13 Starbucks Coffee Bean Varieties: Which to Recommend & Taste Differences - Best Pour-Over & Americano Coffee Beans

Starbucks currently sells coffee beans in two broad categories: Reserve Selection and non-Reserve Selection. The non-Reserve beans break down further into regularly available long-term coffees, seasonal limited editions and single-origin varieties, adding up to thirteen different types.

If you want to make pour-over coffee, we recommend medium roast beans. If you want to make Americano and espresso, we recommend dark roast beans.

The darker the roast, the richer, mellower and more robust the flavor. Pour-over coffee uses a larger coffee-to-water ratio and a drip-filter method, so it tastes relatively cleaner than espresso or Americano, with clearer, more defined flavors. Dark roast beans also work for pour-over, but if you want better layering and complexity, medium roast beans retain an appropriate acidity that gives the cup a fuller mouthfeel and more flavor.

Espresso, and Americano (espresso diluted with water), are both extracted under high pressure and high temperature in a coffee machine. Because the temperature is high and extraction is fast, the final coffee is also highly concentrated. If you extract beans with acidic notes this way, the acidity is amplified, turning sharp and astringent with a thin mouthfeel. We therefore recommend dark roast beans for these drinks.

Medium Roast

Starbucks Breakfast Blend Coffee Beans

This light-bodied blend is lively and refreshing, waking up your taste buds and giving you a bright first impression to start the day

Roast Level: Medium Roast

Acidity: High

Body: Low

Origin: Latin America

Processing Method: Washed

Flavor: Refreshing, aromatic

Food Pairing Suggestions: Nuts, apples, blueberries, lemons

Similar Coffee: Starbucks Willow Blend

Starbucks Pike Place Coffee Beans

A very balanced coffee with nut and cocoa-like aromas, made from high-quality Latin American beans. This representative blend has been offered to coffee lovers from the very beginning

Roast Level: Medium Roast

Acidity: Medium

Body: Medium

Origin: Latin America

Processing Method: Washed

Flavor: Lively, balanced

Food Pairing Suggestions: Nuts, apples, blueberries

Similar Coffee: Starbucks Guatemala Antigua

Starbucks Colombia Coffee Beans

Known for its balance, this coffee has a medium body and a smooth, balanced taste, with a full mouthfeel and refreshing nut-like flavors

Roast Level: Medium Roast

Acidity: Medium

Body: Medium

Origin: Latin America

Processing Method: Washed

Flavor: Nutty and cocoa-like flavors

Food Pairing Suggestions: Walnuts, milk chocolate

Similar Coffee: Starbucks Pike Place

Starbucks Dancing Phoenix Blend Coffee Beans

This Asia/Pacific blend is Starbucks' first blend to incorporate coffee beans from China's regions since 2009

Roast Level: Medium Roast

Acidity: Low

Body: Medium

Origin: Asia/Pacific

Processing Method: Washed/Semi-washed

Flavor: Mild, refreshing acidity, medium body, balanced flavor with herbal and spice notes

Food Pairing Suggestions: Cream cheese foods, toffee, maple, and nut-based foods

Similar Coffee: Decaf Xianglong Blend, Starbucks Sumatra

Starbucks Pike Place Roast Coffee Beans

Medium body with subtle cocoa and roasted nut flavors, presenting a pleasant, balanced cup

Roast Level: Medium Roast

Acidity: Medium

Body: Medium

Origin: Latin America

Processing Method: Washed

Flavor: Cocoa, roasted nuts, smooth, balanced

Food Pairing Suggestions: Chocolate, cinnamon, nuts

Similar Coffee: Starbucks Pike Place, Starbucks Verona, Starbucks Guatemala Antigua

Starbucks Kenya Coffee Beans

Kenya coffee has layered, complex flavors, including juice-like acidity, distinct rich grapefruit notes and wine-like aromatics, with a medium body

Roast Level: Medium Roast

Acidity: High

Body: Full

Origin: Africa/Arabia

Processing Method: Washed

Flavor: Grapefruit, berries, juice-like, rich mouthfeel

Food Pairing Suggestions: Grapefruit, berries, seedless raisins, raisins, oranges

Similar Coffee: Starbucks Ethiopia

Starbucks Guatemala Antigua Coffee Beans

An elegant, rich coffee with depth, whose refined acidity balances perfectly against a subtle cocoa powder texture and soft spice flavors

Roast Level: Medium Roast

Acidity: Medium

Body: Medium

Origin: Latin America

Processing Method: Washed

Flavor: Cocoa and light spice notes

Food Pairing Suggestions: Cocoa, apples, caramel, nuts

Similar Coffee: Starbucks Pike Place

Starbucks Ethiopia Coffee Beans

This carefully presented blend has a mild, smooth mouthfeel with floral and spice notes, expressing a sincere tribute to the birthplace of coffee

Roast Level: Medium Roast

Acidity: High

Body: Medium

Origin: Africa

Processing Method: Washed

Flavor: Citrus, dark chocolate notes

Food Pairing Suggestions: Dark chocolate, citrus

Similar Coffee: Starbucks Kenya

Dark Roast

Starbucks Espresso Roast Coffee Beans

A rich-bodied multi-region blend roasted darker than espresso roast, with moderate body and post-roasting sweetness

Roast Level: Dark Roast

Acidity: Low

Body: Medium

Origin: Multi-region

Processing Method: Washed

Flavor: Roasty notes, sweet

Food Pairing Suggestions: Chocolate, caramel, spices

Similar Coffee: Starbucks Espresso Roast

Starbucks Espresso Roast Coffee Beans

This blend is the core of all Starbucks espresso beverages, characterized by a rich aroma and soft acidity, balanced with rich caramel sweetness

Roast Level: Dark Roast

Acidity: Medium

Body: Full

Origin: Multi-region

Processing Method: Washed

Flavor: Rich, caramel-like sweetness

Food Pairing Suggestions: Caramel, spices, chocolate, nuts

Similar Coffee: Starbucks Espresso Roast

Starbucks Verona Coffee Beans

A blend of Latin American and Asia/Pacific coffee, with full body and the sweetness of Italian roast coffee

Roast Level: Dark Roast

Acidity: Medium

Body: Full

Origin: Multi-region

Processing Method: Washed, semi-washed

Flavor: Roasted sweetness, dark cocoa notes

Food Pairing Suggestions: Milk and dark chocolate, caramel

Similar Coffee: Starbucks Espresso Roast

Starbucks Decaf Xianglong Blend Coffee Beans

With rich herbal, spice and earthy aromas, this rich and balanced Asia/Pacific blend shows a good balance between full body and surprising acidity

Roast Level: Dark Roast

Acidity: Low

Body: Full

Origin: Asia/Pacific

Processing Method: Washed, semi-washed

Flavor: Rich herbal notes

Food Pairing Suggestions: Cinnamon, oatmeal, maple, buttered bread

Similar Coffee: Starbucks Sumatra

Starbucks Sumatra Coffee Beans

With strong earthy aromas and exceptionally concentrated flavors, Sumatra is full-bodied and rich, one of Starbucks' very popular single-origin coffees

Roast Level: Dark Roast

Acidity: Low

Body: Full

Origin: Asia/Pacific

Processing Method: Semi-washed

Flavor: Earthy aromas, herbal notes

Food Pairing Suggestions: Cinnamon, oatmeal, maple, butter, toffee

Similar Coffee: Starbucks Decaf Xianglong Blend

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If a Starbucks medium roast like Kenya has you hooked on bright, layered fruit acidity, FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Little Tomato is a natural choice. This is a specialty washed Kenyan from the Thika region at 1550-1750 meters, made with the classic SL28 and SL34 varieties and Kenya's signature 72-hour double-washed fermentation, then lightly roasted. Cherry tomatoes and preserved plum dominate, with a bright, solid acidity like fresh-pressed juice, prominent sweetness in the middle and a clean, lingering finish with yellow sugar and a hint of green tea.

For a floral, tea-like cup, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Gedebding, or Gedingding, is a favorite entry point into Ethiopian coffee. It brings vivid citrus, berries and florals with a green-tea sweetness, and its acidity is soft and bright rather than sharp - easy to love for anyone just getting into pour-over.

And if you want that unmistakable tropical-fruit character, FrontStreet Coffee's Flower Champion is one of the biggest stars of the specialty market in recent years: strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit and even lychee, with clear sweetness and almost no bitterness, so smooth and juicy that drinkers describe it as "the least coffee-like coffee."