Sampling Starbucks' Core Coffee Series

I'm not much of a coffee drinker, for no particular reason other than that I just never picked up a daily habit. Every once in awhile I'll indulge (it's hard not to in the coffee capitol of the world!), and occasionally I'll have a cup that'll rock my world! Like wine, beer and liquor, I feel like there's a whole body of knowledge of the world of coffee, and you just need the right situation to really get into it.

I have the pleasure this year of being part of the Starbucks Coffee Blogger Community, and am excited to finally have the right situation to expand my brain in the world of coffee!

My first care package has all the ingredients for a deep dive into Starbucks' coffee basics. There's a sampling of beans from Starbucks' Core Coffee Series (blonde (light), medium and dark roasts), along with a sweet, simple pour over brewer with paper cone filters. I feel like a real coffee drinker now! LOL

Because I'm a casual coffee drinker, I'm familiar with the lighter Starbucks® Veranda® blend. It's my usual choice for Starbucks drip, and at home I like it with a little coconut oil and coconut milk. Starbucks® House Blend has been the perfect companion to a lazy Saturday morning breakfast; it's smooth enough to have on its own or with a splash of almond milk. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like the Starbucks® Caffe Verona® blend. I normally shy away from dark roasts for fear of getting the shakes all day, but it's sweet  and just enough of a pick-me-up for an afternoon jolt that won't keep me up all night.

How cute is this Dot Collection mug designed by Starbucks Creative Studio? I bought a few of the mugs during the holiday season. There were over 100 designs for the Dot Collection and it was hard to choose just a couple to take home. So excited to add this gold dotted travel mug to my collection!

I'd be remiss not to mention what's arguably the best part of this care package. The Starbucks Coffee Passport is part tasting guide and part Starbucks history knowledge bomb. The Coffee Passport encapsulates over 40 years of Starbucks Coffee history along with the essentials for tasting, brewing, blending, roasting, growing, processing and buying coffee. Phew! 

There's space to take notes on each coffee you taste, and you can even add a passport stamp sticker to each one you've tried. If you're in Seattle, take your Coffee Passport (or get one) at the Starbucks Roastery on Capitol Hill. There you can have a full flight and education session at their tasting bar and coffee library, and sample some of their exclusive Roastery blends.

Not in Seattle? As of this week, you can get a taste of the exclusive Roastery blends sent right to your doorstep! Starbucks has just introduced a fresh online delivery service for its Reserve line of small-lot harvested, small-batch roasted coffees, called Starbucks Reserve® Roastery Subscriptions.

Get all the info and sign up for your own Starbucks Reserve Roastery Subscription.

Thanks Starbucks! I'm excited to learn more about coffee with you this year.

Disclosure: I am a member of Starbucks Coffee Blogger Community. Products were provided by Starbucks Coffee Company for this post. All opinions are mine!