Start Your Journey with House Blend
House Blend is one of those coffees often forgotten by people who favor more “exciting” blends like Gold Coast Blend® or Caffè Verona®. However, House Blend is a special coffee all on its own and it holds an important place in our lineup.
In addition to it being a blend of the fine Latin America beans, it is a perfect balance of body, acidity and flavor that makes it easy to drink. It’s also a perfect introduction to our whole bean offerings.
One of my favorite experiences to share with House Blend is a coffee tasting. New Starbucks partners (employees) compare House Blend brewed in a coffee press to a commercial coffee – the kind our parents and grandparents drank. It is this tasting in particular that helps people develop an appreciation for our coffee – it’s when you first realize there is something special in the cup. Even the most inexperienced coffee drinkers identify the difference in colors, smells and flavors as they slurp. I often hear the commercial coffee smells like “hay” or “grass.” When you smell House Blend, it smells like a roasty, sweet cup of delicious coffee.
Practice, Made Perfect
It’s 5:24 am on a Tuesday morning and I need my coffee. I need my Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew.
As I stumble downstairs to the kitchen, the first thing I do is prepare myself a cup of what I think is the best thing on earth. On early mornings like this, my body craves that great taste of coffee, that awesome aroma, that warmth – minus all that caffeine. I don’t need that extra kick since I know I’ll be diving into a cold pool in a few minutes as I log in a few thousand yards of swim practice with my friends. Truly that is enough to wake me up anyway!
And the best part is it stays warm in my tumbler until hours after I get out of the pool. A sip of it is my little reward for a job well done. As my coffee pot collects dust at home, I get to enjoy rich, bold and easy Starbucks VIA® Decaf Italian Roast each and every day. It’s roasted a bit sweet, so it pairs well with my much-needed chocolate caramel protein bar after my hard workout. And for someone like me who is always on the go, but still wants that same great taste without all the caffeine, this is just perfect in everyway.
Cupcakes and Iced Kenya
Kenya is a fantastic iced coffee on a warm summer day. Our Kenya is grown at high altitude, which means the cherries take their time to ripen on the trees. That makes the beans denser, which in turn makes the citrus fruit flavors of this coffee more intense.
For a perfect garden party try this combination – Iced Kenya and Orange & Rose Cupcakes.
First, make up a large pitcher of Iced Kenya (brewing it double strength) and serve it on ice saturated with herbs and fruit. I love to float blackberries, lemon balm and borage flowers in the pitcher, as these highlight the different flavors in the coffee and look so pretty. Serve it with plenty of ice and cupcakes!
