Last week, my 10-year-old daughter went to school dressed up like Dolly Parton. Dolly had died exactly one month earlier, and my daughter’s elementary school was celebrating Dolly’s life in a way that felt wonderfully faithful to who she was. Students were encouraged to wear denim, cowboy boots and plenty of pink, but the day wasn’t really about the rhinestones. They read together in honor of Dolly’s lifelong commitment to childhood literacy, filled a kindness board and brought canned goods for the school’s food pantry in the spirit of Dolly’s generosity.
On the drive to school that morning, we listened to some of Dolly’s greatest hits. I tried to explain to my daughter why this woman who occasionally popped up on my playlists was so deeply and universally beloved. We talked about the Imagination Library, her philanthropy and the remarkable common ground Dolly seemed to provide, bringing together people who otherwise had very little in common.
A few days later, a box with Dolly’s face on it arrived on my doorstep. And while a new Dolly product right now feels undeniably bittersweet, there’s something rather lovely about this one in particular. Dolly famously spent decades singing about pouring herself a cup of ambition. As it turns out, before she left, she made us one.
What’s in Dolly Parton’s new coffee line?
Courtesy Dolly's Cup of Ambition LLC
Cup of Ambition was created in partnership with Community Coffee, the Louisiana company that’s been roasting coffee since 1919. Dolly worked with the company’s founding Saurage family to develop the coffee, which was first served in June at Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee.
And the name, of course, couldn’t really have been anything else. In her hit song “9 to 5,” Dolly famously sings about stumbling into the kitchen and pouring herself a cup of ambition. More than four decades later, she finally brewed up the real thing.
The collection includes three varieties: light roast, medium roast and dark roast, available as both ground coffee and K-Cup pods. The packaging is fabulously Dolly, with colorful gingham and her portrait front and center. It’s completely charming and almost impossible not to smile at.
The coffee itself is equally easy to love. All three roasts are smooth, approachable and made for the sort of uncomplicated morning cup you look forward to while the pot is brewing. They’re rich and full-flavored without veering bitter. I happily drank mine black. The dark roast and its notes of bittersweet chocolate was my favorite. The light roast had hints of vanilla and the medium roast leaned into flavors like milk chocolate and caramel.
Where can I get Dolly’s coffee?
Cup of Ambition is now available for nationwide shipping at CupofAmbition.com and CommunityCoffee.com, as well as online from Walmart, Amazon, TikTok Shop and other major retailers. Ground coffee is available to order now, while K-Cup pods are available for preorder.
Fittingly, Cup of Ambition gives back to Dolly’s Imagination Library, with every cup helping support the program that has sent free books to children for more than 30 years. Since Dolly founded it in 1995, the program has grown from serving children in her home county in Tennessee to mailing books to children around the world. Customers can make an additional donation at checkout too.
Which roast are you most excited to order? Let us know in the comments below!
