods.
Coffee Talks
Starbucks shares its coffee expertise with coffee lovers in the regular “Coffee Talks” organized in select stores. During the talks, the guests find all kinds of information on the magical journey of coffee, from its history to how it is cultivated and the stages and methods it goes through to be served at Starbucks stores. The guests also learn about coffee preferences and food pairings.
Please contact our store for more information about attending our Coffee Talks.
Frequently Asked Questions About Coffee
After roasting, coffee gradually loses its flavor when exposed to air and humidity. We recommend buying the quantity you need, storing it in an airtight container in a cool, dark place, and grinding it just before preparation. Thanks to FlavourLock™ technology in Starbucks coffee packaging, unopened coffee stays fresh until the indicated expiry date.
Starbucks uses FlavourLock™ technology to preserve the freshness of coffee beans. It is a one-way packaging system that allows carbon dioxide released from freshly roasted coffee to escape without letting oxygen in. This enables coffee to be packed immediately after roasting. As a result, our coffee remains fresh until you use it. Once opened, coffee beans stay fresh for about one week. We recommend that ground coffee is consumed on the same day.
For the freshest taste, we recommend grinding your coffee just before brewing. You can also choose to have your beans ground in-store according to your preferred brewing method.
The grind size depends on how you prepare your coffee:
- Coarse grind for coffee press
- Medium grind for filter coffee machines
- Fine grind for espresso machines
- Very fine grind for Turkish coffee
To enjoy great Starbucks coffee at home, we recommend using a coffee press, as it allows coffee and water to remain in contact longer, enhancing flavor extraction.
The ideal ratio is 10g of freshly ground coffee for every 180ml (6 oz) of water.
Suggested quantities:
- 7 Starbucks scoops (50g) for an 8-cup press
- 4 Starbucks scoops (28g) for a 4-cup press
- 3 Starbucks scoops (21g) for a 3-cup press
For best results:
- Use water that has rested for about 2 minutes after boiling
- Let the coffee brew for about 4 minutes
- Enjoy within 20 minutes after brewing
*1 Starbucks scoop = 7g of coffee
*2 tablespoons ≈ 10g of coffee