1971 Dark Roast

Coffee reference • mels.cafe
DARK ROAST

1971 Roast™ is Starbucks’ newer dark roast inspired by the company’s founding year and first store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Starbucks says it is a permanent everyday brewed and whole bean offering in U.S. stores, built to honor the company’s roasting heritage.

Origin Blend
Colombia • Sumatra • Brazil
Starbucks says 1971 Roast is blended from coffees sourced from these three origins.
Official Tasting Notes
Toasted Sugar • Rich Walnut
These are the official flavor notes Starbucks has highlighted for the blend.
Roast Category
Dark Roast
Starbucks groups its coffees into Blonde, Medium, and Dark roast profiles. Dark roasts sit at the boldest end of that spectrum.
What It’s Meant For
Bold, fuller-bodied brewed coffee drinkers
This is the lane for customers who want a deeper roast profile rather than something lighter or brighter.

Where 1971 Fits on the Starbucks Roast Spectrum

BLONDE
MEDIUM
DARK
Veranda / Sunsera
Pike Place
1971 Roast

Blonde sits on the lighter, mellower side, medium is the balanced middle, and 1971 lands firmly on the bold dark-roast end.

Caffeine Meter

Blonde
Highest
Medium
Middle
1971 Dark
Slightly Lower
Quick rule: Blonde usually has the most caffeine, medium sits in the middle, and dark roast usually has a bit less. Dark still tastes stronger because of the roast profile, not because it necessarily has more caffeine.

This meter is meant as a simple partner guide, not an exact lab chart. Exact caffeine changes by size and brew recipe.

How It Compares

BLONDE
  • Lighter-bodied
  • More mellow
  • Usually the most caffeine
  • Best fit for guests who want a gentler cup

Blonde roast is the lighter and more mellow end of the Starbucks roast spectrum.

MEDIUM
  • Balanced profile
  • Approachable everyday cup
  • Moderate caffeine
  • Pike Place is the classic comparison point

Medium roast is the balanced middle ground.

1971 DARK ROAST
  • Boldest flavor of the three
  • Deeper roast character
  • Usually a little less caffeine than blonde
  • Best fit for guests who want strong brewed coffee flavor

1971 sits firmly in the dark-roast lane and is meant to come across as richer and bolder than medium or blonde roast coffees.

Plain-English summary: Blonde is lighter and gentler, medium is balanced, and 1971 is for the customer who wants a darker, richer, more roasted cup.

Why Those Origins Matter

Starbucks says the blend uses coffees from Colombia, Sumatra, and Brazil. The company’s public materials focus on the blend origins and tasting notes rather than a detailed breakdown of each origin’s role in the cup, but this combination supports a richer dark-roast profile.

  • Colombia: often associated with balance
  • Sumatra: often associated with body and earthier depth
  • Brazil: often associated with nutty, rounded coffee character

Customer Script

“1971 is one of our dark roasts. It’s bolder and fuller than a blonde or medium roast, with toasted sugar and walnut notes. If you like a richer, darker brewed coffee, this is the one I’d point you to. If you want the most caffeine, blonde roast is usually the better pick.”

Partner Notes

  • Use dark roast as the headline first.
  • Then use the simple compare: stronger flavor than medium, much bolder than blonde.
  • Keep the official notes tight: toasted sugar and rich walnut.
  • If caffeine comes up, say blonde usually has more even though dark tastes stronger.
  • If a customer asks why it’s called 1971, the answer is Starbucks’ founding year and first store heritage.
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