The Story Behind the Sip: Where Panera Coffee Comes From

Coffee is one of the most challenging beverages to get right. Whether you're a long-time Panera coffee lover, you're new to Panera's coffee menu, or you're considering signing up for a MyPanera+ Coffee subscription, here's an inside look at the story behind every sip you take.

Coffee is one of the most challenging beverages to get right. Whether you're a long-time Panera coffee lover, you're new to Panera's coffee menu, or you're considering signing up for a MyPanera+ Coffee subscription, here's an inside look at the story behind every sip you take.

Where Panera Coffee is Grown

To source the best tasting coffee, you need to find conscientious farmers, who are growing and harvesting quality beans. For Panera, that means heading to Central and South America. There, it all starts with the cherry—the fruit around a coffee bean. Our farmers pick those cherries at their perfect ripeness, going through the trees many times a day just to make sure the fruit is at its best quality.

 

How Panera Coffee is Roasted

From the fields, the cherries go to the mill, where the beans are extracted. Then, in the hand-sorting room, the beans are sorted, bean by bean, to make sure each one is perfect. Once we have our optimum blend, the coffee beans go into the roaster and are roasted to differing degrees of darkness to create roasts like our Light Roast and Dark Roast coffees.

 

Coffee Pro Tip: Light Roast vs. Dark Roast Coffee

How long and at what temperature beans are roasted affects flavor. If you're not a frequent coffee drinker, it helps to pay attention to roast levels when you order. Light roast beans have been roasted for less time and have seen less heat. They will have a brighter, lighter flavor that's sweet and fruity. If you tend to like your coffee with cream, our Light Roast is a great one for you to try first. Dark roast beans have been roasted at a higher heat for longer, giving them a rich, bold, nutty flavor. If you love your coffee black, we'd recommend giving our Dark Roast coffee a try.

 

Coffee Pro Tip: Coffee Pairings

Looking for that just-right flavor pairing of coffee and food? With our Light Roast coffee, try brighter flavors, like our cream-based Scones, classic Croissants, airy Brittanys, or freshly baked breads. If you're pouring a cup of Dark Roast coffee, go with richer tastes, like anything chocolate, Brownies, or our Kitchen Sink Cookie.

 

How Panera Coffee is Brewed

The most important thing to note about our Light Roast and Dark Roast coffees is that we grind them fresh right in our cafes. That means you're getting a fresher, more brilliant flavor in every cup. Then, Panera's bakery-cafes actually have a four-chamber purification system that filters water down to one micron, which is one-tenth the size of a droplet of mist, ensuring the brewing process is delivering what we consider to be the perfect cup of coffee.

 

Coffee Pro Tip: Hot Coffee, Iced Coffee, and Cold Brew

Hot coffee, iced coffee, cold brew, and frozen cold brew are not all brewed the same way. We have answers to all your iced coffee and cold brew questions, including the difference between iced coffee and cold brew.

 

Panera Coffee Ordering Options

Now that you know the story behind it, it's time to take a sip! Put your coffee ordering pro-tips to the test when you order Panera coffee online for Rapid Pick-Up, delivery, or through our drive-thru at participating bakery-cafes. Want to taste test all of our coffee options? The Unlimited Sip Club subscription gives you unlimited access to our hot and iced coffee, teas, and more all for $10.99 a month.*

 

 

*Sign up from 4/19- 5/6/22 and receive free Unlimited Sip Club Subscription through 7/4/22.  Restrictions apply. U.S. only.  For complete details visit:   www.panerabread.com/UnlimitedSipClub.