Anniversary Blend is back, now in a sexy deep and rich brown shiny package. It’s an annual seasonal coffee each Fall, celebrating Starbucks‘ anniversary. This coffee was first launched in 1996 to mark the 25th Anniversary of Starbucks, and the story goes that it was intended to be a one time coffee, but was so popular that it has returned every year thereafter. Anniversary Blend arrives each Fall, but technically, as I understand it, Starbucks first opened their doors in March of 1971. Such is life. Fall is a better season for an Anniversary! Anniversary Blend is a blend of washed, semi-washed, and aged coffees from the Asia/Pacific growing region. This combination of processing methods helps to give Anniversary Blend a rich and varied flavor profile. Previously I wrote a blog post which explained a little bit about what an “aged” coffee bean is, and I still highly recommend visiting this old, but still solid, blog post:
The Magic of Starbucks Aged Sumatra Whole Bean Coffee
Anniversary Blend a very bold coffee, and this year’s coffee has a lot of the quintessential spicy and syrupy notes that it is known for. The aged coffee beans provide a heavier body to the coffee. Complementary flavors to the coffee are maple, oats, cinnamon, and butter.
I went to two of my favorite baristas and asked for their help to learn about pairings with this coffee and to arrange a little tasting of it at their store. Baristas Jeremy and Heidi, who have been featured twice before in this blog, put together a small coffee tasting event today at their store (Starbucks at First and Pike, “Heritage” store) and I snapped a few pictures from this event, featured below. By the way, this store tends to be busy all the time. It is located just outside of Pike Place Market and has incredibly heavy store traffic of tourists who wander in, either on their way in or out of the Pike Place Market.
I’ve known a few coffee purists who believe that the only way to taste coffee is for the coffee to be consumed by itself, not with food. I am NOT such a purist. The average Starbucks customer will likely be consuming something with their coffee, whether it is their breakfast or a dessert at dinner, or a mid-day snack. I think it’s important to learn about the coffee from the perspective of both educating the palate about its flavors, as well as educating customers about how to decide what kind of coffee might go with a variety of foods.
Today, coffee masters Jeremy and Heidi paired a zucchini bread, peppered cheese, and candied ginger with a French press of Anniversary Blend. In my humble opinion, the zucchini bread was by far the most delightful pairing. The bread had been made with a lot of cinnamon in the recipe, and the strong flavor of cinnamon complemented the spiciness of Anniversary Blend. One lesson in today’s food pairing, and something I hadn’t thought too much about before, is that even the texture of the food can affect the flavor of the coffee. The cheese with black pepper crust had a strong pepper flavor but the cheese itself was a moist, sticky texture. It tended to coat the palate a little bit, and masked some of the flavors of the Anniversary Blend, in my opinion. I actually liked this pairing quite a bit. This coffee is so bold that its strong flavor still comes through, but with a nice creamy type cheese, the coffee actually seemed very smoothed out to me, and a bit milder. I don’t have much to say about the candied ginger pairing. I’m not a big fan of ginger.
Jeremy’s comment as to the peppery cheese pairing was that the cheese itself helped pick out the sweeter, herbal notes of the coffee, almost giving the coffee a slightly grassy flavor. There were three customers that stood there for the entire duration of the tasting (given that this is often about a fifteen to twenty minute commitment of time, I’m impressed at how often customers will join and really experience the whole tasting). One customer was a tourist from Texas, and she said it was her first coffee tasting, and seemed to be delighted at the experience. Heidi somewhat felt that the ginger paired with the coffee was overpowering. The ginger flavor completely dominated. In general, if baristas are looking for creative ideas about food pairings, my two cents is to stay away from ginger. Lesson learned.
If you want to read about other coffee tasting events hosted by coffee masters Jeremy and Heidi, take a look at these previous blog posts:
Three Region Blend Coffee Tasting
So what do you think of this year’s Anniversary Blend, and what do you think of the packaging?
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I like the packaging very much because that has quality design. I like it!
Starbucks coffee Japan released only small size.
I do not understand why Starbucks does not release anniversary tumblers this year. I bought that tumbler last year. That is a very good design.
Oops! Are cups on the table STARBUCKS RESERVE paper Cup?
Melody it so amazes me how many coffee tastings there are in Seattle. Nothing compares to it. Why doesn’t SB ask there other stores outside of Seattle to do what they do in Seattle? And zucchini bread and ginger? Was that added just for the tastings or did that SB sell it? Not around here! Nice post.
I really like this year’s Anniversary Blend. I do not remember liking it as much over the past few years as I do this year. It’s memorable this year, and that’s something that’s needed for these special blends.
While I seriously miss the stamps on all of the new coffee packaging, this is the best package I have seen from Starbucks in ages. It is very appealing and eye-catching with much deeper and richer colors than before. I also *really* like the new packaging.
I never quite put my finger on it as being “sexy,” but I think you’re right, it is “sexy.” Not “sexual,” but indeed “sexy.” Kudos to whoever designed this package.
Finally, a quick shout-out to Jeremy. I had several real coffee conversations with him when I hung out at the Heritage store – he’s a great addition to the store. Very welcoming, very knowledgeable, very genuine, etc.
I agree about the bags altho it worries me just a bit the distance from the green logo. But this is really a pretty brown. Perfect for fall.
As for the coffee…Anniversary has always been one of my LEAST favorites, way too spicey for me. Every yr I taste it and every yr I feel the same. I wouldn’t buy it. However, this yrs definitely does have a more syrupy maple taste, after the spice…which makes it much better tasting to me. My store gave me some for a press to make at home (I tasted it there) so I will evaluate further. I think it’s better than before, but still not at the top of any list for me.
Great new packaging! And I always enjoy the pictures you post! Makes me wish I could go to a coffee tasting. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of one being held in the College Station, TX area. Ha!
@purple1 – There was actually a rash of coffee tastings in downtown Seattle when Galapagos Island San Cristobol coffee came out – I think all the stores were required to do at least one Galapagos tasting event! I decided to try and attend a couple of them, but ultimately, I decided there wasn’t enough for a blog entry. I took a few poor quality photos with my phone:
http://twitpic.com/2j2ue6
^ That’s a pic of the store manager of 7th and Pike Starbucks doing a Galapagos Island Coffee tasting. That was a pretty good one. The SM had a lot of good facts, and had the right size audience, and a perfect space in that store for it too.
http://twitpic.com/2j3pfe
^ That is barista-Heidi (same coffee master as featured in this blog post) about to start her Galapagos tasting. I didn’t turn it into a blog post. It was like the most least successful tasting they’ve ever done. The store was too busy – There was no place for the baristas to easily camp out. Either Heidi or Jeremy had baked the most AMAZING brownies to pair with the coffee and people came by and you could see them drooling. It was amazing. It was almost impossible to stop the rush of hands trying to grab at the sample cups before things started. Also, many people seemed in a rush and getting someone to stand there and walk through a tasting was difficult. The lessons learned: Don’t do a coffee tasting at the peak of the store’s business. Don’t make the treats so overwhelmingly delicious that the only thing people can see is “brownie” and they stop hearing the word “coffee.”
There were 2 other Galapagos tastings that I went to: Store #101 (The Columbia Center) and a store in the international district at 505 Union Station. Michael’s coffee tasting at 101 went smoothly. He paired the coffee with the chocolate covered grahams from in the store. That worked well. And he planned it well, and invited a few people (regulars), so there was a small audience who came to specifically participate. That was a well done tasting. He was relaxed and walked through the whole steps. Took his time. He was articulate. Very well done.
Becky’s coffee tasting at 505 Union Station was at 7 am. I got up early to get there (apparently they had to do it twice??) on a Monday morning. I had to get to work so I couldn’t linger and watch what was going on. It was okay, but not great. It was almost impossible to draw people into the tasting at that hour when everyone is thinking ‘I need to get to work’. She didn’t pair the coffee with anything.
Sorry for the long post. But in the end, coffee tastings aren’t the norm any more at Starbucks. Consider the woman from TX in this blog post above has been a regular Starbucks customer but this was her first tasting? I’ve been lucky that I can turn to Jeremy and Heidi and asked them for a little help, and they’ll throw together a mini event for me.
I am looking forward to this really every year again…this coffee tastes so good!
And the packaging looks always good…but I still prefer the design of last year. This was the best in my opinion.
I so agree! The packaging is very sexy — in fact I’d like to find some lingerie with those brown on brown designs for my anniversary in 2 days. The coffee was great! Rich and spicy – I like spicy! Thanks for sharing!
I don’t have a strong opinion on the packaging. The overall design seems a little busy and heavy-handed, especially with that pattern in the background, but the brown motif is certainly enough to distinguish Anniversary Blend from other Starbucks offerings on the shelf. It’s what’s on the inside that counts… And this year’s AB is very good! Rich and woodsy, but still characteristically mellow.
re: Brendan206 comment: your opinion of this yrs packaging is exactly what I have yearly (since it came out) felt about this blend…..a little busy. (taste) Altho, as I already said, this yrs tastes better to me than previous yrs. it’s the ‘syrupy’ flavor part.
Anniversary Blend is excellent this year. Does anyone know if there are five pound bags? I forgot to ask my manager.
K
ps. And denise r.’s thumbnail makes me want to make more every time I see it!
@KarlDotCom – I would think that there would be 5 pound bags since stores probably got in a 5 pound bullet for the bold pick of the week. Though for keeping your coffee fresher, unless you’re really brewing a lot of coffee, 5 one pound bags would make more sense to me. I don’t know if stores are selling their 5 pound bullets? Actually, remember when Pike Place came out, it was priced that you could be a five pound bag of it quite cheaply! Discounted at 5 pounds! I wonder if anyone is buying 5 pound bags of Pike Place Roast these days??
I was just tweeting about organizing a coffee seminar about Anniversary Blend today. This gave me a lot of inspiration. Thanks, Melody, Jeremy, and Heidi for that!
I remember when we used to sell zucchini walnut loaf. It was heavenly. I wonder where Jeremy and Heidi got their recipe…. Maybe they’ll post a link….!!!
Do you remember what part of Texas that one customer was from??? Hopefully not Southlake, Texas! I like to provide lots of chances for customers to join tastings and seminars. 😛
And your observations about when to do coffee tastings is absolutely correct! If you do tastings during the busiest times, it just doesn’t work.
I love this coffee. This could be my favorite coffee other than last years Thanksgiving blend. I find that this coffee compliments my favorite breakfast in the fall/winter- oatmeal. The bag is really cool too!
I wish there were more coffee tastings outside of Seattle as well.
My thoughts on this coffee is that it’s amazing! It feels like home for me. At our store I describe it to customers as bold but not extra bold, with very low acidity. It has spice notes and with a full body. It’s just a very good blend that is around for a limited amount of time.
I often felt like as a customer that this coffee got overlooked, being released with Pumpkin Spice. It is the coffee that comes before thanksgiving blend, and most people really get excited about that. I almost wished it would be released at a different time of year to let it shine a little brighter.
Now that I’m wearing that apron, I take it upon myself every day to make it shine. I tell every body that comes through the door about it. At my store we don’t sell the most whole bean in our district but we don’t sell the least either. I average about 2 pounds of sales per shift, and have started making a name for myself with our customers as “the coffee guy”. One customer, named Mike, came in and asked to talk to the coffee guru when asking for me 😀 That made my day. He had bought a pound of this coffee from me the day before and came back to tell me that he and his wife are officially coffee drinkers now.
I really hope that you at the clover stores get to make this in a clover, I bet it taste amazing!
I love your title, Melody! We have the anniversary blend in Japan, too. Although the packaging is a little bit different than yours, I really love both designs!
Do you happen to know why the mermaid has two fins? I was just wondering if there’s a story behind it 😀
I would love to see a picture of the bags in Japan ;D
@Christopher, that’s happened to me as well (only…I’m not a guy 😉 ) We sell a lot of anniversary in our store, both brewed and beans, our customers love it! and I do too! I love asia pacific coffees!
@Christopher – I saw a customer today ordering Anniversary Blend through the Clover and it definitely made me want to try that. I’ve had a small amount as a French press, and then I’ve had it from the pour over, and drip-brewers too.
Yes and I want to see the pic of the Japanese packaging too!
Btw, are you saying that you yourself average 2 pounds of beans per shift, or that’s the total store’s sales of beans per shift? Either way, your coffee enthusiasm is pretty contagious! I think I’ve heard that the average amount of bean sales per week across all Starbucks is 50 pounds a week. That’s not really all that much.
@Kaori – A mermaid with two tails is actually called a “Siren” – It’s a different kind of mermaid! The name Starbucks and the logo have a nautical connection to Moby Dick, and I can’t believe that I am totally blanking out on it right now! Oh well. We can google it. 😀
Add me to the list of folks that like this year’s Anniversary Blend Coffee as well as the packaging. Dark roasts with Sumatra are my favorites. My taste buds are not quite as discriminating as they used to be so I go more for the “total experience” rather than trying to find specific notes.
My favorite Starbucks Store seldom gets enough of the 5-pound bullet allotment of the “pick of the week” to last more than 5 days (they ran through Anniversary Blend bullets in 2 days). For us heavy drinkers the manager sells us 5 1-pound bags at the bullet price, so we get fresh beans and the price savings.
50 pounds a week- that seems really low but then I guess I assume that other people buy a pound of coffee every 2 1/2 weeks. I wonder how much cups of regular coffee is sold as opposed to frapps/lattes, etc
@Christopher, I have a couple of anniversary related photos here 😀
@Melody, thanks for answering a “duh” question! Now that you mention it, I can’t believe I didn’t notice how the logo has to tails, too! The starbucks in Japan sends out emails called “Siren Mail” and I thought it was to “alert” us, but now it all makes sense! I’m having a major “Ohhhhhh!” moment here. Thanks again, Melody 😀
@Kaori – Thank you for the pics! I like your blog and finally added it to my blog roll! I had been meaning to do that for some time! Your packaging is nice too for anniversary blend.
I average two pounds per shift I think, I know I have sold at least 2 pounds every day this week. it’s very easy to sell coffee your very excited about.
I will miss this blend when it’s gone…
I really like this years anniversary blend. Much better than last year. I love the spicy, herbal and cedary notes. I must say though that I liked the packaging better when the mermaid was larger.
how can I buy satrbucks city mug Lebanon?anyone tell me?
This is the first coffee to get me off of my Komodo Dragon fixation. The packaging is great; it seems to draw customers. When I offer them a taste, no one has put the beans back yet!
When do they stop selling the anniversary blend?