Five Things to Know About Starbucks Christmas Blend, the Original Starbucks Holiday Beverage

From The LifeMinute.tv Team

December 5, 2024

A celebration of tradition and innovation, the creation of Starbucks Christmas Blend is a meticulous process led by experts on the Starbucks coffee team. Starting with the selection of high-quality arabica beans that contribute specific flavor profiles to the blend, each type of bean is roasted separately to achieve the desired roast level. This post-roast blending method allows the team to highlight unique characteristics of each bean. After roasting, beans are carefully blended in specific ratios to create a harmonious and complex flavor profile. The team conducts multiple rounds of tasting and refinement to ensure the blend meets their high standards for flavor, aroma, and body. Starbucks Christmas Blend highlights this artistry in coffee bean roasting and blending with an expert combination of Latin American beans and mellow Indonesian coffees, and the finishing touch is the addition of rare, spicy Sumatra beans, aged three to five years for a full-bodied, spicy and rich cup of coffee. 

Here are five interesting/unknown facts about Starbucks Christmas Blend:

1. It was the first Starbucks holiday beverage. Starbucks Christmas Blend was the first holiday beverage launched by Starbucks in 1984 when there were only five stores, and before the company served handcrafted espresso beverages. This special blend has since become a beloved tradition, celebrated by coffee enthusiasts every holiday season.
    
2. Starbucks could not roast it fast enough. Starbucks Christmas Blend was originally delivered from the Starbucks roasting plant to stores in five-pound metal bins and then scooped individually into wax paper bags. It was so fresh; the bins were sometimes still warm!
    
3. Countdown to Starbucks Christmas Blend. After the first year, stores added countdown calendars in anticipation of the return of the limited-edition coffee. And once it arrived, lines of eager customers often stretched out the door.
    
4. A Special Roast. Starbucks Christmas Blend is a post-roast blend, which means the coffees that make up the blend from different regions are roasted separately and then blended to highlight their unique flavors. The roast and flavor profile of Starbucks Christmas Blend is still inspired by the original recipe, combining perfectly aged Sumatran coffee with dark-roasted beans from Guatemala, Colombia and Asia-Pacific. These distinct flavors harmonize to create a rich, robust blend with notes of spiced chocolate and spruce tips.

5. Versatility. Starbucks Christmas Blend can be brewed many ways, from a pour over to a coffee press to your at-home coffee machine. And for a twist, incorporate into holiday recipes from cakes and cookies, to stews and meat dishes. The blend’s rich and complex flavors pair exceptionally well with holiday foods such as gingerbread cookies, spiced nuts, and festive cakes.

Starbucks Christmas Blend is available only during the holiday season at Starbucks cafes, making it a highly anticipated release each year.