2019 Starbucks holiday coffee and pairings guide
Long before the original Eggnog Latte was steamed or the first shavings of chocolate sprinkled atop a Peppermint Mocha — there was Starbucks® Christmas Blend. The beloved brew, first scooped in 1984, is a holiday tradition known for its full-bodied flavor that complements nearly everything on your holiday table. What began with original Christmas Blend has expanded to new varieties like Starbucks Reserve™ Christmas and Starbucks Christmas Blend Espresso Roast with fresh takes on the classic recipe and roast.
With so many sweet and spicy holiday flavors to choose from, we turned to Andrew Vagner, Starbucks Stories designer, coffee connoisseur and resident foodie, for this year’s guide to Starbucks holiday coffee and food pairings.
Starbucks Christmas Blend + Cranberry Bliss Bar
For 35 years, Starbucks customers have celebrated the holidays with this full-bodied spicy and rich cup of coffee with dark-roasted Latin American and mellow Indonesian coffees. The finishing touch is the addition of rare, spicy Sumatra beans, carefully aged to bring out their deep notes of cedar and sweet, black licorice. Enjoy a coffee press of Christmas Blend with a Cranberry Bliss™ Bar to experience the tartness of the cranberries and orange drizzle mingling with the lively citrus flavors in the coffee. Or better yet – add a box of six to a pound of coffee to give as a gift.
Also available in decaf, ground and Starbucks VIA® formats.
Starbucks Christmas Blend Espresso Roast + Gingerbread Loaf
Since 2010, this seasonal coffee has been tailor-made for espresso enthusiasts, inspired by the flavors of Christmas Blend and Starbucks® Espresso Roast. Like Christmas Blend, it is made with Latin American, Indonesian and aged Sumatra beans, but with a unique recipe and roast profile that add acidity, herbal notes and a deep spiciness. The dark roast balances spicy with caramelly sweetness for an intense flavor experience that pairs perfectly with a slice of Gingerbread Loaf. While Christmas Blend Espresso Roast was crafted with espresso in mind, its cedary and herbal flavors shine with any brewing method.
Starbucks Holiday Blend + Sugar Plum Cheese Danish
In 2013, Starbucks Coffee wanted to offer customers a unique medium-roast blend for the holidays and created a recipe that also features bright Latin American and smooth Indonesian coffees was born. The result is an elegant flavor with layers of maple and herbal notes that are balanced with a medium acidity and body. Asian-Pacific coffees are usually a great match with cheese, and here a Sugar Plum Cheese Danish brings out the herbal notes from Starbucks Holiday Blend’s Indonesian coffees. Enjoy a nice, slow cup of Starbucks Holiday Blend as a pour over or Chemex to fully experience its sweet and layered flavors.
Starbucks Christmas Blend Blonde Roast + Snowman Cookie
For over four decades, Starbucks was famous for its darker roast coffee —until Starbucks® Blonde Roast came along in January 2012 and introduced customers to the mellow, flavorful coffee on the lighter end of the roast spectrum. Ten months later, customers got their first sip of Starbucks Christmas Blonde Roast, with subtle flavors of spice with warm, woodsy aromas and soft notes of brown sugar and allspice. Starbucks Christmas Blonde Roast was made for buttery cookies (like the seasonal Snowman Cookie) as well as candied nuts, shortbread and winter fruit pie. Best enjoyed brewed or as a pour over coffee.
Available as a whole-bean packaged coffee in select international markets, and as a featured brewed offering in Starbucks stores in the U.S. and Canada.
Starbucks Reserve Christmas 2019 + Holiday Turkey & Stuffing Panini
Since 2015, Starbucks Reserve™ Christmas has been a vibrant, modern expression of the holiday, with savory spice notes and a bright sweetness. The blend, roasted at Starbucks Reserve Roastery locations, is composed of two exceptional Starbucks Reserve coffees: Hacienda Alsacia™, grown at Starbucks own coffee farm in Costa Rica – the only one of its kind – and hand-selected Aged Sumatra. A savory sandwich like the Holiday Turkey & Stuffing Panini complements a coffee press of Starbucks Reserve Christmas with notes of cinnamon and cloves from the stuffing and the sweet citrus from the cranberry sauce. A new holiday classic.
Available at Starbucks Reserve Roastery locations and select stores that offer Starbucks Reserve Clover™-brewed coffees in the United States and Canada.
