This year’s Three Region Blend packaging has had a makeover. It’s super beautiful. I like it so much more than in the past. Starbucks first launched this coffee into their lineup in May 2010. It’s an expertly-blended coffee with beans from three growing regions: East Africa, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.
I still remember one of my first coffee tastings with this coffee. Three years ago, a coffee master at First and Pike Starbucks paired black plums with it, and that was perfect. I am looking forward to this coffee, and the chance to order it iced for the summer. While this coffee is generally classified as “bold,” it has always seemed to me to fall on the edge between medium and bold. The coffee master who arranged that tasting (sadly, no longer a partner) had sent me this email about her experiences with Three Region Blend:
We tasted a black plum in order to bring out the subtle acidity that can be attributed to the New Guinea coffee. Coffee from New Guinea is said to often have a “stone fruit” taste, and this is brought out particularly when the coffee is washed. We spoke with the tasters here about the use of the term “acidity” when describing coffee, and how those flavor descriptors can range from lemon to grapefruit to plum. The plums were some of the first of the season, and are the only ones currently available at the Pike Market fruit stands. …We tasted the flesh of the plum first, then the skin, which allowed for varying degrees of intensity in flavor and in complement to the acidity in the coffee.
That was a memorable coffee event.
Look for Three Region Blend at your local Starbucks on April 30, 2013. Until then, here’s an official Starbucks blog article on this coffee.
I couldn’t resist showing off how gorgeous the new design to Three Region Blend. Take a look:
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I like the design on the package, however, I think the SB logo is not well placed and would move it or eliminate it.
The packaging design is lovely indeed…perfect for Summer. I’ve got to admit that the description doesn’t sound very appealing to me (I’m not a huge fan of the herbal and citrus undertones), but I may give it a try anyway.
Citrus undertones are what help to make it work well as an iced coffee – though I haven’t tried this year’s yet, so I probably shouldn’t recommend it until I have had it!
We got one box shipped of 2013 3 Region Blend shipped to us earlier this week. I was stunned when I saw the new packaging. It looks much more appealing than the previous gold bag. It’s also a striking departure overall from the current state of Starbucks AHC packaging. I am hopeful that this is a sign of things to come for our AHC packaging.
Beautiful design but I would leave the top half white with the Starbucks logo and use the flowers on the bottom half of the bag. But I still don’t like that blend of coffee. 🙂
i really love this bag design, and purchased special colors of chalk pens to create amazing signs to promote it!
this is probably one of my least favorite promo coffees, but our customers go absolutely wild for it!!!!
I tend to think any blend with a prominent citrus/ African note to it will polarize both customers and partners alike. I’m looking forward to trying this year’s!
I was SO excited to pull this bag out of the box in our order this week!! I love it so much more than the gold bags of years past! As for the coffee, it’s just not a favorite of mine, but I can imagine the packaging alone will generate sales. It’s just so pretty!
Finally some beautiful packaging again! Not my favorite coffee but I’ll share it with friends and family so that I can have the bag for my collection. I’m glad they did this after seeing the white to go cups Japan got with cherry blossoms on them. I saw those on the Bucked by the Star link. I enjoy seeing what the products look like in other parts of the world and really love those pretty cups and hope we get something like that here.
Not a favorite, but I love it when they have great new bag design. I wish they’d bring back that series of “brown bag” coffees like Mexico Chiapas!
Brad, I remember that Mexico Chiapas packaging – It was truly superb in every way! Loved it. That was Starbucks packaging at its best.
I just wish Mexico Chiapas and Peru Champamayas would return. :-S
Great article and fantastic pictures!!!
I opened my bag of 3 Region just yesterday and made some with my Chemex brewer. Absolutely loved it! It’s really a beautiful coffee, bean AND bag! 🙂
Love the packaging, and imagine it may be even nicer in person. I’m looking foward to tasting this year’s blend.
Any drinkware coming out with this coffee?
(Are they going to reconsider de-genericizing the standard packaging?)
I tried it today at our district’s rally meeting…My first impression is that Im ‘so-so’ on it. IMHO, its definitely very ‘medium’ this year. I feel like the gorgeous bag is left to be desired much more than the bean, but I’ll have to experiment with food pairings a bit before I completely write it off.
Gotta agree. The packaging is absolutely amazing. I went all sorts of girly over it. Did anyone else notice the similarities between the new bag design and the Pantone 2013 Spring charts. It’s an insanely literal interpretation. See the side-by-side view here: http://blog.cherryredtoppers.com/image/49877974307
This coffee is perfect. A
Wow, Kaitlin, good eye! Who knows, maybe 3 Region was inspired by the “IT” colors of 2013. I just absolutely love the design. I love the design so much, that I’d love to repurpose the empty bags & make something crafty out of them, but I feel kind of silly asking the Baristas if I can have their used bags. I don’t know what type of reaction I might get (or if they’re even allowed to), so I don’t ask. I’m not really a ground/beans at home type of coffee-drinker, or else I would’ve saved them up myself. Now it’s probably too late, since Kati Kati took over the spotlight.