Starbucks Perfect Pairings & A Holiday Boutique Sale

One of my everyday joys is drinking coffee! The first thing I do in the morning is make coffee and I usually make more after dinner in the evening. I enjoy everything about it from the smell of the coffee when I open the bag, to watching the cream swirl in my cup and especially taking that first sip! Since I drink so much coffee, I was excited to learn that Starbucks Limited Edition Holiday Blend is available at Sam’s Club where I purchased 2 bags! Then, this past weekend when my sister had her annual boutique sale in her home, we put out Starbucks Limited Edition Holiday Blend coffee and Artisan Fresh muffins the shoppers to enjoy while browsing!

 Although I typically brew my coffee at home, I will occasionally get coffee from a coffee shop. No fancy drinks for me though because my favorite way to drink coffee is black with a some half & half. Last week, we went out for my friend’s birthday and after dinner we went to Starbucks for coffee and more visiting. Aren’t the snowman cups adorable? I thought they were so I sent out a picture via Instagram.

 Here is the Starbucks Holiday Blend display at Sam’s Club. I just heard that Sam’s Club will open at 7am on Black Friday and will greet members with free Starbucks Holiday Blend coffee and Artisan Fresh pastries (while supplies last). Each bag of coffee has 28 ounces and costs $18.98 which makes it 68 cents per ounce. If I were to buy the same bagged coffee from Starbucks, I would get a 16 ounce bag for $14.95 which is 93 cents per ounce. So, buying it in bulk at Sam’s Club is a great value. Plus, I won’t run out…hopefully! I am hosting Thanksgiving and I did share with the boutique shoppers but since I have two bags I should be good! I am still on my first bag and I am storing it in the original package. To keep it fresh, I rolled the top down so that all the extra air was pushed out. Then, I taped the bag shut and will store it in an air tight container.

Starbucks Holiday Blend is “Sweet & spicy with hints of comfort and joy”. The complementary notes are ginger, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange and cloves. So, it is the perfect pairing for Artisan Fresh Cinnamon Crunch muffins and Artisan Fresh Pumpkin Muffins from the Sam’s Club bakery.

Before bringing the muffins to the boutique sale, I did a coffee and muffin sampling at home…like I’ve said before, it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it! First I made a pot of Starbucks Holiday Blend coffee.

Then, I poured myself a cup and wrapped my hands around the wonderfully warm mug. My 9 year old son took this photo for me and I think he did a great job! I breathed in the delightful aroma and tried a sip. It tasted bold (which is how I like to brew it), smooth (my favorite kind of coffee) and delicious.

Then, I tried the cinnamon crunch muffin (yum!) and followed that with another sip of coffee and noticed that the cinnamon flavor in the muffin really stood out! Since I was so hard at work, you know for the sake of my blog and all, I decided that I had better sample the pumpkin muffins as well. So, I followed the same process by first trying the coffee, then I tried the pumpkin muffin and followed it with more coffee. Wow! It was like the ginger and clove were having a party in my mouth! The two are the perfect pairing! I love how the coffee really complemented the spices in the muffins.

Once the tasting was done, I refilled my cup and added half & half to my coffee. What a beautiful site!

While I sipped on my coffee, I prepared to bring the treats to the boutique sale. Since the muffins were so big, I cut them in fourths and put them on a tray. I covered the tray with plastic wrap, grabbed the coffee and headed to my sister’s house.

There were 15 women who put their handmade items into the boutique sale. This is only a sampling of what was available! My favorite part of the sale each year is seeing the amazing things these talented women make!

Some of the sale items were in the front porch where the customers entered. That is where I placed the coffee and muffins. #DeliciousPairings

I made a sign that said Perfect Pairings: Starbucks Holiday Blend & Artisan Fresh Cinnamon & Pumpkin Muffins. The boutique sale went well! The weather on Saturday was beautiful and the treats were outstanding!

What combination would be the perfect pairing for you?

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