Giving Good with Starbucks This Christmas 2017

Christmas has always been about giving – it’s giving love, giving joy, giving your time, giving smiles and Christmas cheers, and of course, giving presents!

According to Keith Cole, Starbucks Philippines head of marketing “The holiday season is a time for coming together and sharing goodwill. In our stores, we encourage these simple acts of kindness, in recognition of those who spend their time with us and those who embody generosity during this season,”

This year Starbucks keeps up with the Christmas spirit and the habit of ‘giving good’, by sending cheers with its biggest present to coffee lovers: A year’s worth of coffee for lucky customers bringing home the Starbucks 2018 Planner (next post).

Let me tell you all about our Christmas Beverages and Food items, first!

I love what they did to Peppermint Mocha this year, they dressed it up for the holidays! Meet CHRISTMAS TREE PEPPERMINT DARK MOCHA  made up of decadent dark mocha topped with green tea whipped cream and finished with glittering sprinkles of green and red candies, just like a Christmas tree when lit up.

A returning favorite and MY favorite – TOFFEE NUT CRUNCH LATTÉ, where toffee nut syrup is combined with velvety steamed milk, espresso shots and topped with whipped cream and crunchy toffee nut crunch toppings.

Then the new drink on the block, VANILLA NOUGAT LATTÉ, which is inspired by the classic nougat confection, this beverage is delicious with the rich taste of French vanilla (custard-like and slightly floral) and nougat notes.

Short – ₱ 160, Tall – ₱170, Grande- ₱185, Venti – ₱200

These Beverages are all available hot, iced, and  Frappuccino® (Coffee-based and cream-based) format.

And just like last year’s Christmas launch, we were given a passport and we had to some activities from different stations. I made Ykaie do he memory game activity where she had to match the Christmas Starbucks Cards. And guess what! She aced that game! We won a Christmas Starbucks Card.

We completed the passport and dropped it in the fishbowl for the raffle. I guess it was my lucky day because I was one of the raffle winners.

STARBUCKS CHRISTMAS FOOD ITEMS

One of the stations is called Indulge! It’s because you have to indulge in Starbucks’ Christmas food items….

BELGIAN CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY CAKE (₱140/slice| ₱1,250/whole) – Chocolate sponge cake layered with creamy milk chocolate, luscious strawberry cream and finished with chocolate frosting

TRUFFLE BROWNIE CHEESECAKE (₱150/slice| ₱1,650/whole) – Dense and velvety cheesecake topped with chocolate truffle loaded with brownie and chocolate chunks

CHOCOLATE CREPE CAKE (₱140/slice| ₱1,250/whole) – Seventeen (17) layers of crêpe with Belgian chocolate cream filling.

CHOCOLATE TOFFEE NUT LOAF (₱65/slice| ₱585/whole) – Moist and decadent chocolate loaf topped with chocolate and toffee.

ROCKY ROAD COOKIE (₱65) – Decadent dark chocolate cookie filled with marshmallow, nuts and chocolate chunks.

ROASTED TURKEY AND CHICKEN WITH BACON ON CRANBERRY BREAD (₱175) – Slow cooked chicken and turkey marinated in rosemary, thyme and sage, thick cranberry sauce, honey cured bacon and served on crusty cranberry bread.

CHICKEN FAJITA ROLL (₱105) – A tortilla filled with mouth-watering Mexican flavored chicken breast fillet.

CHRISTMAS HAM, EGG WHITE AND EDAM CHEESE ON CROISSANT BUN (₱150) – Slow roasted Christmas ham, fully herbed egg white omelet and Edam Cheese on buttery flaky croissant bun

MILK PUDDING and CHOCOLATE PUDDING (₱65)
Each mini cup is filled with a rich chocolate flavored dessert. Pudding cups come in two special holiday designs.

Christmas Starbucks Card

HOLIDAY TREE & SNOWMAN CARD
Their yearly fan favorites depict wintery scenes using cool colors of silver, blues and greens. Available for an initial activation amount of ₱300 per card in all stores starting November 2, 2017.

MALIGAYANG PASKO CARD
Celebrate Christmas with the market exclusive Maligayang Pasko Card. Available for an initial activation amount of ₱300 per card all stores starting November 2, 2017.

SPECIAL EDITION KAPE VINTA CARD
This special market exclusive card is inspired by the Starbucks Kape Vinta whole bean artwork. It’s included in the 2018 Starbucks Planner. Activation amount: ₱300.

2018 RED CUP CARD
This year’s Red Cup Card matches the physical Give Good cup and merchandise, and comes with a red Kraft sleeve carrier. Available for an initial activation amount of ₱1,000 per card in all stores starting November 2, 2017.

Starbucks Christmas Merchandise

Featured Coffee

STARBUCKS CHRISTMAS BLEND (₱445)
Each year, rare, aged Sumatra gives Christmas Blend its heart and soul. Sumatran beans take on such intriguing flavors over time – so Starbucks tend them meticulously for up to five years, specially roasting the beans at the exact moment of readiness to bring out the rich and vibrant cedary spice notes.

Flavor: Spicy and Sweet
Complementary Flavors: Orange, nutmeg, clove and cinnamon

STARBUCKS CHRISTMAS BLEND ESPRESSO ROAST (₱445)
The nuanced flavor of the rare, aged Sumatra evokes the richness of the season in this bold coffee, inspired by the tradition of Christmas Blend. The addition of dark-roasted Latin American and Indonesian beans lends a caramelly sweetness and hearty spiciness with cedary layers.

Flavor: Cedary and herbal spiciness with an intense caramelly sweetness
Complementary Flavors: Ginger, orange, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and caramelized sugar

STARBUCKS VIA CHRISTMAS BLEND (₱395)

Our artful blend of the finest aged Sumatra, lively Latin American and mellow Indonesian instant and microground 100% Arabica coffee creates layers of deep spiciness and a touch of sweetness to enjoy wherever, whenever.

STARBUCKS ORIGAMI CHRISTMAS BLEND (₱295)
The exact same finest aged Sumatra, lively Latin American and mellow Indonesian highest quality Arabica coffee at the heart of all of our Christmas Blends, now in a perfect, elegantly designed single use filter.

Brewing Procedures
1. Gently separate filter at the top from center.
2. Push both sides inward and place filter on cup.
3. Start with approximately 140ml (4.7oz) of hot water. Pour in a sufficient amount to cover the ground coffee. Wait 30 seconds and slowly add remaining water to brim of filter

STARBUCKS TEAVANA JOYFUL MEDLEY TEA (₱545)
Our artful blend of the finest aged Sumatra, lively Latin American and mellow Indonesian instant and microground 100% Arabica coffee creates layers of deep spiciness and a touch of sweetness to enjoy wherever, whenever.

Merry Christmas Starbucks Team! Such a great event! I’m looking forward to planning my 2018 with the new Starbucks Planner!