Nerd Fuel – Starbucks – 2018 Holiday Blend

Merry Christmas! I just couldn’t let the Christmas season come and go without sampling some kind of seasonal coffee. Usually, there’s any number of holiday varieties available on the store shelves – gingerbread, peppermint, etc. But this year, I found the options at my local grocer to be rather slim. But at least they did have a good supply of Starbucks’ annual holiday blend. So while it’s somewhat of a shame that I wasn’t able to try a few different coffees this year, there was the old standby.

For the last three years I’ve bought a box of whatever Starbucks is offering and I’ve always been pleasantly surprised. This year is no different. In fact, I actually think the “2018” is quite an improvement over last Winter’s release. To recap for a moment, I found the 2017 Holiday Blend to be just a tad too bold (despite being labeled as a medium roast). This year, I was happy to discover a much more balanced blend.

The coffee has a very pleasant aroma during the brew – one that actually matches the flavor for a change. The taste is quite rich and complex. There is a hint of maple with what I think is a slight cinnamon aftertaste. But neither are very overpowering. It’s a masterful blend. Absolutely perfect for this time of year.

The last few months have found me getting up at three-thirty in the morning for work. To be honest, I don’t think I could have faced the bitter-cold Winter mornings without this hearty blend. Highly recommended

Score: 4 out of 4

Would buy again?:  Yes. This is one of Starbucks’ better holiday offerings since the 2016 Blonde Roast. I highly recommend this one to any “amateur aficionado” like myself.