Indivisible Blend is coming to Starbucks on June 12, 2012. It’s an all new coffee blend, and roasted to a Blonde roast profile. So this is the third Blonde coffee to be offered, as the first two were Willow Blend and Veranda Blend. Indivisible Blend is a blend of washed Kenya and Ethiopia coffees and is said to have floral notes. (Actually, I should clarify that when I asked partners about what is in Indivisible Blend, I got a variety of answers. All I can say for certain is that it is a blend of East African coffees.)
There are so many great things to say about this coffee. First off, for every bag purchased, Starbucks will donate $5.00 to the Opportunity Finance Network, which is an organization partnered with Starbucks to help create jobs. There is a lot more information about this partnership at the Create Jobs For U.S.A. website. Follow Opportunity Finance Network on Twitter here. A one pound bag of Indivisible Blend coffee retails for $14.95. The Create Jobs For U.S.A. partnership first launched last November with red, white, and blue bracelets available inside Starbucks.
I’ve actually tried this coffee three times. At several different stores, partners said to me, “Melody, have you tried the new Indivisible Blend?” I’ve had it pressed in a French press, through the Clover, and prepared as an iced coffee on the Clover. I’m totally surprised at how much I like it. The French press, since it retains the most oils, created a really lovely big complex juicy flavor, and I had to remind myself that it is a Blonde roast. If someone had told me that it was just a very light medium roast, I probably would have believed it. This is an incredible coffee iced. Absolutely incredible. Iced on the Clover brings out a ton of grapefruit-y notes for me.
What do you think? I am definitely giving this one two thumbs up!
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Sounds very interesting and being a blend of Kenya & Ethiopia coffees makes it a must for me.
We tried it both pressed and as an iced pour-over, as we don’t have a clover within 3-4 hours of here. Iced and sweetened, it left a minty feel in my mouth. Two partners said they prefered it to our regular iced coffee. Hot with lemon loaf, it made the lemon loaf taste like grapefruit.
@Chris – That makes me want to experiment with this coffee even more. I need to try it again hot and do the lemon loaf tasting.
Well, sounds ‘tolerable’ maybe with the African coffees in it. But, still a “blonde” roast which in general I wish Sbux had never done. I will have to try this one tho. (the other two were both tasteless to me)
re: the ‘donating’ that Sbux will do of $5.00 from this coffee? It’s really NOT Sbux doing the donating..it’s us, the customers. I always thought those kinds of statements were a little deceiving. (by Sbux Melody…not by you!)
Most Kenyan coffees have that distinctive citrus/grapefruit not. I love the high acidity in the coffee. Its great iced because our iced coffee blend in African too lol. This coffee personifies perfection. Pairs gear with the iced lemon pound cake.
Given the situation with the economy I am glad to see that SB is doing this promotion. I wonder though why the promotion cannot be tied to purchases made besides the coffee?
@denise r
People would pay $14.95 for this coffee whether Starbucks was donating or not, they have a loyal following and source great coffee. They made a commitment to Create Jobs For U.S.A. and this is part of the promotion. If you want to make a donation, go directly to the Create Jobs For U.S.A. website and do it there. If you want some great coffee and want Starbucks to support the organization, then buy the coffee.
@Keith: I realize that people would pay the $14.95/lb regardless. I’ve been a daily Sbux customer for over 20yrs, so I’ve seen lots of things come and go. I am very much a part of their “loyal following”, probably for longer than most people on here. ( I’m guessing DadC..and I are the oldest bloggers on here.) I realize that if I wanted to make a donation, I could do it directly. But my point was, if Sbux wants to “create jobs in the USA” why don’t they just do it directly, from their multi-billion dollar corp.
and, re: ‘great coffee’, I do get ‘great coffee’, generally a lb/every 10 days, from Sbux. Usually it cost $14.95, unless it’s a Reserve. So far, none of it has ever been Blonde….the coffee I choose to brew at home. Maybe this one will be very much different, I don’t know…haven’t tasted it yet. But essentially, I am a ‘BOLD’ coffee-lover, which is what I drew me to Sbux in the first place, so many yrs ago.
@Melody — Thanks for the preview of the new blonde on the block. I’ll give it a try as a press and try to be impartial, but I have not been impressed by any of the blonde blends, so far.
@denise r — you and I are on the same wavelength 😉 . Too bad the “young folks” cannot appreciate what quality, art, and craftsmanship Starbucks Coffees once were. My Wife and I had our first Starbucks in 1979 at the original Pikes Place store, before it became a tourist trap. There is a point when a company gets too big and chases the latest fad that it loses its soul and foundation. I feel a business tome coming on so I’ll shift subjects.
Social Responsibility/Charity/Philanthropy for any company presents many problems. IMHO, the biggest is that some people are passionately against some causes, so business is lost; depending on the “cause” this could translate into a net loss. The next problem is sincerity; is the company supporting a cause because the Marketing Department thought it would be good for increasing sales, or is this a cause that the majority of employees and stock holders is passionate about? My philosophy (based on Matthew 5:16) is basically that actions speak louder than words. So I do my good works without calling attention to them, and I like the companies I do business with to do the same. It may sound like a simple thing, but I want to read about a company’s philanthropy in the annual report, not in a press release by the Marketing Department.
I find these comments interesting because I too think that perhaps there have been so many changes in the direction that SB has taken that many customers are not aware of these changes because of when they started becoming customers. To me this can cause some confusion because the goals and objectives of SB have changed for various reasons and people are not sure what to support. Maybe that is where marketing has gone astray?
@DadCooks & Denise – I couldn’t agree with either of you more. Funny how this usually happens. I will give this coffee a try this week. Hopefully it is better than the other 2 Blonde Roasts. I sure wish Melody had sampled the Indivisible hot off the Clover, but I can wait another day and a half and find out for myself. I’m sorry to say I’m always skeptical about the intent of those who claim they’re doing good for others. I prefer to give myself and leave out the middleman. Excuse me for saying, but I always felt the donation from Ethos water was laughable on Starbucks part. To take pennies worth of water, and charge what Starbucks charges, only to donate so little for such a cause, is and always has been a joke IMO.
I will definitely buy this coffee to try and I like that it goes to an organization that is associated with Starbucks’ philanthropy efforts as I am assured the program has been vetted and it is legitimate on the endeavors to help others. I PREFER to donate to charity in this manner and would rather do it by buying coffee as I would do anyway.
People begging for money in the mail or at my door are turned away unless it is a national organization such as the Girls Scouts etc. Starbucks is simply letting the customer know that the money from each bag is staying within the U.S. for a jobs creation charity. Sounds good to me and I would rather help OUR country than donate to causes outside the U.S.
Just my two cents.
I would be interested to know what percentage of every dollar is spent on overhead costs, and how much actually gets donated to the cause. I looked up the Opportunity Finance Network, and maybe I’m missing something, but it seems like they are taking the money donated, and they are using it to lend to businesses. The money is being financed to create jobs, but where does the interest on the financing go? Why would anybody donate money, so that it can be financed so somebody makes money off the interest? Is that interest returned to the charity to be used, or does it go in somebody’s pocket? Just wondering!
@denise r
They do, that’s why they are always hiring. America’s economy is hurting, but Starbucks continues to open new stores, hire new employees, and treat those employees with a level of respect (higher pay, benefits, and stock options) greater than any other company that I know.
I guess I feel the same way as described above by Sandra & Keith. We Starbucks is always going to come up with coffee blends and sell them. And people would pay $14.95 a pound whether or not the money is going entirely to Starbucks as a corporation or to something else. In fact, isn’t that about what Tribute Blend 2011 retailed for? Starbucks, by creating their own successful business, hires people. And then, they in turn take money and give it based on the sales of this new coffee, to an organizations that invests in small businesses in America. If the bags didn’t tell you where the money is going, maybe there would be no hubbub, but I think it is great that people know about the Opportunity Finance Network.
Starting tomorrow, June 12, Indivisible Blend will be placed into (heavy) rotation as the Blonde Roast offering for brewed coffee. Not only is Starbucks donating $5 for each pound of Indivisible Blend coffee sold, but $.05 for every cup of brewed coffee sold of the same.
@Chris W. — I sure hope you are correct that Indivisible will be in the Blonde rotation. Starbucks lost a lot of points with the vast majority of Bold Drinking Regulars at my Regular Starbucks when they put Three Regions in as the “Bold” pick — yuck ;-x
@Melody — your points (and others) regarding Starbucks Corporate Philanthropy is understood, and please do not misunderstand my position to be one of non-support, that is definitely not the case. Corporate Philanthropy is a fine balancing act, it has to please the stock holders, employees, and customers; each of whom needs to be considered. I guess my main point is that Corporate Philanthropy that comes from or is driven by the Marketing Department is not correct IMHO.
Well folks, I have been totally grounded for the past 10-days, my right knee “blew up” (I now how a matched set) and the Doc has me stuck at home so I am relying on my fellow “Morning Regulars” to keep me informed on tomorrow’s Indivisible roll-out here. My “coffee cellar” is well stocked and restocking is just a click away 😉 . I have purposely been keeping a low profile on MSI as with all this extra time on my hands I could be extra curmudgeonly 🙂
Dad cooks hope you are up and about soon.
I agree that in some ways I feel the marketing dept at SB has lost its vision on many different levels. Too many people giving too many opinions?
@DadC…..bummmmmer! about your (other;) knee! Is there surgery, or an aspiration, in the picture? or not? Anyway, wishing you well!
@Melody — sorry for the off topic stray…
@denise r — going for another MRI on Wednesday, then decisions. Sometime in the next couple of years (sooner if Obama Care is not stopped), before I lose my private insurance, I am going to have to get two “bionic” knees.
Thanks for the well wishes.
I now return you all to the pleasures of Starbucks 🙂
A partner here in Victoria told me just now that Indivisible Blend will not be available in Canada.
🙁
On a happier note, tomorrow until 11am, Tall brewed coffee is only 25 cents, to celebrate 25 years of Starbucks Canada.
🙂
Check it out: http://www.Starbucks.ca
Off topic, but I’m from Victoria, OrganicStarbox! Small world. And you’re right – no Indivisible Blend here – we’re not supporting the creation of US jobs here. Perhaps if we were doing a similar job creation program in Canada, the blend could’ve worked for both.
Though I would be interested in trying it – Melody’s description makes me curious. Maybe some will be accidentally shipped here…Thanksgiving Blend got shipped to a store accidentally 2 years ago, and we all enjoyed it 🙂
And yay for 25 cent coffee – 15 cents if you have your own cup!!
DadCooks Sorry to hear about your knee! Sounds painful! Im typing on my phne, plz excuse my breviety. Also, I want to caution all that it looks like the free tall beverage with a pound of indivisible blend is not working. I assume this will get fixed, but just know rt now free talls arent working.
@dadcooks-we can rebuild him. Faster. Stronger….anyone remember that? Seriously, get well soon.
As for the free tall, that happened last year with the new packaging. The rewards team needs to make sure new offerings are coded into the system prior to launch. I’m sure they’ll fix it fast, but this is twice in less than a year.
Prayers too you DadCooks…….
I had the Indivisible on the Clover today. It reminded me of Gazebo Blend, which was never a big favorite of mine. I will say this about it. Since it is classified as a Blonde, it is definitely the better of the three.
Well, a few things today here.
1) I did have about half a tall “Indivisible” today and in no way does it taste like the other “blonde” roast…..which, imo, is a very good thing. I could actually TASTE this one 🙂 and could drink it if I had to. In no way would it be my first choice, but….I could drink it, definitely over PPR.
2)@CD: that’s insane that they’re going thru the same thing with the new pckging of this and no free tall. You might think they’d learned after that first time. (couldn’t have been more than 6mo ago?) So, am wondering how many people today, who qualified for that free tall, and did NOT get a receipt, got charged for their drink? I’m guessing quite a few….
3)@DadC…… now I know FOR SURE we ARE on the same wavelength…after your ‘when you might have surgery remark’! 😉 and what you wrote is absolutely true, I believe. as I said….there are a very few of us in the minority here, on SOME things, I think.
4) I ran into our really sweet dm (Christine) today…… she’s planning a trip back to Germany relatively soon so, I get to LOVE another bag of Yergacgheffe:) Also, she turned me on to the ‘made in the USA’ indivisible mug……so, I had to get one, and switch out another mug in my cabinet….. I think it looks a little better quality than the new USA tumblers,
5)We had THE most gorgeous perfect day here today, I wish you all could have it: mid 70’s, low humidity, little breeze and bright bright sunshine. Perfect day! (I fell asleep at the pool this morning, which I never do…)
So, that’s the end of my report. Let us know DadC…. what your mri shows!
I saw the Indivisible Blend in the stores just the other day and I have to say I love the packaging. Haven’t tried it yet, but intend to very soon. If Starbucks uses some of my money and forwards it to an organization that will help create jobs in the USA then I stand behind it.
If this is a “marketing” trend – good, maybe it will continue and others will do the same type of “marketing”. As long as the money is used in the USA then maybe, just maybe we can bring some national pride back to this country and make more products and services rather than selling ourselves to the lowest bidder.
Ok, so I personally am a huge African Coffee fan.
You say it’s African I’ll try it as every brew method allows.
Maybe, my senses are totally out o whack right now too, I’m not sure, but
when I’ve tried it, all I can taste and smell is canned vegetable soup!
I can’t even pick up on any citrus notes.
Oh, what allergies will do!
Went to my local store & picked up a bag and tried it…very light and it tasted like Gazebo roast and I am not a fan. I will probably give it away to my parents who like Folgers since they like blonde roast Starbucks.
Starbucks could be like the oil companies and be obsessively greedy and NOT donate any of their profits but even when they do they get berated and I find it a bit sad overall that they are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Pennies add up and any donation is appreciated by the organizations they support and I am sure there are thousands that want on their list to be one of the lucky few that partner with them for charitable donations.
Will have to check my local store to see if they carry it. They tend to be slow to getting things in.
@Sandra Trolinger – I respect your opinion that every penny adds up. However…. About 20 years ago, one of the most popular charities in the USA at that time – The United Way, got caught with their pants down. The whole story is a bit foggy in my mind after all these years. I don’t remember the exact figure, but I believe it was somewhere between 12 – 18% of all money collected, was ever given to help those the money was raised for. That means 82 -88% of that money was spent on advertising (understandable), and the rest went to salaries and the lavish lifestyles of those running the company, like convicted felon William Aramony. You may be interested to learn what Mr. Aramony did with the money.
I believe it is healthy to question any charitable cause, so that we know our money is being spent wisely, and used to help the people it was intended to help. You think it’s sad that Starbucks is damned if they do / damned if they don’t. I think it’s sad when a major charity like The United Way could spend that kind of money, and that nobody knew what was going on. Any charity can get away with this. I’m not even sure that there are laws that say a charity has to donate more than even 1% of the money donated. What’s sad is that anybody should have to question even the intent of any charity, but it is warranted IMHO. Imagine if only 12 – 18% of that $5 went to help get people jobs. Imagine if only 1% went to getting people jobs. I’m certainly not saying that this is the case with Starbucks, but I do believe people ought to be informed where the money actually goes. Let’s not forget that a charitable contribution by a company like Starbucks, is a tax write off, and it is your money that makes this possible. If my opinion is wrong, I’m open to pointing me toward the truth. As far as I’m concerned, all we can do is hope that Starbucks and the OFN does their best to make sure the money lives up to all the hype. Let’s hope…..
@Chgo, I agree the United Way is one of the charities I won’t donate to because they don’t use enough of the money to help people.
Starbucks is using their time, effort, employees, shelf space, marketing, etc. to highlight jobs in the U.S. and making their products like the cups and to go mugs in this country. I hope they keep up the good work and if the coffee was decent I would buy a bag weekly but I dislike Indivisible Blend.
At our store they are promoting $2 off a bag of Veranda, House or Italian blend until 9-13-12 on the chalkboard which brings the price down to $9,95 to $11.95 per pound.
@Sandra T……we have the $9.95/lb Veranda, Italian and House. not sure it goes til Sept tho…can’t remember.
Kate – Many Kenyan coffees I have tried of late have been heavy on notes of minestrone or vegetable soup. Your nose might be working just fine. Slight differences in grind and brew temperature can shift a coffee among flavor notes. Also citrus often shows up in Ethiopian coffees as they cool.
First let me state that I think everything Starbucks has done to pair up with OFN has been amazing. Customers seem really into the concept. The Indivisible Blend has been widely popular in my store, but in my opinion, I was very let down by it. I love African coffees, so the idea of Kenya and Ethiopia together made me bounce with joy. But as I’ve learned, the Blonde Roast just doesn’t make my mouth happy. I don’t feel like I can taste the coffee. I’m sure if I spend some time just drinking Blondes for a while, it would grow on me. Maybe that will be my next venture as a Coffee Master!