Holiday Hooplah

This week Starbucks started its holiday kick-off! It really started two weeks ago when we began receiving our holiday loot. It all came in boxes marked "No Sneak Peaks." Since I was doing the receiving for our store, I was the only one that got to see what we got. This was fun because I had a secret. Tuesday night after we closed Starbucks-Santa and her helpers came and put out all of our holiday merchandise. Many thanks to the mid-night crew at Freedom Road. When I walked in on Wednesday morning, it looked like a Christmas Tree blew up in our store. Christmas goodies everywhere! We have:

• Tazo Tea kits - very cute
• Christmas mugs with matching saucers - festive item
• Holiday French Presses - Really awesome looking (hint hint)
• Coffee solo packages - small variety of coffee, mug, & an assortment of chocolate covered espresso beans, chocolate covered nuts, and chocolate drops - YUM
• Christmas Blend Coffee - stay tuned...

This is a multi-regional blend of coffees from Latin America and Asia. This is different than holiday blends from years past, simply because Starbucks decided to use an aged Asian blend from Indonesia. These Asian beans sat in a warehouse for 5 years prior to roasting. The aging process results in a smokey and cedary aroma. This makes this coffee perfect for sharing after dinner dessert with your family infront of the fire place. The spices that are evident hints to a bit of cinnamon and a very slight undertone of nutmeg. As the coffee cools, the nutmeg becomes more evident. Try this one with a splash of egg nog instead of cream. This coffee pairs great with Starbucks pepperment brownies or cranberry bliss bar.

Sound festive? You can get some at your local Starbucks establishment, by clicking the link to Starbucks Store on the right, or by visiting the Vulhop homestead sometime before we drink it all ourselves.