by Melody on November 29, 2009
Passion For the Coffee-Cover
It’s time to talk about something old and new, all at once. Recipes and a passion for coffee. Those two things go hand in hand. The ‘new and innovative’ in the pairing of recipes and coffee, is Via. On the Starbucks website you can even find a web page dedicated to recipes using Via in them. But going back 15 years in time, Starbucks put out an amazing book called, “A Passion For the Coffee”. It has a 1994 publication date and the book walks the reader through a little bit about coffee history, Starbucks sourcing and roasting, and even has a page with the 1994 whole bean coffee menu. Personally, I’m incredibly sentimental about whole bean menus, because I think that as a coffee house it is imperative that the whole bean offerings be obvious and central to the theme of the store. And the whole bean 1994 menu (pictured below) takes me back in time: I remember Yirgacheffe being a regular coffee offering, and this was the era of coffee scooped out of bins (pre-flavorlock bags), and stores densely rich in the smell of coffee. For those customers who are craving a cup of Starbucks Yirgacheffe coffee, look for it as a periodic offering through the Starbucks Clover stores.
Since the book dates from 1994, it also is reflective of the Starbucks of that era. Notice that on the page describing sizes and the offerings of espresso beverages, there is no “Venti” size. The book is from the era when the menu was “short”, “tall”, and “grande” and pre-dates the Frappuccino.
So the theme of this post is coffee and recipes, old and new. Please feel free to comment. I’ve uploaded a handful of pages from the 1994 book which was the inspiration for this blog post. Many thank yous to Larry Aldrich of Seattle Custom Framing for taking the pics.
[[Edit 11-30: After reading this blog entry, if you're in the mood to look at more recipes, I'd refer you to a favorite blog called "Savory Sweet Life". A number of the recipe entries in that blog look Starbucks inspired!]]
Table of Contents
Pg 24 Roasting beans
Hazelnut Raspberry Muffins
Sizes & Espresso Menu
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Pg 4 Passion For Coffee
Pg 4-5 Passion For Coffee
Pg 16-17 Passion For the Coffee
Pg 26-27 Whole bean menu
Pg 36-37 PassionForTheCoffee
Pg 66-67-RaisinGingerbread
Pg70-71-Passion-ChocolateFudgeSquares
by Melody on November 22, 2009
I am taking Thanksgiving week off from this blogging addiction! I will be back though, but sorry, there will be no updates for a full week. I know it’s a long time to go with nothing new. Hopefully you’ll come back in one week. Please feel free to comment on any thread, or post ANY Starbucks related comment in this thread.
This is an OPEN thread and even if you want to kvetch about your store, or talk about whole beans, or Via, or whatever, this thread is fair game.
Before I take a short break from the whirlwind blogging, I want to mention and highlight my favorite of my blog posts (in no particular order):
What’s your favorite blog entry? (If you have one! I guess that’s pretty bold of me to even ask!) Enjoy your wide open thread!
by Melody on November 17, 2009
by Melody on November 16, 2009
2009 Christmas Blend Coffee Stamp
First introduced to the Starbucks whole bean line up, November 1984, Christmas Blend is still a favorite. The coffee beans in Christmas Blend are from Latin America, Asia/Pacific and Sumatra are first roasted separately and then blended together to create this special flavor. Most coffee blends are not roasted separately and then blended post-roasting. This coffee is unique because the Aged Indonesian and Aged Sumatra beans in it demand separate roasting, creating one of Starbucks very few blends actually blended AFTER the roasting is over.
Aged Indonesian beans are known for their unique spicy and syrupy flavors. I have a very complete blog post here describing the unique sourcing involved in Sumatra and Aged Sumatra.
This year’s Christmas Blend is available in 3 sizes: 8 ounces, a full pound size, and a 1.5 pound size. It is also available in decaf; I don’t pay too much attention to the decaf offerings, but I find that interesting that this coffee is available as decaf since there is no way to buy separately, ‘decaf Aged Sumatra’ beans.
This special coffee definitely is a winter favorite! Don’t be confused though! It may also be sold in stores as “Holiday Blend” with very different packaging but the beans inside are exactly the same! (At least I’ve been told that Holiday Blend is the same coffee – If anyone knows differently, please let me know. Thanks).
(Thank you Larry at Seattle Custom Framing for the photo of the 2009 Christmas Blend coffee stamp.)
Commentary: Recyclable Cups & Starbucks
November 14, 2009Bring in Your Own Tumbler: This blog is about encouraging Starbucks customers to use a personal tumbler or ask for their beverage in for-here ware. Yes, of course I believe that recycling paper cups is a good idea, but there is much more to the story than simply the paper cup itself. The story is [...]