News

Seattle's Best taps Facebook fans to pick new coffee drink

August 21, 2012

After traveling the country and reviewing hundreds of recipes, Seattle's Best Coffee and TV Chef Jeff Mauro have found the top six new coffee drink ideas in the U.S. as part of the brand's Red Cup Showdown.

To help name the winner of the new coffee drink, fans are invited to vote on Seattle's Best Coffee's Facebook page. The grand prize winner will be awarded with $10,000 and the chance to have their beverage featured at Seattle's Best Coffee locations across North America. The vote is open now through Aug. 22.

Finalists include:

Hot Caramel Apple Coffee: Liz Cochrane of Lodi, Calif., took home the blue ribbon at the California State Fair for her hot coffee drink that combines Level 4 Seattle's Best Coffee with the flavor of candy apples.
Orange Blossom Morning: Karen Haldeman of Cincinnati, won at the Ohio State Fair with her hot coffee drink that combines Level 5 Seattle's Best Coffee with a zesty orange kick.
Chocolate Razz Treat: Barbara Strahler of Reedsburg, Wis., topped the Wisconsin State Fair for her blended coffee drink that combines Level 5 Seattle's Best Coffee, raspberries and dark chocolate.
Café Mocha en Fuego:Anthony Karas of Chatham, Ill., beat the competition at the Illinois State Fair with his hot coffee drink that combines Level 5 Seattle's Best Coffee with spices and rich chocolate flavor.
How to Win a Guy with One Sip:Eileen Gannon of Des Moines, Iowa, won at the Iowa State Fair for her hot drink that combines Level 5 Seattle's Best Coffee with the unexpected flavors of caramelized bacon and subtle hints of pumpkin pie spice.
Coconut-Caramel Coffee Freeze:Camilla Saulsbury of Nacogdoches, Texas, won the Facebook competition for her blended iced coffee drink inspired by the flavors of a tropical vacation – Vanilla Seattle's Best Coffee, caramel, coconut and tropical spice.

"A big congratulations to our six finalists and everyone who brought their coffee creativity to the Red Cup Showdown judges' table," Mauro said. "The competitors really stepped up to the challenge by bringing never-tasted-before flavor combinations, fierce competition and a lot of heart for Seattle's Best Coffee."

A panel of judges selected the finalists based on use of Seattle's Best Coffee, appetite appeal, uniqueness and the story behind the coffee drink idea. Five finalists were named from the state fair competitions, one per state, and one finalist was named from a Facebook contest. The grand prize winner will be determined through a combination of Facebook votes and the vote of the judging panel at a live coffee making competition in New York on Aug. 23.

In New York, the six finalists will compete head-to-head to create their coffee drinks for the judging panel comprised of Mauro and Seattle's Best Coffee judges. Each of the six finalists won a trip for two to New York City to compete for the grand prize, $500 and free Seattle's Best Coffee for a year.