by Anthony Carroll, manager coffee quality
Coffee is culinary was the inspiration for this annual tradition. The
task was to create a coffee blend that would taste great within your
amazing Thanksgiving feast. Our approach began by thinking about all
the great flavors experienced during this glorious meal. Roasty savory
turkey and stuffing, heady spices and herbs, the rich mouthfeel of the
gravy and the acidic tartness of the cranberries first came to mind.
Now the effort shifted to finding coffees would be best to compliment
those in-meal flavors and would blend with great balance and grace.
Much like the Chef that creates a dish that is balanced and layered the
quality team took the same approach to Thanksgiving Blend. The
blending process started with coffees from 10 different origins. All
of those coffees possessed qualities we thought would compliment and
inspire a new blend that was worthy of this epic meal. Some had high
acidity, some great body and others great complexity. We spent an
afternoon putting together about 10 separate blends all with very
unique flavors and reasons for being worthy of being the starting point
for Thanksgiving Blend. Over the next several weeks we refined and
narrowed the selections down to two blends. Now comes the best
part. We actually were able to eat a full Thanksgiving dinner well
before the actual date to determine which coffee paired better. The
choice was obvious.
By blending two very fancy coffees, one from Sumatra featuring medium
acid, good body and herbal complexity with the Guatemala Antigua which
features high acidity, medium body with lemony acidy and elegant spice
and cocoa notes, we created a blend that perfectly compliments all the
flavors of the Thanksgiving meal. I would not be telling the truth if
I told you we knew we were going to accomplish a blend that fit this
perfectly into the meal, even we were surprised. Don’t get me wrong, I
certainly knew we would get something great because of our expertise in
sourcing and blending but this was really a great surprise and
discovery.
I guess that is why I love the job I have. Just when you think you
have seen it all something amazing happens and it’s like you are
starting all over again. It was a great experience being part of
creating the newest Starbucks traditions blend and it is truly
rewarding the see it back on the shelves for the second year.
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by Jason Simpson, coffee experience manager
Summer continues strong and as autumn is held at bay - for now - we
are excited to bring you a new Clover Brewed coffee lineup to satisfy
your seasonal transition. These coffees can be purchased by the cup
and are available in whole bean at our Clover stores in Seattle,
Boston, San Francisco and Miami.
Guatemala Antigua Medina, a favorite from last year, is
finely balanced with soft flavor notes of dark cocoa and cherry. I
enjoy the silky-smooth mouthfeel of this coffee and the cocoa-powder
texture that lingers in the finish.
Kenya AB Auction Lot is a special offering joining the Clover
lineup, combining coffees from central Kenyan. Tangy grapefruit zest
highlight layers of black currant and plum. Kenya AB Auction Lot is a
delicious iced coffee option revealing it refreshing citrus tanginess
and fruit intensity in the cup.
Aged Sumatra returns to the Clover Brewed menu. This coffee is
intense with its cedar-spice and earthy flavors and big, syrupy body.
The unique spicy complexity of Aged Sumatra is achieved by storing
green coffee for three to five years.
Anniversary Blend, a Starbucks tradition since 1996, is another
Clover Brewed choice. This blend combines washed, semi-washed and aged
coffees from the Asia/Pacific region. It is full-bodied and smooth
with herbal and earthy flavors and a touch of spice.
As the summer heat fades giving way to changing leaves and shorter days, come by and enjoy a cup of Clover Brewed coffee.
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by Kevin Samione, category manager, Packaged Coffee
We heard you. And we listened. Then we made a great coffee … greater.
As
manager of Starbucks Packaged Coffee business, I try to make sure every
one of you, our customers, has a Starbucks® coffee you love to brew at
home every day. When we removed Yukon Blend® from our menu last year,
you told us we took away one of your favorites. Well, we are making it
up to you. I am excited to share that Yukon Blend® is coming back and
you should see it at your local Starbucks in early September. I am
even more excited to let you know this coffee is now 100% certified
organic and still 100% delicious.
Starbucks lore tells the
tale of Yukon Blend® as a coffee created for one of our original
customers – the captain of a fishing boat. He asked us to make a
coffee blend for his crew that could stand up to the frigid mornings
and long days fishing in the cold waters where the Yukon River feeds
into the Bering Sea. We created Yukon Blend®: a hearty, bold,
well-rounded coffee that can withstand any adventure the day might
throw at you … even icy waves over the bow.
(Re)introducing Starbucks Organic Yukon Blend®. A legendary coffee as old as Starbucks itself.
Enjoy. And be ready for your day.
Kevin
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by Patty Romaine-Moody, green coffee quality specialist
Hello coffee folk.
My name is Patty Romaine-Moody. I am a green coffee quality specialist
here at Starbucks and have a strong passion for coffee knowledge all
the way through the supply chain; from the “Farmer to the Customer”.
My office mates were a little shook up today when they noticed that one
of our very very large coffee trees was ‘stumped’ almost to the soil
level (see pictures). Well I am here to share a little understanding
around “Pruning”. So let the brief Agronomy lesson begin.
In addition here are a couple of other reasons why pruning is essential:
- Coffee ‘cherry’ does not grow in the same spot twice.
- Older branches and shoots need to be trimmed so the tree will not
waste precious resources continuing the growth/nurturing of this
unnecessary excess.
- When coffee trees are growing on a farm they are generally kept
trimmed down to around 5-6 feet for ease of access during harvesting.
Check out some more information on our C.A.F.E. practices and agronomy here.
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