Summer is here. The hot weather means that it is time for some iced coffee. Here’s the recipe for cooling off this summer: you’re going to need a big drinking cup, lots of ice, and Gazebo Blend from Starbucks. It is perfect iced!
Gazebo Blend has appeared in the summer line-up every year since 1991. In the not too distant past, the coffee mug merchandise often reflected the “coffee stamps” that were used on the flavor-lock coffee bags. I miss the coffee stamps which are now just something of an artifact of an era gone by. For others, like myself, who are nostalgic about the old coffee stamps, this blog post features an old coffee mug with an old coffee stamp design on it from roughly a decade ago.
Here’s an interesting piece of trivia: Gazebo Blend is sold in some international markets as “Oceanside Blend“. The flavor of Gazebo Blend can vary from year to year but it’s always a selection that includes East African beans with distinctive citrus notes making it perfect iced. The beans are processed by a “washed” method which helps to produce the clean finish and citrus notes that the coffee is famous for. Gazebo blend pairs well with blueberries, lemon, raspberries, and other tart fruits. This year’s Starbucks Gazebo Blend is available in both one pound, and half-pound sizes.
But wait! There’s more! I don’t want my readers just throwing some coffee in a drip brewer and then pouring it over ice! No no no! Please do NOT do this. Really wonderful iced coffee is NOT simply ordinary drip brew over ice. Rather, in order to account for the melting ice in the cup, iced coffee should be brewed “double strength”. The ice melting in the cup is diluting the coffee, so the best iced coffee takes this into account.
If you would normally use 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every six fluid ounces of cold water, double up on the coffee to make your iced coffee at home. The ratio of 2 table spoons of coffee to about six ounces of water is a normal drip-brewed coffee ratio for coffee that will be consumed hot. However, use about four ounces of coffee for each six ounces of water to make “double strength” coffee. Brew your coffee, chill it, serve over ice!
If you are reading this, and you are anywhere near a Clover-designated Starbucks, you can easily try Gazebo Blend iced at your local Clover store. Since your coffee is custom prepared for you at a Clover store, you can order anything you want iced. If for some reason, you’re reading this and find that your local store is out of Gazebo, my second choice would be iced (Red) East African Blend. I have had that iced many times and it is almost as perfect as Gazebo Blend iced. It’s a close second.
Enjoy your iced coffee, and tell me what is your favorite iced coffee (or for that matter, what’s your favorite iced summer drink?).
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@perrik – what CABarista said. The iced coffee isn’t sweetened till it’s poured into the cup. I think we serve more of it unsweetened than we do with the Classic added.
@CABarista – Plus it doesn’t have dairy in it, which is sometimes a good thing. I’m definitely going to play with the other teas and see how they are over ice.
I really like the packaging on the gazebo summer blend. It could be that I’m partial to blue and really all I think about is a blast of icy cold wind when I see it. This is one of the coffee’s I still need to try. I’ve noticed that at several of the starbucks I’ve been to they have small trays of sample cups out for you to sample the iced via coffee. I didn’t think I’d like it so much and I really do. So I’m thinking if instant iced coffee is this good I can only figure on the brewed iced coffee being VERY VERY good 😉 I’m actually up the way from a clover toting starbucks. I think I may have to go down and see about this gazebo on ice 🙂 Thank you for another coffee enabling post 🙂 LOL
“Hi, my name is Darkka and I’m addicted to coffeehol. I know this is partially due to the enabling coffee community I participate in daily…”
Let us know how you like it! Not a huge african coffee fan and LOVE it!
Wow. I finally picked up a half-pound bag of Gazebo this week, and I’m really amazed by how well it performs as an iced coffee. To me, it’s the holy grail of iced coffee: it tastes as good at home as it does in the store. I was skeptical of the preparation instructions, but they’re foolproof! Brew double strength, then cool it down by melting ice cubes, then pour the cooled liquid into a glass of ice. There’s a tart, fruity crispness with a welcome acidity and a roasty-sweet flavor in the background. The “enjoy by” date on my bag is January 2011. I may have to amass a stockpile of Gazebo for the next few months!
Gazebo blend is my very favorite coffee! I love all of the African coffees, but it isn’t summer without Gazebo <3
Rest In Peace Gazebo Blend. Died young shortly before the age of 20. Lived a full life in the bright summer sunshine.
It is gone?
WHAT???!! That is my VERY FAVORITE coffee! I wait all year long for summer to get it 🙁 So now what????! Will there be some sort of replacement???
We will be tasting Kenya as ice coffee. I am enjoying some hot Kenya now!
As an aside, Three Regions Blend will be departing SOON.
@WillGinn – That is interesting to know! So many interesting tests start this month too. I wish I could just fly around and see them all. I think 3 Region Blend is mostly sold out here in Seattle. Did it sell well where you are? I would love a Kenya Iced Coffee, and by the way, 3 Region Blend is pretty good iced too.