Starbucks Christmas Blend

Back in the day, my aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, parents, and maybe a girlfriend or two would gather at my grandparents house in Northeast Seattle for Christmas. We would have an enormous meal, usually centered around Swedish meatballs or ham, which would be followed by homemade cookies, and of course coffee. In my family, it was always Starbucks Christmas Blend.

The strategy for Christmas Blend Vintage 2018 was this: Tell the story of the coffee. And don’t forget to explain why there’s a tiger on the front of the bag. I worked closely with the design team on all of the holiday coffees, articulating the different design inspirations, and presenting recommendations to senior leaders. To write the packaging, I took inspiration from the designs and what makes each of these coffees unique.

The packaging copy reads:

Since 1984 when we created Christmas Blend, Sumatran beans aged three to five years have been the signature ingredient. Rare and bold like the majestic Sumatran tiger, the aged beans add depth, body and cedary spice to a blend of Latin American and Indonesian coffees. Each year we celebrate this unique recipe and the exceptional beans that make it so distinctive. Full-bodied. Spicy. An instant classic. Starbucks Christmas Blend Vintage 2018 is here. Our longstanding gift to coffee lovers.

The gold seal on the back anchors the story:
A Christmas classic since 1984.

I wrote stories for all of the other holiday coffees as well, helping customers choose the blend and roast that’s right for their gathering. In addition to the coffees at Starbucks stores, copy was unique for Holiday Blend in grocery stores throughout the U.S. and Canada, and Starbucks Christmas Blonde Roast available in Japan.