Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire. It is the time for home. ~ Edith Sitwell

I had a complete revelation this week.

I’ve always been a tremendous fan of food and wine pairings, and I love all the nuances of this wine or beer complimenting that dish, or incorporating a wine into the food itself. I also enthusiastically subscribe to the whole adage (is that word a stretch?) “I love cooking with wine… sometimes I even put it in the food!” But I digress.

This week, I had the chance to sample one of Starbucks Delicious Pairings, and I am a huge new fan! Here’s a quick disclaimer: I’m a late in life coffee lover. I have a friend who talks about how she knew and worked with “Beth Stephens Before Coffee.” To be fair, I don’t need it – I have plenty of energy! However, I just thoroughly enjoy a cup or two in the mornings, but I don’t normally collapse into convulsions without it.

I used to have a pretty heavy Starbucks coffeehouse habit, enthusiastically carrying my Starbucks Rewards card and diligently packing up my favorite Starbucks reusable mug (which was recently swiped in a bold-faced manner by The Park Wife‘s hubby). Mostly because of that traumatizing loss, these days I mostly enjoy having the people whose company I savor drop by for a home brewed pot. (All kidding aside, read that quote at the top again. I think that is exactly what we are supposed to do: open our homes and share our warmth, and what better way than a friendly chat by the fire with a cup of coffee?)

Enter Starbucks Medium Breakfast Blend.

Another disclaimer… I always assumed I liked my coffee like my wine (I know, there is a consistent theme here): bold, strong and more along the acidic side. I favor dark roasts, French roasts and any coffee that claims to be in that family.

So, this week when I served up the Starbucks Medium Breakfast Blend along with some blueberry muffins from The Bakery at Walmart, I was really surprised at my impressions! By the way, I picked up both items on a quick excursion to my friendly local Walmart, where I grabbed both items right inside the door in The Bakery… in and out in less than five minutes! I served them up to my favorite coffee buddy, and we enjoyed comfort, good food and warmth and a chat beside the fire.

The Starbucks Medium Breakfast Blend is intended to pair nicely with complimentary notes such as nuts, apples, lemon and blueberries. I was truly surprised that it did exactly that! Who knows why I assume that pairing mumbo jumbo would work with wines and not coffee, but these are definitely delicious pairings! I confess that I was asked to sample the Medium Breakfast Blend and The Bakery at Walmart Blueberry Muffins specifically, but of course I also could not resist picking up the banana nut and double chocolate muffins. All three were a dream with the coffee. Dare I say I might expand my coffee horizons?

I hope you’ll enjoy comfort, warmth, a friendly touch, a talk beside the fire in the company of a good friend, and maybe some coffee and muffins. Open your home and enjoy.

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. I only align with brands that earn my enthusiasm, and my opinions are most certainly my own. #cbias #SocialFabric