Caribou Coffee today announced the launch of two new coffees, carefully crafted to bring coffee drinkers the broadest spectrum of flavors available to match their personal tastes.
Starlight and Eclipse round out Caribou's full lineup of flavor profiles, and are the first permanent additions to its retail coffeehouse portfolio since the launch of Lakeshore and Lacuna in 2009.
These new coffees will push customers' coffee experiences to even higher ground. After months of testing and tasting, the company's roastmasters arrived at two utterly divergent and innovative blends on the complete opposite ends of the roast spectrum.
"The coffee industry has largely been following the progression toward ever-lighter roast profiles as those become more popular with a large segment of coffee drinkers,” says Alfredo Martel, senior vice president of marketing and product management.
“But at Caribou, we recognize that focusing just on light roasts would do a disservice to our customers who enjoy a dark, robust cup of coffee.
"We're bucking the trend by developing both ends of the flavor continuum while paying constant attention to the subtle nuances of flavor and the overall coffee drinking experience. In fact, Starlight and Eclipse are the bookends of our expansive roast profile, they are Caribou's lightest and darkest roast ever developed."
Caribou's lightest roast–Starlight–is a well-rounded blend with elegant hints of maple candy and ripe berries, grounded by a heavy body and notes of toasted grains and nuts for a rich, robust flavor. It proves that when roasted with expert precision a light roast can be rich, creamy, and offer a medley of flavors.
Starlight has already been recognized by independent coffee experts as an exceptional roast, having been awarded an incredibly rare 96 (out of 100) score on CoffeeReview.com, the world's leading third-party coffee scoring website.
Scores are based on objective, blind reviews by highly respected cuppers in the Specialty Coffee industry.
"We want every cup of coffee to be a delicious adventure for our customers," Martel says. "With Starlight and Eclipse, Caribou's roastmasters have pushed the envelope from both sides–light and dark–and truly expanded on what we thought was an already-broad taste spectrum.
“Now every customer who visits Caribou Coffee or sees it on the shelf will have a coffee that is custom-tailored to their distinct flavor and roast preferences."
Not to be overshadowed by Starlight's accolades, Eclipse is Caribou's darkest roast being added to the lineup. In fact, it's the company's darkest roast ever.
Caribou's roastmasters have coaxed subtle, nuanced flavors out that differentiate it from other coffees on the darker end of the roast spectrum.
A bold, robust roast, Eclipse hits your palate with an immediate burst of bittersweet chocolate and cherries. But the real treat of this roast is the finish, with subtle spice notes reminiscent of cardamom and cloves.
Starlight and Eclipse are available now in 1 lb. bags at Caribou Coffee stores and at www.CaribouCoffee.com.
Both new coffees are Rainforest Alliance Certified as part of Caribou's ongoing commitment to source 100 percent of its coffees and espresso from farms that meet the comprehensive standards of the Sustainable Agricultural Network, the first major U.S. coffeehouse to reach this sustainable achievement. The certification is built on three pillars of sustainability – environmental, social and economic.
To find out more about Caribou Coffee, visit www.CaribouCoffee.com.
