Sometimes a good cup of coffee from your Keurig coffee machine is all you need to start your day off. In some cases, it is a must to help get you through that long day. Fans of different types of coffee are always excited about their favorite brands, and none are more well-loved than Starbucks K-Cup Coffee Pods.
Of course, Starbucks is an international brand with a great track record for customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. It is also one of the few exceptional coffee companies to assure sustainable farming methods and a living wage for their agriculturalists.
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Here, we’ll go over the top brews of their popular K-cup varieties. Many options range from their signature blonde roast coffee to the ever-popular Starbucks dark roasts.
By laying out each brew and getting to know the differences, you’ll be better prepared to choose your own Starbucks K-Cup variety. Here are listed the top-rated brews from Amazon.
At a Glance: Best Starbucks K-Cup
Top 8 Starbucks Brews
Quick Summary: Best Starbucks K-Cups
 | Our Top Pick Starbucks K-Cup Caffè Verona Coffee Pods |
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 | Starbucks Pike Place Roast K Cups |
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 | Starbucks K-Cup Coffee Pods Blonde |
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 | Starbucks K-Cup Coffee Pods French Roast |
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 | Starbucks K-Cup Coffee Pods House Blend |
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 | Starbucks K-Cup Coffee Pods Sumatra |
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| No products found. | Starbucks Breakfast Blend Coffee K-Cup Pods |
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 | Starbucks Blonde Roast K-Cup Coffee Pods Sunrise Blend |
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These top eight brews are all different, ranging from blonde to dark roast premium coffee. They are the top choices from Amazon buyers and reviewers, making them reliable options over competing brands.
After all, the brand’s popularity is due to the quality of its coffee and its commitment to sustainability. Each K-cup brews perfect individual servings.
Caffe Verona
Starbucks Caffe Verona coffee is a dark roast blend of coffees that creates a well-balanced and full-bodied brew. With a smooth finish and bitter aftertaste, its rich strength is not for the light-hearted.
This inspired brew was first created in 1975 for a Seattle restaurant. First named Jake’s Blend, it grew in popularity, so they began hand-scooping and blending it to order in stores.
Now known as 80/20 Blend, the love for this signature dark roast was so strong that they made things official.
Naming it Caffe Verona was a good idea; the name referencing the inspirational city in northern Italy harkens thoughts of passion and romance. This sensual and deep brew evokes those tones with scents of sweet and bitter notes.
100% arabica, this midnight dark brew will have you thinking you’re sitting on a lovely little piazza in Italy. The dark cocoa and caramelized sugar cane notes accentuate the bitterness, mirroring the Italian love for bold and robust coffee.
Caffe Verona coffee K-Cups come in a single package of 32 K-cup pods.
Not only is Caffe Verona inspired by international destinations, but it is a multi-origin bean. These flavors from Pacific Asia and Latin America can undoubtedly inspire cafe lovers in all of us.
Pike Place Roast
By far the most popular Starbucks medium roast blend, Starbucks Pike Place Roast is named after Starbucks’ very first location.
The shop at Pikes Place Market has served Starbucks coffee since 1971, and this signature coffee blend is the flagship of the newest Starbucks fleet.
With a smooth, well-rounded blend of rich flavor notes, the combination of Latin American coffees is the preferred cup of any coffee lover. With notes of cocoa and toasted nut, it is an ideal blend for any time of the day.
In 2008, master blenders and roasters worked with customers to create Pike Place roast. The result was a consistent and harmonious blend that no single characteristic dominates. It is simply a smooth and satisfying cup of joe.
Of course, this Latin American multi-origin brew is roasted for that smooth coffeehouse smell and flavor. 100% Arabica, this coffee is inspired by the simplistic approach to coffee consumption.
It comes in a package of four boxes containing 24 K-cup pods, making 96 K-cup pods in total.
An unassuming medium roast that satisfies the pallet, Pike Place Roast is perfect for any morning, afternoon, or evening sip. It is also the most-sold brew across the Starbucks line of K-Cup Pods.
Veranda Blend
A famous and signature light roast, this Starbucks blonde roast Veranda Blend coffee is a subtle, smooth taste of natural coffee for those who prefer their beans toasted to roasted. Starbucks’ lightest roast, this blend recalls the light and bright gardens that give the brew its signature name.
Starbucks Veranda Blend has a lighter aroma and sour flavor notes of toasted malt for a surprisingly smooth taste that blends well with the baking chocolate base flavor.
This signature blonde or light roast is perfect for the coffee drinker that just doesn’t want strong coffee or overpowering flavors.
The name Veranda also recalls the homes of the many Latin American farmers who grow for Starbucks. Sipping coffee on a veranda overlooking the lush coffee trees rolling to the horizon is exactly what inspired Veranda Blend.
This mellow and flavorful blend took over 80 tries to perfect for those quiet and calm moments we love to enjoy.
The 100% arabica premium coffee beans are multi-origin and pair well with any meal, as we all know that a strong cup of regular coffee or decaf with dessert is the ultimate way to end a fantastic meal.
French Roast
The K-Cup brew is Starbucks darkest roast blend that’s as dark as the dark roast gets. Intense, smoky taste, and pure explosive flavor. It is not for those who prefer their coffee to be a little more subtle.
This immensely popular roast has been around since 1971, highlighting the low acidity and light-bodied coffee taste that coffee drinkers love.
This French Roast coffee combines intense smokiness with the darkest possible roast and is sure to satisfy even the most exclusive coffee drinker.
A multi-origin bean, this dark brew comes to life with hints of smokiness, but the bitterness of the bean is tempered into a purely smooth burst of rich taste.
You can imagine yourself walking down a cobbled street in Paris surrounded by the most elite of cafes with this brewing in your home.
100% arabica coffee beans and inspired by the strong French press method of brewing, this roast serves as a perfect pick-me-up.
Whether it’s on an early and miserable Monday, a cold winter morning, or in the middle of a tedious meeting – the smell of French Roast coffee will catch everyone’s attention.
Unlike other dark brews, French Roast is oiled and tumbled to roast until the very last moment before it bursts into flames.
This straightforward roast with its ebony char will transport you from your kitchen to the City of Love, leaving you wanting more than just one exceptional coffee cup.
House Blend
House Blend is another medium roast coffee full of aroma, body, and natural flavor. This brew is balanced with sweet and savory notes and recalls the feel of a trendy or friendly atmospheric coffee shop. Like your local shop,
House Blend has a strong smell and is preferred by those who prefer a fuller body medium-roasted coffee.
The blend of Latin American multi-origin beans is deceptively simple and roasted to a beautiful dark chestnut color. Loaded with flavor, it brings notes of sweet toffee and robust cocoa.
Master blenders temper the sweetness from the medium roast for rich, aromatic cups of coffee.
This particular blend is the very first blend ever created back in 1971 and set the standard for master blenders and roasters to adhere to even today—a true reflection of Starbucks culture and an overall delectable cup of coffee.
It comes in a package of six boxes with 10 K-cup pods per box, making 60 total K-cup pods.
Like Starbucks’ origins, this coffee has humble roots and has grown to be an award-winning flavor. Its arabica blend and full-body smell make it different from other medium roast coffees.
Even if you’ve never been a fan of Coffee House Culture, you’ll find House Blend has everything you are looking for in your mug.
Sumatra
The last of the dark roasts are the most popular single-origin dark coffee Starbucks blends. With bold coffee flavors and a spicy aftertaste, this coffee stands alone in the category of dark roasts.
Like the Indonesian island of its origin, this 100% arabica coffee is a luscious blend of flavors. The Starbucks Sumatra blend is spicy, and herbal on your taste buds, with a full-bodied earthy aroma and smooth mouthfeel.
The lingering subtle notes of dry herbs and earth, with almost no acidity, set it apart in the Starbucks lineup.
Roasters transform these beans from dark coral green to tiger-orange and finally to a rich, oily mahogany color that reveals its irresistible bold taste. Coffee from Sumatra is the foundation of many Starbucks blends.
The smokiness of the dark-roasted, full-bodied coffee and the sweet palate-pleasing oiliness of the bean create the ultimate blend of bitter, spicy, and savory.
The earthiness fed by the volcanic soil of the Indonesian island is unique the world over. Starbucks has mastered its dark roasts with this blend as the non-acidic and smooth flavors convert even the most discriminating coffee drinkers.
Breakfast Blend
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Introduced in 1998, Starbucks Breakfast Blend is for those who prefer a mild cup of medium roast coffee. A lighter roast than most, this toasted bean is the result of playing with the taste profile and roasting to form an appealing true medium for an easy-drinking cup of coffee.
Starbucks wanted to appeal to a broader range of palates in putting this approachable flavor profile together. This medium roast has hints of sweet orange flavor, zesty and fresh, mirrored by sweet brown sugar overtones.
Created as the lightest of the medium roasts, Breakfast Blend is a homage to the character of perfect mornings, with less intense aromas and a citrusy clean finish. It is a single-origin coffee from the lush and fertile Latin American jungles.
100% arabica beans are the key to this lighter, sweeter coffee blend. It is a lighter, more neutral coffee for those who rarely enjoy it or for those who are coffee aficionados.
Breakfast Blend mirrors sweet and tangy, like those perfect mornings when you’re ready to meet your day or, sometimes, face the long day with a boost.
Sunrise Blend
The last on this list and another blonde or light roast coffee, Sunrise Blend is a perfect way to start any day. This Starbucks-exclusive lightly roasted Latin American coffee is smooth and aromatic.
Every sip is subtle with hints of chocolate, making this the perfect brew with balanced flavor between light and medium roast. This blend is ideal for those who are a little in-between and was created more recently as Starbucks newest blonde addition.
You can brighten up your day with a perfectly crafted taste that is made to shine from the beginning. This blend is approachable and well-rounded, expressing itself with every sip of the Starbucks flavor that you know and love.
This particular blend is also more robust than the lighter Veranda blend, making it the perfect kick for light roast lovers.
What is more, the smooth chocolate flavors make this flavor and aroma ideal for any additions like cream and sugar. Of course, a classic cup of Sunrise Blend black coffee is never a wrong move.
A Little More About Starbucks K-Cups
For some, picking the perfect cup of delicious coffee isn’t so easy. It is especially hard for those unfamiliar with the differences between roasts, origins, and other essential factors.
Here, we’ll explain the different facets of growing, harvesting, roasting, and blending the signature Starbucks brands. After all, it is always important to understand the origins of your favorite products, and with brand reliability, more profound research is required.
Blonde, Medium, and Dark Roast
It seems pretty straightforward, but the difference between blonde, medium, and dark roasts is all about timing. Timing is crucial for the coffee cherry. Most people are unaware that a coffee bean is a seed within the cherry itself.
The pulp directly impacts the taste, but it is also important to consider the different roasts. Processing these cherries and then roasting them can be challenging, as there are different washing, drying, and roasting methods.
Degrees of roasting depend on two indicators — luminance and weight loss. The degree of roasting is important, as is the moisture content of the coffee bean itself.
According to a study on the ecological impact of post-harvest processing on coffee aroma, temperature and time differentiate the roasting categories.
Blonde roasts are typically more toasted than roasted. Beans roasted at 240 degrees Celsius for six minutes are considered light or blonde. With subtle and sweeter flavors, the luminance of the bean and the weight loss correlates the more nuanced aromas.
Medium roasts are turned at 240 degrees Celsius for seven minutes and are considered a more robust but still smooth middle ground. They offer the greatest variety of flavor notes, sometimes nutty and herbal.
The darker roasts turned for nine minutes at 240 degrees Celsius offers the most robust aromas and flavors. Bitter blends of chocolate, earthy tones, and spice make the dark roast the strongest aroma amongst the three degrees of roasting.
Single-Origin and Multi-Origin Beans
When we hear the phrases single and multi-origin, we usually assume they are self-explanatory. With coffee, nothing is ever as it seems, and that is what is so appealing about the drink.
Single-origin coffee means the bean is harvested from a sustainably sourced tree in a single region. Usually named after these regions, there are several different kinds in the Starbucks lineup that are single-origin; however, most of their brews are multi-origin.
According to a company review, Starbucks is one of the few corporations in the US coffee industry with a good sustainability record.
Responsible growth, harvest, and use of lands occupied by natives are expected when dealing in the coffee business, and no one takes that more seriously than Starbucks.
Prerequisites For Using Starbucks K-Cups
As you might imagine, the only requirement for using Starbucks K-Cups is a Kurieg or any other brand of single-serving coffee maker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Starbucks coffee sustainably resourced?
Yes, Starbucks is the first coffee company to ensure that their farmers have a livable wage and strong unions.
Are Starbucks Coffee K-cup Pods recyclable?
Yes, you can recycle the single-serving packaging, but you will have to check locally to make sure they are accepted. Composting the grounds is simple enough, but the plastic container may not be accepted by every recycling company.
What is the price difference between Starbucks and its competitors?
Starbucks is proud to offer sustainable products at a reasonable price. The quality is guaranteed, and the price is relatively equal to off-brand K-Cup brewers. What sets Starbucks K-cup pods apart is their dedication to the quality and quantity of their blends.
To Sum Up
Starbucks is known worldwide as a responsible company that takes brand loyalty seriously. Their various blends and roasts are perfect for all coffee lovers, and satisfaction is always their top priority.
With sustainably grown, harvested, and roasted coffee beans, unionized farmers and happy families enjoy the fruits of the tropical jungles worldwide.
It is evident that there is no better brand loyalty than Starbucks, and the top blends for their signature blonde, medium, and light roasts are perfect for every coffee lover.
Happy Caffeinating!
