Starbucks
Sunsera Blend

Roaster Location: Seattle, Washington

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  Theo Chan, Managing Editor

  1848 roasts rated, avg score of 4.31

  4.00 - Average

  3.50 - Aroma

  4.00 - Value

  4.00 - Finish

  4.00 - Flavor

  3.50 - Acidity

  4.00 - Balance

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  The Starbucks Sunsera Blend comes in packaging decorated with sunflowers that signals brightness and warmth. Starbucks describes it as their lightest roast yet, a blend of semi washed Brazilian and washed Colombian beans with notes of bright citrus and toasted almond. For specialty light roast drinkers it is important to set expectations. Starbucks Blonde Roast generally drinks more like a medium roast in the third wave world. So going in I expected something firmly in the medium category. It is clearly designed to be smooth, balanced, and broadly accessible.
  
  The new Clover machines are a step forward from the earlier versions. Instead of brewing into a carafe the Clover makes a single cup at a time using a precise infusion and vacuum press system. From a drip perspective this means freshness because each cup is brewed to order with no coffee sitting on a hot plate. It also means greater control since the machines allow more precise temperature and steeping adjustments compared to standard drip brewers. Finally the metal mesh filter gives clarity by letting oils and fines into the cup which produces a mouthfeel somewhere between drip and French press. For blends like Sunsera the Clover method can highlight acidity and nut flavors more distinctly than batch brewed drip.
  
  Hot the Sunsera Blend leaned toward balanced orange zest with earthiness and raw walnut. The orange character was pleasant but the earthy undercurrent leaned toward bitterness. For a specialty drinker that earthy edge may feel heavy handed although it is consistent with the Starbucks style which tends to emphasize bold flavors. As the cup cooled the profile shifted. The orange turned sweeter and the nut note softened into toasted walnut which smoothed out the bitterness and made the cup more approachable.
  
  Grading this as a true light roast against the specialty coffee landscape would be unfair since it is not aiming for the high acid complex florals you might expect from that category. But as a medium roast judged with specialty standards in mind there are positives. The citrus character is clean and identifiable. The nutty backbone provides structure. The Clover brew method helps accentuate sweetness as the cup cools. The drawback is the earthy bitterness on the front end which may divide drinkers.
  
  Medium roast drinkers who do not mind an earthy element will find this smooth and satisfying especially once it cools. Light roast drinkers will still see this as a medium but may appreciate the balance and the sweeter transformation later in the cup. Daily coffee drinkers looking for approachable brightness without the sharper edges of a true light roast will likely find this blend appealing.
  
  Overall Sunsera is Starbucks most approachable Blonde yet with genuine citrus highlights and nutty depth. While it will not fool a specialty light roast purist the Clover machine brings out enough sweetness and balance to make it a respectable medium cup within the Starbucks lineup.

  Cupping Method:Starbucks in Littleton, MA

  Traits: chocolate walnut orange zest

  

  8 months ago · See more from Theo