Starbucks Turns Red Only Once A Year; The Red Cup, Festive Flavors and Meaningful Gifts Signal the Start of the Holiday Season

"The holidays at Starbucks are all about enjoying traditions andconnecting with friends and family," said Jim Alling, president ofStarbucks North America. "For our customers, that means gathering attheir local Starbucks coffeehouse to connect over a hot cup ofStarbucks(R) Christmas Blend coffee in our signature red cups to savorthe warmth, magic and reprieve that are found there during theholidays."

Holiday Flavors, In Red

For many, the red cup and the handcrafted holiday beverages foundinside them symbolize the start of the holiday season. A cornerstoneof the season is our once-a-year, limited-time offered Starbucks(R)Christmas Blend coffee (also available as Holiday Blend). This uniqueand beloved holiday tradition is a blend of lively Latin Americanbeans and full-bodied Indonesian coffees with our specialingredient--aged Indonesian bean that give it a holiday sparkle. It'sa perfect finishing touch for a rich meal of turkey and stuffing andsweet and spicy desserts like gingerbread and pumpkin pie.Starbucks(R) Christmas Blend coffee is available now while supplieslast, in one-pound bags (regular $11.95 U.S./$15.75 CAN; decaffeinated$12.45 U.S./$16.95 CAN), and half-pound bags (regular $6.30 U.S./$8.65 CAN; decaffeinated $6.55 U.S./$8.90 CAN) at Starbuckscoffeehouses throughout North America and online atwww.starbucksstore.com.

In addition to Starbucks(R) Christmas Blend coffee, anotherpopular hallmark of the holiday season at Starbucks is our variety oftraditional seasonal beverages including the Gingerbread Latte, EggnogLatte, Tazo(R) Chai Eggnog Latte and the popular Peppermint Mocha.

Completing this selection of "once a year" flavors is an array ofindulgent seasonal treats, including the Cranberry Bliss(R) Bar andHoliday Gingerbread. These sumptuous, trans-fat free desserts areavailable by the slice or by the loaf for holiday parties or workgatherings and pair perfectly with Starbucks(R) Christmas Blend orother holiday beverages.

Meeting Every Holiday Gift-Giving Need

Starbucks is a convenient one-stop shop for every holidaygift-giving need.

For the gift that keeps on brewing, Starbucks offers brewingequipment of the highest quality such as the Starbucks Barista AromaGrande(TM) (12-cup). This easy-to-operate thermal coffeemaker is alsoavailable in an 8-cup capacity and features a special shower-headdelivery drip system, 24-hour programmability and automatic shut-offat a fantastic holiday sale price of $109.90 U.S./$149.90 CAN.

Our creative selection of holiday merchandise makes perfect giftsfor friends and family, stocking stuffers, party favors orhost/hostess gifts. Available in different shapes and sizes, thesecustomized gift sets include the Starbucks(R) Coffee, Cookies & Cocoagift pack, a silver gift tin filled with 8 oz. ground Christmas Blendcoffee, 5 oz. hot cocoa mix, Peppermint Crunch cookies, and WalkersShortbread cookies in festive holiday shapes ($16.95 US/$22.95 CAN);Tazo(R) Trio Gift Box, a delightful keepsake red velvet box filledwith a variety of six filter bags each of Tazo(R) Joy(TM), Calm(TM),and Zen(TM) teas ($19.95 US/$24.95 CAN); and a wide selection ofcheerful holiday mugs, bottles and tumblers.

To satisfy holiday music wishes, Starbucks Hear Music offers threenew seasonal musical treats: Elton John's Christmas Party, Baby, It'sCold Outside and A Charlie Brown Christmas. Elton John's ChristmasParty features a hand-picked collection of Sir Elton's favoriteholiday songs and a never-before released original duet with JossStone written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin just for thiscollection. Starbucks and Universal Music Group will donate $2 forevery CD sold to support the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Baby, It'sCold Outside is a 15-song compilation packed with cherished holidaychestnuts performed by the likes of Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, FrankSinatra and Ella Fitzgerald as well as contributions from contemporaryartists like Norah Jones and Diana Krall. Finally, A Charlie BrownChristmas offers Vince Guaraldi's jazz score to the beloved CharlesSchultz's animated Christmas Special which celebrates its 40-yearanniversary. This version of the seasonal classic comes in anexclusive Starbucks-designed CD case complete with an exclusiveillustration by Charles M. Schultz. All three seasonal CDs will beavailable exclusively at Starbucks Company-operated locations in theU.S. and Canada.

Also available at Starbucks Company operated-locations through theholiday season are exciting new releases from Herbie Hancock andSheryl Crow. The genesis of Herbie Hancock's newest CD, Possibilities,was Hancock's vision of collaborating in studio to create music withsome of the artists he most admires. The final list of collaboratorsis a diverse group of world renowned musicians who represent genres ofmusic well beyond the world of jazz, including: John Mayer, DamienRice and Lisa Hannigan, Sting, Annie Lennox, Joss Stone and JonnyLang, Paul Simon, Carlos Santana and Angelique Kidjo, ChristinaAguilera, Trey Anastasio and Raul Midon. Herbie Hancock'sPossibilities is a co-release by Hancock Music, Vector Recordings andStarbucks Hear Music and first became available at StarbucksCompany-operated locations and traditional music retail throughout theU.S. and Canada on August 30. Additionally, and through a distributionagreement with Warner Music International, Hancock's Possibilities wasreleased globally the week of August 29 at traditional music retailand select Starbucks locations. The release of Possibilities marks thefirst time Starbucks has made a CD available simultaneously atCompany-operated locations in the U.S. and select internationalmarkets, including Australia, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.Possibilities is a top seller in Starbucks locations worldwide. SherylCrow's Wildflower is a national new release by A&M Records and isavailable at both traditional retail and Starbucks Company-operatedlocations in the U.S. and Canada. Wildflower became available atStarbucks Company-operated locations in the U.S. and Canada on October5.

Holiday-themed Starbucks Cards are always a welcome gift and thisyear, they come in a festive holiday wrap. Sure to spread holidaycheer to everyone on the list, they can be loaded for any amount from$5 to $500 and customers can automatically replenish the recipient'scard. The Starbucks Card never expires and there are no inactivityfees.

The saying, "'Tis better to give than to receive," is brought tolife this season through the Holiday Angels Joy Drive. Starbucksinvites its customers and partners (employees) to bring new andunwrapped books and toys to their local Starbucks coffeehouse andinvest in bringing joy to the lives of seriously ill children in thecommunities Starbucks serves.

TheRedCup.com

From November 1st through December 31st, www.TheRedCup.com willoffer interactive users a surprise and delight every single day. Logon everyday to have some fun, play games, download holiday recipes,view humorous holiday animations and experience the joy of theholidays that only happens once a year at Starbucks.

Starbucks Corporation is the leading retailer, roaster and brandof specialty coffee in the world, with more than 10,000 retaillocations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East andthe Pacific Rim. The Company is committed to offering the highestquality coffee and the Starbucks Experience while conducting itsbusiness in ways that produce social, environmental and economicbenefits for communities in which it does business. In addition to itsretail operations, the Company produces and sells bottledFrappuccino(R) coffee drinks, Starbucks DoubleShot(R) espresso drink,and a line of superpremium ice creams through its joint venturepartnerships. The Company's brand portfolio provides a wide variety ofconsumer products--innovative superpremium Tazo(R) teas andexceptional Starbucks Hear Music(TM) compact discs enhance theStarbucks Experience through best-of-class products. The Seattle'sBest Coffee(R) and Torrefazione Italia(R) coffee brands enableStarbucks to appeal to a broader consumer base by offering analternative variety of coffee flavor profiles.