Starbucks celebrates 40 years of its Christmas Blend
Credit: Starbucks Coffee
Starbucks is celebrating 40 years of Christmas, that is, its Christmas Blend! Starbucks introduced its Christmas Blend on 23 November 1984, the day after Thanksgiving – Black Friday – at the original store in Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington. At the time there were only five Starbucks stores.
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. Starbucks Christmas Blend is a post-roast blend, which means the coffees that comprise the blend from different regions are roasted separately and then blended to highlight their unique flavours. The roast and flavour profile of Starbucks Christmas Blend is still inspired by the original recipe, combining perfectly aged Sumatran coffee with dark-roasted beans from Guatemala, Kenya, and Colombia to create a rich, robust blend with notes of spiced chocolate and spruce tips. It’s also made with 100% Arabica coffee, verified as ethically sourced by Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices.
“Christmas Blend was our first big hit, so we were sort of guessing on the volume, and we didn’t really guess right … we would get calls for emergency 1,000-pound orders,” said David Seymour, a Starbucks 42-year roasting plant partner. “In those days, if we did an emergency order, we could easily package it and deliver it within a couple hours.”
The next year, Starbucks noted that the buzz around the Christmas Blend began to build by autumn, and stores put up calendars to count down the number of days until its return. Seymour remembers, “It’s kind of similar to when they release the red (holiday) cup nowadays. Everyone wants that first pound or first cup.”
In 1987, Starbucks began a new chapter as a coffeehouse and customers could enjoy Starbucks Christmas Blend as brewed coffee in stores for the first time. It marked the beginning of tremendous growth for the company. Starbucks Christmas Blend is available by mail order for the first time in 1988.
In 1997, Starbucks introduced the red holiday cups. Starbucks Christmas Blend and other packaged coffees began arriving on grocery store shelves in 1998.
A new millennium brought the debut of the Peppermint Mocha (2002).
Starbucks Holiday Blend, a medium-roast with bright Latin American and smooth Indonesian coffees, launched in 2013. And in 2015, Starbucks unveiled the Reserve Christmas Blend.
Starbucks Christmas Blend is available for purchase at Starbucks stores as a whole bean coffee for USD $15.95 for a one-lb bag while supplies last and is the featured dark roast brewed coffee choice in participating stores throughout most of the season. It is also available in ground and decaf versions. These days, the blends launch in stores with Starbucks holiday food and beverage menu in early November.
For more information on the history of Starbucks Christmas Blend, click here.
