Starbucks' new Blonde roast coffee

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The system is similar to the labeling system used by Seattle’s Best Coffee, which ranks packaged coffee on a scale from one to five, depending on its intensity. Seattle’s Best is owned by Starbucks.

The light-roast coffee is scheduled to debut in Canada in February, the company said.

Andrew Hetzel, founder and director of coffee industry consulting firm Cafemakers, based in Hawaii, welcomed the news of a lighter Starbucks roast.

“A lighter roast allows consumers to taste the actual coffee and less of the carbons” that can occur with darker roasts, he said. “Coffee purists tend to prefer a lighter roast.”

Starbucks’ longtime strategy of using darker roasts has been beneficial for two reasons, Hetzel said.

It has allowed the company to purchase coffee beans at a wider range of price and taste because dark roasting can hide defects.

Starbucks also tends to sell coffee drinks with milk and flavorings, which would overwhelm a lighter roasted brew.

However, Hetzel said the rollout of yet another new Starbucks product will be a challenge as climate change continues to hurt coffee production. At the same time, global coffee consumption has been rapidly climbing.

Partly because of the concerns about the effect of climate change on coffee-producing regions, rumors have circulated in recent weeks that Starbucks was planning to move into the juice bar business.

The company has hired Yohana Bencosme, former manager of New York City juice bar Liquiteria, officials confirmed Tuesday.

At the Los Angeles press conference, Starbucks’ Williams declined to comment on a rumored juice bar, but said the company is always looking for opportunities for innovation.

Contact Lisa Jennings at lisa.jennings@penton.com.
Follow her on Twitter: @livetodineout

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