As some of you may know, I am now officially a Starbucks spokesperson to bring you news and reviews about Starbucks’ Consumer Packaged Goods which will be available or are currently available at your local grocery stores and Starbucks shops. I have always been a fan of Starbucks so this opportunity is really exciting for me! My favorites are Cafe Mocha, White Chocolate Mocha, and the bottled Frappucino’s which are available at the grocery stores. I do get cold drinks from time to time as well – such as the Java Chip or Green Tea Frappucino. I have also tried their Bottled Iced Coffee and loved the vanilla flavor. However, I have never really tried the packaged ones (whole bean or ground) to brew at home. I must admit that we never really brew coffee at home, we do the instant coffee. I know, shame, shame.
But I am redeeming myself now since to kick off an exciting year of my Starbucks lifestyle, I have received Starbucks’ core blends to try out, namely: House Blend, Veranda Blend, and Caffé Verona.
I received the blends in Whole Beans. Since I don’t have a coffee grinder, I had to take these blends to a nearby Starbucks so they can grind them for me which they happily did without a cost. As soon as I opened up one bag, the fragrant aroma of the delicious coffee filled the whole house!
So the first flavor I tried amongst the three is the House Blend. It’s 100% Arabica coffee from Latin America and it’s medium roast. This coffee goes way back in 1971 and is Starbucks’ first ever blend!
The House Blend is rich and has medium strength but it doesn’t have a strong bitter taste. I don’t like my coffee strong, that’s why I always prefer to drink flavored ones (Mocha, White Choco Mocha) and even though the House Blend is a medium roast, it’s still pretty strong for me. I think I may try to put some mocha or caramel flavors next time to offset the strong taste but I think I just prefer a lighter roast. The House Blend may not be strong for most people though because it’s really not a dark coffee but because I prefer a milder coffee, it’s a bit strong for me. I have heard great things about the House Blend before though and it seems to be a lot of people’s favorite – after all, it’s Starbucks’ first original flavor!
Veranda Blend is the perfect blend for me! Also from Latin America, Veranda Blend is Starbucks’ blonde roast. Don’t be fooled though. It may be a blonde roast but it’s still not super mild and weak. The taste is mellow and smooth but it’s still got some flavors in it. If you’re like me who don’t like strong coffee, I think you will enjoy the Veranda Blend. If you don’t like the after-taste of some coffee, you can try the Veranda Blend. I’m going to try this with ice one of these days as well and let you all know via Instagram how it goes.
Caffé Verona goes way back in 1975 and is the original dark blend of Starbucks. The beans come from multiple regions. If you love dark chocolate and dark coffee, I think you will love this blend. It is bold and it seems it has a “roar” factor to it! Even though it’s dark roast, it’s still got subtle cocoa flavor to it. Unfortunately though, it’s not for me. If I find the House Blend strong, you can imagine how strong Caffé Verona blend is for me. However, like I said, if you like your coffee dark, you will enjoy this. It’s strong but not bitter.
What better way to drink your Starbucks coffee than to have it with my favorite chocolate chip cookie, also from Starbucks! I also love it with banana. The good thing about Starbucks? You can have it any time of the day!
If you have some coffee recipes, please feel free to share them with me and I will be sure to give you credit if I try and decide to share on my blog.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Starbucks. The opinions expressed herein are mine and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Starbucks Thank you for supporting LynneGabriel.com sponsors. They make my blog possible.
I’m with you, Lynne, in that I like my coffee to taste like something in addition to coffee! If you don’t decide to give that bag of Verona away to someone that likes their coffee a little darker, you might consider using it to make iced coffee and dilute the biteiness of it with sweetener, flavored syrup and additional water or milk.
i love the smell of coffee! such a cute post!