I thought I’d pass along the fun link to a Starbucks-sponsored sweepstakes. You can enter in to win a trip to Seattle. Without any further hesitation, here is the link:
You can enter through April 30, 2012, and the winner wins a trip to Seattle with three friends, and the Grand Prize winner receives a personal coffee cupping experience with a Starbucks coffee master. The winner also receives a check for $1,700 as spending money for his or her three-day stay in Seattle. The Grand Prize winner and all travel guests must be over age 18.
There will also be 1000 “First Prizes” given out. The “First Prizes” are a “tasting kit” which includes a French press, 3 bags of coffee, a coffee scoop, and a Starbucks gift card with $15.00 pre-loaded on it.
Having glanced through the rules for this sweepstakes, it appears that Starbucks partners are not eligible to enter! Sorry! I know many a Starbucks partner who would love a trip to Seattle. Check out the contest rules for more information.
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Tasting kit giveaway:
As luck would have it, my Starbucks contact person indicated to me that she could muster up one more “tasting kit” for a giveaway here on the blog. Here’s a picture of the tasting kit:
If you would like to enter in to win a tasting kit from StarbucksMelody.com, here is what you need to do:
1. Leave a comment below and tell me which roast you love the most.
2. Must be over 18.
3. Entrants must be within the United States.
4. Entry comment must be received no later than April 5, 2012, at 6:00 p.m. PST.
5. One entry per person.
6. I’ll take up to 70 entries maximum – otherwise it gets too overwhelming.
Thank you Starbucks for sponsoring this contest! I’ll put all the names in a hat and draw a winner. Can’t wait!
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Just disregard this next paragraph: A funny little story: When I first heard about this sweepstakes, I happened to be visiting with my sister, and checking my email from my niece’s laptop. I tried to enter the sweepstakes but it wouldn’t let me enter. I got weird error messages all the time. I just couldn’t do very much. Later, I learned that my sister has installed some sophisticated parental controls software on that laptop! No wonder I couldn’t enter in. Boy, parental control software is annoying! LOL. Worked just fine to enter in, once I switched computers.
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Full disclosure: Thank you Starbucks for sponsoring this giveaway for the “tasting kit.” As my readers know, this is a rare treat!
Enjoy!
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the roast i love the most is the blonde roast. i think its a great morning coffee because of its clean taste but you can get the caffeine you need since it has the most caffeine among all three roasts.
this is a very neat idea for a contest! i wonder what happens if the winner lives in seattle already?
also, fave roast in the kit, or altogether?
i’d a medium roast person, i think. i tried the willow and actually hated it, oddly enough. haven’t tried the veranda yet, so who knows. maybe i’d like it 🙂
Pike Place roast is what I like the moast- I mean, most.
Thank you for sharing the sweepstakes! 😀 I am going to enter EVERY DAY!
Also I <3 me some dark roast coffee! ;D
Nothing like a little incentive to get me to quit just “lurking” and do a little contest entering 😉
Sumatra is really my go to favorite. While I like to have variety and enjoy the various bold/dark roasts and occasionally splurge on a Reserve, I find myself continually drawn back to Sumatra with a frequent detour to Komodo Dragon.
My tasting skills are pretty basic. Age has dulled my senses of taste and smell so that is probably why I enjoy the strength and depth of Sumatra. It is also amazing how paring coffee with a food item can bring out the different notes/flavors in the coffee.
Melody, thanks to you for a bright spot in my daily web reading.
The roast I love the most would have to be the Willow Blend blonde roast.
These are wonderful contests! I’ve been very under the weather and find that I have lots of sitting time on my hands so this is a great time to catch up on my blog reading 🙂 As far as roasts go my favorite roasts are the medium roasts. Specifically Guatemalan. Medium roasts for me are the most compatible with everything 😉
My favorite roast is Medium. Love me some Guatemala Antigua and Kenya! It’s such a bummer that partners can’t enter the Seattle trip contest!
Hhhmmm….I started out being a dark roast kinda guy, but now I lean more towards the medium roast because I believe the complexities of the bean stand out more. Also, some of my current favorites are 100% Kona and Organic Ethiopia Sidamo and both are mediums on the roast profile.
I would like to get my hands on some Columbia Narino Supremo though. I heard that it is still available in the Latin American markets. Anyone willing to trade mark outs? 😉
I am not eligible for either contest but I wanted to say that my favourite Roast is Kenya, with Sumatra coming a very close second. 🙂
I think the Starbucks contest is awesome, I wonder if we’ll see something similar pop up for partners too. Melody, how great that they were able to give you a tasting kit for you to have a contest too!
Wow, this is such a cool contest! I would LOVE a trip to Seattle! And the tasting kit is a cool prize, too! Definitely going to enter to win the trip! 😀
I’ll admit that I like the Blonde roast the best. That was a big shock to me but I learned in doing a taste test of different roasts that lighter roasts have more complex flavors. Up until then I swore I liked dark roasts the best. Just goes to show why you should keep experimenting with new tastes–you could surprise yourself!
My favorite roasts are the darker bolder roasts like Komodo Dragon from when it was ONLY available through home delivery. I love Christmas Blend and Christmas Blend Espresso and stock up every year and STILL have some to last me through July at this rate. I also liked the Mexico Shade Grown Organic and was sad to see it go.
I would LOVE a trip to Seattle to visit the original Starbucks store but a tasting kit would be a neat prize too. Thanks for the heads up, Melody! I am a Starbucks addict and even in this tough economy I will NOT give up my coffee.
I really have favorite coffees in each roast profile. I guess it kinda depends on my mood. However, with only liking a few of the “dark” roasts, I often lean towards the “blonde” roasts for my morning cups.
Now this is a cool contest, definitely worth entering. Thanks Melody for having it. My favorite blend is Komodo Dragon ((well, it’s a toss-up really with Sumatra). I just love the bold and extra bold roasts – such depth of flavors!
Thanks again Melody — you totally rock!
Never got to go to a coffee tasting, so this would be a treat!
Great contest! I ve the Yukon blend or the verona as a close second. They taste well rounded and smooth anytime of day
I love this contest idea!! I will definitely enter, both places 🙂
The roast I love most are the dark roasts…I’ll always be a bold fan and Starbucks does it best!
My favorites are Tribute and Africa Kitamu to be more specific!
I have been enjoying the blonde roast recently most often 🙂 I think I <3 Casi Ceilo (spelled incorrectly?) the most overall
If I had to choose only one: aged Sumatra. But I’m temporarily enjoying Tribute for the time being, lol!
Thank you, Melody. (I’ve told several people about your blog because it’s full of awesome.)
My favorite roast right now is Starbucks Espresso Roast (I’m on my last bag). When I’m done with Christmas Espresso Roast, my favorite coffee rotation will go back to reg Espresso Roast/Kenya.
Thanks Melody!
I have to say I love Komodo Dragon the best. But when I want a little afternoon pick-me-up I head for a pour-over of the Veranda.
Maybe my taste buds are dying from old age but seems to me that every roast pairs well with something chocolate. Coffee and chocolate, two of my favorite “food groups”.
;-)I’m decidedly a “bold,” though I could see enjoying “blonde” in the right situation. I tend to be a fan of the seasonal blends, though perhaps it’s because they help give me a shade of variety in my mornings!
If I’m choosing a coffee for myself, I tend to go for the medium roasts. My husband is a bold roast drinker. I really enjoy Sumatra, but not all of the bold roasts.
We also both really enjoy the special roasts from Starbucks. Whether it’s a seasonal roast or a special reserve coffee, we love trying them all!
I’ve become a fan of the new blonde roast. I have a Keurig, and the k-Cup blonde is great too. I also love Sumatra in the morning as a good way to start the day!
well, this would be nice.
easy answer for me: the roast I LOVE with all my heart is, of course, ‘Ethopia Yirgacheffe’. No coffee could be more divine to me.
(you didn’t exclude Reserve coffees, did you???) Either way, always BOLD (or, “dark”).
sweet contest Melody. Thanx.
oh God…… ETHIOPIA! (sp)
The roast that I enjoy most is the Espresso Roast, although I do enjoy many of the dark roasts.
Thanks for having the contest! I enjoy reading here all the time!
I loved Casi Cielo & Tribute so I am definitely a Dark Roast gal. I like Pike Place also, if I don’t like the “bold of the day.” Thanks for the contest!
Komodo is my personal favorite. Strong flavor and not too bitter. 🙂
Yay contests!
Great post! Entered the SB contest. If I do drink coffee, it would have to be a dark roast variety of any kind especially from a clover.
Love the medium roast but will drink any of them….nice to have a variety depending on how you are feeling. We also really like the Morning Joe….and the the look of the older packaging. 🙂
Wow! What a beautiful tasting kit. Thanks Starbucks for offering this to Melody for her website. We’re all big fans of Starbucks and love seeing unique promotionals! Very exciting. For me, I’m a BOLD coffee drinker but my favorite at Starbucks is/used to be the Organic Shade-Grown Mexico (which is no longer being carried!). Although I like the Organic Yukon, it doesn’t have the bright complexity that the Mexico had.
Boo… this Starbucks Partner would LOVE the tasting kit!
Oh my, what a great day it is to be a Starbucks fan! 🙂 Awesome giveaways. Thanks for spreading the information and hosting the tasting kit giveaway. Hmmm, which is my favorite roast? Okay, out of the none-seasonal favorites, my two winners are the French Roast (I’m a classic dark roast kind of gal) and the Organic Yukon Blend (perfect for any time of day). Now out of the seasonal roasts my favorites are the Casi Cielo and Tribute blends.
Mmmm, all this talk about coffee roasts has sparked the desire for a hot cup of coffee right now. Being that it’s been over 3 hours since my last cup, I think now’s the perfect time for round two. 🙂
Thanks again & keep up the superb blogging!
Ooh! Super neat tasting kit! I’ve been trying to wean myself off of espresso roast which I drink at home from my Breville in the morning and at Starbucks in the afternoon – I need to taste and pick a new favorite! But I have to say, my all time most memorable cup of Starbucks coffee was getting to unexpectedly enjoy a cup of Casi Cielo from the token non-starbucks Clover at the fancy iPic movie theatre in Redmond, which apparently is frequented by Howard – hence the Clover. Incredible tasting and very strong! I could hardly sit still through the whole movie!
Hi Melody! It’s all about the Gold Coast for me!!
First, thank you for the AWESOME contest. You always have something fun going on. It’s hard to keep blog content interesting sometimes but you do it well, Mel. 🙂
As for my favorite brew… KONA hands down. I have always loved Kona and I am certain I always will. My trip to Hawaii 2 years ago only further sealed the deal. The smell roasting, while brewing, and in my cup is such a relaxing experience for me. I also love the rich cup it creates. It isn’t one of those “in your face” coffees that boasts boldness only because it was brewed double strength and bitter, bleh. Kona is rich in character all around. So many amazing flavors dancing in your cup just eager to please the palete. So for me it is Kona!
I don’t get to go to Starbucks very often these days, but when I do my favorite roast has long been Pike Place. I’m not sure what it is about it, but there’s something about the flavor that is just so satisfying! Even the aroma is amazing; it really is just an awesome cup of coffee.
Melody, I have become a big fan of the blonde roasts. especially the veranda bland. it is a coffee and i both enjoy because it does not have the bitter flavor of the dark roasts i like.
Since we can get it in kcup size now, we are addicted.
I would have to say that the Dark Roast is my all time favorite. It never fails to energize me while I’m working my 12+ hour shifts in the hospital! The boldness and dark aromas stimulate my mind, spirit, and body!
Thanks Melody…Pike Place would have to be my favorite….although I don’t always think of it as a Med. roast…it’s got some kick like a bold (just my opinion) Also did ya get the email I sent to you through the contacts? sent the Starbucks/Google rewards offer good today only.
The roast I love most continues to vary depending upon the time of year. Colder months I love dark roast, warmer months I love medium roast. And right now I am still absolutely in love Tribute Blend, I cannot get enough! But when asked to pick one I will pick medium because it encompasses a very wide taste profile. It ranges from Breakfast Blend (formerly considered mild) to Organic Yukon Blend (formerly considered bold). So I guess my favorite roast is the smooth, medium roast.
I’m a newbie to your blog but absolutely love it so far. Thanks for keeping me in the know about one of my favorite companies! My favorite roast is Verona!
Willow is my favorite. Preferably made with an aero press and paired with home made Meyer Lemon pound cake. But I digress.
I love the new blonde roast but have been drinking the Pike Place roast for a couple of years now, and I guess I will continue to drink it at home!
♥ I LOVE My French Roast! ♥ Thank U! ♥
My absolute favorites would have to be Tribute and the Christmas blends. 🙂
I like Starbucks Blond Roast the most, thanks for the chance to win.
Thanks for the chance to win… The roast I love the most is blonde…it is easy to drink without cream and sugar while still packing a punch. I prefer veranda over willow and definantly dont do decaf!!