Starbucks Christmas Blend

If you’ve visited Starbucks recently you’ve noticed that Holiday is full swing with customers enjoying Egg Nog Lattes and sipping this year’s Christmas Blend.

There’s much lore behind Christmas Blend at Starbucks. Back in the day, people used to line up outside the doors of Starbucks locations in the Pacific Northwest so they could be one of the first folks to enjoy Christmas Blend on the morning it went on sale. At least that’s the company campfire story that still gets passed around today.

I’m not sure the anticipation for Christmas Blend exists today like it did back in the day. Nevertheless, when Starbucks starts serving Christmas Blend it still signals the start of the Holiday season for many people, including me.

As a former long-time Starbucks marketer, I’m well-versed in the lore of Christmas Blend. I’ve even managed to save a few old school marketing materials sharing the lore of Christmas ...

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First up is an internal memo heralding the first-ever Christmas Blend from November 1985. (Kinda cheesy, eh?)

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This piece of lore, from an old school “Coffee Matters” company newsletter, shares how Starbucks described the 1994 version of Christmas Blend:

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And this classic print ad for Starbucks Christmas Blend from the early 90s is an image that many old school Starbucks partners cherish dearly.

Comments

[Laura]

I love that photo of the dog bringing in the Christmas blend strapped to his collar. That is too precious.

[Lewis Green]

John,

Today, I bought my first pound of the 2006 season. I wrote more than a few pieces about Christmas Blend when I was an official Starbuckian. Thanks for keeping the lore alive.

[Hank Heath]

With the combination of aged Sumatra and the other secret ingredients of Christmas Blend, it is indeed a special blend of coffee (5 years as a shift lead and coffee master).

However, I don't feel it as strongly as when I worked for the corp. The propaganda was really strong on the floow. In my living room, now, though - not so persuasive.

[gkru]

okay...did that first ad say that x-mas blend was made from coffee at the northpole? wtf...did starbucks just used to lie and gamble on people's ignorance regarding the climate needed for growing coffee?

[johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy)]

Satire, gkru ... satire.

[GS]

I remember getting christmas blend around 5 years ago and it had a kind of mild eggnog/nutmeg/spiced flavor that I can't describe very well but I liked. This year I don't taste that flavor at all-disappointing -maybe my taste buds getting too old.