Yukon Blend: The Bear is Back

After a short unexplained disappearance from the shelves, Yukon Blend (also known as 'the Bear') is back. Not only is he now available in a swanky new package, he's a changed bear on the inside too. Yukon Blend is now certified Organic.

As a Barista at Starbucks, Yukon always seemed distant to me. Hardly anyone ever purchased it, it was never Coffee of the Day, and I personally took it home as my markout (till now, obviously.) However, many Starbuckians remain familiar with Yukon Blend anyway, because it is one of the major components of a far more popular coffee: Cafe Verona.

Maybe now that Starbucks has decided to make Yukon Organic, the new label will appeal to those of us seeking coffees grown in time honored traditions. This means sourcing coffee from farms that leave out chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which could only be a good thing. So thanks to this, Yukon may finally get some time in the spotlight. Curious about the coffee itself? Well let's see what Starbucks has to say.

One of the first things you'll notice about Yukon Blend is that it's got an interesting back story. It seems to me Starbucks decided to put a little bit more theater behind the history of this bean. The packaging reads, with my comment in the brackets:

"It may sound like a tall tale, but back in 1971 the captain of a fishing vessel asked us to create a coffee that would keep his hard-working crew happy. This kind of thing doesn't happen every day, so we took it seriously. And we got to work blending what would become one of our most popular coffees. [Wait, popular? Oh corporate...] Now organic, this same great blend lives up to its untamed North American namesake: hearty and bold, with deep spicy notes for rugged, adventurous souls."

As for the food pairing suggestion, Starbuck's suggests a bowl of hot oatmeal and dawn at sea. I didn't try Yukon with oatmeal, but I enjoyed it in my frontyard with the sprinklers on for that great west coast ocean-side effect. Very satisfying.

Onto the coffee cupping. I'm not a big fan of reading into things, so I decided to try the coffee before taking a look at Starbuck's tasting notes. That wasn't entirely effective, since I caught a little propaganda from Yukon's history excerpt.

Brewing Method: Drip Brew in a Chemex Hourglass Brewer

1. Aroma:

Yukon didn't wow me in aroma, but what does 'wow' mean anyway? It's not some spectacular unique bouquet of ever escalating smells, but it does have a nice mellow warmth that pulls your face into the steamy cup. That's something every coffee should do, and Yukon definitely does it. A few more sniffs and some guesswork hinted towards a rounded even cup with balanced acidity.

2. First Sip:

Good strong bright acidity. Its the kind of flavor that black coffee drinkers eagerly await every morning; the sharp kick that wakes up your taste buds and brightens your mind. Milk, as it tends to do in all coffees, would definitely tone this down. So if your more of a smooth coffee drinker, reach for the half and half.

3. Second Impression:

Spicy, but not overly so. It's definitely not a Sumatra (for coffee novice's, that's not a racy Kama Sutra position, but rather a coffee growing region famous for pungent spicy beans.) Hearty, definitely not bland, and has a very subtle bittersweet background that screams to be paired with some quality chocolate on the side.

4. The rest of the cup:

The first and second impressions carried out through the rest of the cup. If the initial flavor seemed a little bouncy, it definitely mellows out towards the end. The coffee is well balanced, flavorful, but definitely not unique. I can see why they used it in Cafe Verona. It seems like it would be a good foundation for blending in higher more aggressive single-origin beans.

Now the Starbuck's Tasting Notes:

Hearty,Well-Rounded; Bold.

Well Starbucks, I must say I agree.

Rating: 7 Beans out of 10