September 12th, 2010 — Beverage, Coffee Shops, Cravings, Restaurants
The Philippines will join Japan as the second country in Asia to offer Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew starting September 15, 2010. Starbucks Japan launched Starbucks VIA last April and has sold more than 10 million sticks since then.
So What Is Starbucks VIA Ready Brew?
Is it just another instant coffee, perhaps a little more classier?
Starbucks VIA Ready Brew - Columbia Variety
Starbucks VIA Ready Brew is said to be made from high-quality 100% natural roasted arabica beans in instant and microground form.
Since it is yet to be available, we can only guess the actual taste. But based on the description, Starbucks VIA Ready Brew sets a high expectation of the product being made with “100 percent natural roasted arabica coffee.” We know for a fact that arabica coffee holds much flavor than most other specie of coffee beans.
The Starbucks VIA Ready Brew varieties that will be available in all Starbucks Philippines coffee shops are Colombia, Italian Roast and Decaffeinated Italian Roast.
“Other instant coffees taste flat and lifeless. Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew is different – it’s full-bodied and flavorful, just like the Starbucks® coffee you know and love… We microgrind the coffee in a way that preserves all of their essential oils and flavor.” – starbucks.com
- How To Prepare Your Starbucks Instant Coffee (Photo from Starbucks.com)
On Market Opportunities
Starbucks VIA Ready Brew - Italian Roast Variety
Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) announced that the Philippines will be the fourth market to offer Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew.
“We know there is a significant opportunity in the Philippines marketplace for Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew since nearly 100 percent of retail coffee sales come from instant coffee*,†said Howard Schultz, chairman, president and ceo, Starbucks Coffee Company. “We know rapid innovation for Starbucks VIA® and creating opportunities to further increase awareness and trial of Starbucks VIA® broadens our overall customer base both in the U.S. and in international markets.â€
Just like a fresh-brewed cup of Starbucks® coffee, Starbucks VIA® is made with a proprietary, U.S. patent-pending technology to preserve the coffee’s flavor. We can expect more varieties in the future as Starbucks pursue innovation around the Starbucks VIA® platform.
Judgement
Surely, Starbucks Coffee fans and patrons in the Philippines will flock Starbucks coffee stores on September 15 in anticipation of the arrival of Starbucks VIA Ready Brew. What do you think? Will Colombia, Italian Roast or the Decaffeinated Italian Roast variety capture the Filipino Starbucks lover’s taste? 🙂
April 10th, 2010 — Affairs, Appetizer, Coffee Shops, Cravings, Dessert, Makati, Ortigas, places, Promos / Events, Restaurants, Sweet Shops, The Fort, Where To Eat
Starbucks will be offering Top Pot Doughnuts in select Starbucks Coffee outlets in the Philippines come April 12, 2010, Monday.
What's inside the box? 🙂
Background
Top Pot is a family owned business started by two brothers Mark and Michael Klebeck. With its unique, old style signature “hand-forged” doughnuts, Starbucks hand selected Top Pot back in 2005 to carry their doughnuts in western Washington.
The Top Pot doughnuts are made using little automation giving each doughnut a hand crafted taste and look that fits Starbucks® hand crafted beverages and coffee.
The Doughnuts
With zero grams trans fat, the three doughnuts are the Glazed Old Fashioned Doughnut, Chocolate Old Fashioned Doughnut, and Top Pot Apple Fritter.
Starbucks Glazed Old Fashioned Doughnut
The ‘Glazed Old Fashioned Doughnut‘ is considered a “classic†inspired through a recipe from the 1930’s. Inside the golden exterior is a moist, cake with hints of vanilla and some nutmeg. It’s covered with Top Pot’s own proprietary “Air Sped†glaze while it’s hot .
Starbucks Chocolate Old Fashioned Doughnut
While the ‘Chocolate Old Fashioned Doughnut‘ is the chocolate version of the classic Glazed Old Fashioned doughnut.
Starbucks Top Pot Apple Fritter Doughnut
The ‘Top Pot Apple Fritter‘ is made of hand chopped apples mixed with cinnamon and spices and cooked golden brown and covered with “Air Sped†glaze.
The Contest
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April 19, 2010 Update: the Contest is UPGRADED & EXTENDED!
The prizes just leveled up from 1 GC to 3 GCs! And because of this, NomNom is also extending the contest another week from April 19 to April 24! The three raffle winners from those with the correct answer will be announced on April 25. Thank you to Starbucks Philippines for the prizes.
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If you noticed, the article’s direction is more descriptive than a recommendation. That is because I’m gonna let you guess which among the three Starbucks Top Pot doughnuts caught my fancy best.
Top Pot Doughnuts
Mechanics
Simply create a Facebook wall post (shared with ‘everyone‘) indicating which Starbucks doughnut you think NomNom liked best. Include this link (https://nomnomclub.com/restaurants/2010/starbucks-top-pot-doughnuts/) in your message as well.
Finally, place the URL of your facebook wallpost on the comment section below and you’re done!
Rules
One comment per person only. Multiple entry cheaters will be turned to stone by Medusa then swallowed by the Kraken.
Contest will start from now until April 17 24, 2010.
All valid and correct answers will be included in the electronic raffle using Random.org. Winner will be announced on April 18 25, 2010 on this blog.
For any inquiries or clarification, please don’t put in the comment section (it’s for the answers and URL links), instead you may email admin<at>NomNomClub.com.
Top Pot Doughnuts
Prize
A Three (3) Starbucks gift certificates for a free drink of your choice at any size.
It All three will be couriered to your choice of address anywhere in the Philippines.
Qualification
Starbucks Top Pot Doughnutd
The contest is open only to anyone with a valid Philippine address where the prize will be couriered. It is also open only to NomNomClub.com Email Subscribers. If you are not yet an email subscriber, you may do so by clicking here.
So, which could be my favorite Starbucks Top Pot doughnut? Is it the old fashioned glaze? The chocolate version? or the Apple Fritter? 🙂
January 24th, 2010 — Beverage, Casual, Coffee Shops, Cravings, Dessert, Makati, Ortigas, places, Restaurants, The Fort, Where To Eat
A month after the holidays, Starbucks‘ Dark Cherry Mocha still stayed on the menu board way after the other two holiday featured beverages Toffee Nut Latte and Peppermint Mocha was taken off the shelf – which is a good thing! 🙂
Give in to your chocolate craving with its combination of espresso, steamed milk, and bittersweet chocolate with dark cherry flavor; topped with whipped cream and cocoa powder.
And although the Starbucks Planner fever is over, it tastes like Christmas all over. 🙂
January 17th, 2010 — Affairs, Promos / Events
Finally, a week after the Top 6 Christmas Wishlist entry came out, we will now know who will be NomNom Club’s 2009 Best Christmas Wishlist Bl0g.
From among the 25 entries last December 2009, “My Shrubbish Nomnomlicious Wishlist“ wins as NomNom Club’s 2009 Best Christmas Wishlist Blog!
Congratulations to John Paul Vergoni of Kompyuter Sayantist for his entry “My Shrubbish Nomnomlicious Wishlist“.
First (1st) Runner-up is ‘”My Christmas 2009 Wishlist” by Edelweiza Mabalay from “The Life of a Breadwinner.”
Second (2nd) Runner up is “My Grownup Christmas List” by Ria Tirazona from”Daydream Believer“.
Thanks you to Ia Lucero who helped us in the very hard judging process. Ia is a fellow writer, blogger, and a respected web designer in the online community. See more details of her work at Stellify.net
The grand winner brings home the limited edition Starbucks USB flash drive. The second and third placer each gets an authentic Starbucks cap and lace (instead of the earlier announced gift certificates). Wait for the confirmation email in your inbox within this week where your valid Philippine address will be requested for shipping purposes.
Again, congratulations to all winners and participants. I hope you would join our succeeding contests in the future.
Stay tuned to Nomnom Club‘s food adventures and contests by subscribing to our email feed and Facebook Fanpage.
Hopefully we could have another Christmas Wishlist contest for 2010 come December. 🙂
January 11th, 2010 — Affairs, Promos / Events
A total of twenty-five entries were submitted for the Starbucks USB contest where a blogger should create a Christmas Wishlist based on the following mechanics.
It was great how the participants shared their personal wants and desires and how some seriously made selfless wishes. It was awesome to discover how creative some of the entries were. There were also unconventional wishes which made me create a list of the Top 6 ‘Kakaibang‘ wish from among the entries. 🙂
- Bra holder – http://ruthilicious.blogspot.com/2009/12/wish-list.html
- Stickers – http://vvaguilar.multiply.com/journal/item/17/My_Christmas_Wishlist
- Businesses and Investment Opportunities – http://cheftonio.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-wish-list-2009.html
- 1st Birthday Party for her son – http://kasai-mysimplelife.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-christmas-wishlist-for-this-year-are.html
- Pictures with Starbucks items – http://crazylawrenz.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-wish-list.html
- For a different set of wishlists as a whole – http://www.polyvore.com/christmas_wishlist/set?id=14354899
I didn’t know there’s such a case for bras. We’ll, I think because I’m a guy. 🙂 The ‘business opportunities’ came in as a surprise since it was an uncommon one and very serious at that. While the mom who wishes for a birthday party for her son’s first birthday was quite touching. The last two were eccentric as a collection.
There were also heartwarming messages for NomNom like the one from FunHuntress.blogspot.com that says (http://funhuntress.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-grownup-christmas-list.html)
I’m really happy that bloggers come up with these kinds of contests that can change their readers’ lives.
…or somehow affect it at the very least, even if not ‘change.’ 🙂
There was also an entry where she wished to be linked from NomNomClub.com. She is StalwartsKryptonite. 🙂
So, who won the Starbucks USB flash drive?
There were a number of very good entries so I decided to select the Top 6 first and invite a co-judge who is a professional writer to help me in expertly selecting the grand winner. We’ll add our scores and average them.
Allow me to announce the top winner taking home the Starbucks USB next Sunday January 17, 2010. I would also reveal my co-judge at the same post. And because of that, I would add more prizes. The 2nd and 3rd place winners will not go empty handed. They would win a Starbucks gift certificate each.
Top 6 Entries for the Starbucks Coffee Philippines USB Falsh Drive
Here are the Top 6 Finalists (in no particular order):
- My Christmas Wishlist 2009
- My Grown Up Christmas List
- Pangarap Kong Jackpot
- My Christmas 2009 Wishlist
- My Shrubbish Nomnomlicious Wishlist
- If I ever meet Santa…
Whew! These are all good in their own different ways. I just hope my co-judge would not be as torn as I am 🙂 It was a good 2009 and cheers to 2010!
December 6th, 2009 — Affairs, Promos / Events
Merry Christmas! Indeed, cold mornings and hot coffee for breakfast is in season! As a treat for the holidays, NomNom Club is giving away a Limited Edition Starbucks USB thumb drive simply by creating your Christmas Wishlist of 5, similar to Facebook’s Wishlist which is five.
Simply create your wishlist consisting of 5 items and post it in your own blogs. In not less than 100 words, give it some story or narration for that creative touch. Place a link to NomNomClub.com and you’re good!
Submit your full name and blog’s URL/link to admin<at>NomNomClub.com anytime from today upto 11:59pm of January 4, 2010. I’ll choose the best entry based on the following criteria:
White Starbucks USB Thumb Drive
Creativity of Story & Writing Style -Â 60%
Overall Impact – 30%
The Uniqueness of your 5-Item Wishlist – 10%
The contest is open to anyone residing in the Philippines with a valid local address. The Starbucks USB 512mb thumb drive will be couriered to the winner anywhere in the Philippines for free.
The winner will be contacted through the email address he/she will use in sending the link.
Starbucks Christmas Wishlist Contest
If you’re not much fond of the original Limited Edition Starbucks USB, you may want to participate in the Starbucks Planner 2010 contest; or better – join both!
So what are you waiting for? Create that short blog entry, link to NomNomClub.com, and send that email to join NomNomClub.com’s Christmas Wishlist Contest and get that Limited Edition Starbucks USB!