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Seattle's Best contest-winning coffee includes bacon, pumpkin flavors

August 27, 2012

After searching across state fairs in California, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio, as well as on Facebook throughout the summer, Seattle's Best Coffee and TV Chef Jeff Mauro have named the winning coffee drink.

Eileen Gannon, from Des Moines, Iowa, won the grand prize with her creation: "How to Win a Guy with One Sip." The hot drink that combines Level 5 Seattle's Best Coffee with caramelized bacon flavor and subtle hints of pumpkin pie spice.

She took home the $10,000 grand prize at the finale Red Cup Showdown live competition and will have the chance to see her coffee drink featured in participating Seattle's Best Coffee locations across North America.

"The heat was on at the finale Red Cup Showdown," Mauro said. "We wanted to see how Seattle's Best Coffee could be reinvented, and Eileen Gannon really turned coffee on its head with an amazing combination of caramelized bacon and subtle hints of pumpkin pie spice."

Gannon began her ascent to the top by participating in a live coffee competition at the Iowa State Fair against 13 opponents. After taking home the blue ribbon, Gannon traveled to New York City to face off against the top five contestants in the nation selected in fair competitions and on Facebook.

Contenders were judged by Mauro; Jim McDermet, senior vice president and general manager of Seattle's Best Coffee; and Eddie Shamah, Seattle's Best Coffee franchisee and president of Shamah Enterprises. The grand prize winner was determined through a combination of the vote of the New York judging panel and Facebook votes.

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