Starbucks says Chantico is not coming back

There was a report in the comments section that Chantico -- the rich chocolate drink that Starbucks discontinued in 2006 -- would be coming back. Not true, says Starbucks spokesman Brandon Borrman. "Not sure where the rumor is coming from, but we have no such plans," he tells Starbucks Gossip.

Comments

[imabarista]

Thank the stars, the gods, and all the stars!!!

[Boring Market]

Does that mean Joe the magazine will come back?

I found this nugget from Fool.com from Oct. 15 2004, "No, Chantico is not likely to displace coffee as the company's signature drink, but if properly marketed, it could be a big success."

Whoops!

[StarbucksRants.com]

WHEW! I was not a fan at alllll! The comments said it was going to be a nonfat chantico right? No way, that is even remotely possible. Would have given me something to rant about though.

[Tim]

All right, then. Glad this was cleared up.

[TORONTOWYLD]

Aww. I was kind of almost interested in it making a comeback. (My bf asked for one the other day not knowing it had been discontinued long ago.) I still have a couple of Chantico cups saved that I use for teeny cups of coffee in the morning =>

[jen]

good riddance to that thick goop.

in your FACE TIM!!!

[ohmi.gosh]

...
i loved Chantico x'3

i don't want to make it personally... but i would totally drink it! I'm awful and lazy :'o

[Bill]

Ugh. We sold maybe one a month and as a result never pre-made any for the day, and of course someone would come in during early morning rush and order it. Talk about throwing a big fat monkey wrench in the works. >8^p

[Herman M.]

I'm kind of dancing while typing.

Nice concept, horrid execution. Now we can all stop worrying about it's inevitable return.

[Tim]

in your FACE TIM!!!
Posted by: | Mar 10, 2008 6:14:42 PM

My only response to that is:
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/duty_calls.png

[INside-tha-mallbux]

I make a bootleg Chantico at my store with 4 p mocha sauce with some steamed half and half, its as good or better than the original!!!! (w/o the clumps)

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Maybe they could've made it a skinny Chantico instead?

BSR's a day late and a dollar short...

It wasn't even that funny the first time. Now you killed it.

[MikeInSeattle]

Well, it wasn't quite up to Angelina's Tasse de Chocolat from Rumpelmeyer's in Paris but it was at least similar... And is missed.

[MikeInSeattle]

Well, it wasn't quite up to Angelina's Tasse de Chocolat from Rumpelmeyer's in Paris but it was at least similar... And is missed.

[Stacy]

good. that crap was disgusting and should have been correctly named "heart attack in a cup"

[Bubka Penus]

Chantico , petite cookies, Joe magazine, the time capsules, marzapan, All great failures. However, No guts, No glory

[Wiener Melange]

We never had a drink called Chantico in our market. Just to understand, it´s not the same with Premium Hot Chocolate, is it?

[Alexandra]

I liked Chantico, but it makes sense they aren't bringing it back, and I am all for the return to 'coffee basics'! I used to love walking into Starbucks and smelling that amazing coffee smell.

Drinking chocolate is really good, though. There's a great place in Midtown Philadelphia called the 'Naked Chocolate Cafe'. They have many different drinking chocolates and handmade chocolates. I'm not sure if it is a chain.

[mike]

Hmm...sad. That stuff was like heroin but it had a bad name. They should have called it "cracktico."

[bud caddell]

Thank god. that thing was super fattening, but I can't live without my venti, nonfat, no whip mocha. I even made a video about my love for the drink:

http://loyaltv.com/VideoDetails.aspx?cid=045f0a59-6f8f-45d8-9f4d-9a5b01368760

[bud caddell]

oops, looks like that link doesn't work, I'll try this:

[george]

Whatever - I'm over Starbucks as of today! I just got back from there and it was a "haven" for bums - more than 5 had their sleeping bags, garbage bags full of clothes all laid out on chairs and tables, there were flys and lovely images of men wrapped in blankets like it was a winter coat in line for coffee. They felt so right at home I was shocked that this was not g addresssed - the charm is gone - the brand is going to be altered to conjure up images of starbucks being a homeless encampment. Watch out for the cloth chairs - lice.

[Melody]

George, where are you at that this is happening? Sleeping bags? Have you written Starbucks? Fill out a comment card. There are thousands and thousands of stores - invariably, some will be ill-placed, and should be considered for closure if there are real problems that cannot be addressed by some other means. First step, let them know!

[Dan]

I always respected my local Starbucks store for allowing the one homeless guy who sleeps in the storefront next door to go in and wash up and get a drink of water. But this is a very clean, presentable homeless guy.

[Brutopia]

So, compared to, say, a regular hot chocolate, how does one make a Chantico?

[Peaches]

Brutopia, when we had Chantico, it was sent to us in a powder, same as our mocha. We would make a pitcher of it and keep it in the fridge. When it was ordered, we would pour it into a special chantico pitcher, steam and serve.

now that i think about it, those chantico pitchers would probably work really well for latte art.

[Wiener Melange]

Is it or not (was it or not) the same as Premium Hot Chocolate (which is steamed in the socalled 50:50 pitcher)?

You might be in a test market there. Starbucks always said they were interested in a "premium chocolate beverage" after they killed chantico, and there was a premium hot chocolate on the Test menu for a while. Not all stores have it, though.

So yes, probably similar.

[Lisa]

This post isn't about the Chantico, but I miss the orange syrup that has been discontinued! First, they took away the Valencia syrup after I was significantly addicted to it and I was happy to see Orange added a few months later. Now that is gone. My drink of choice has been the venti nonfat orange mocha with no whip and I have to say...I MISS IT!

[javajohn]

No more Chantico? I'm crushed.

Chantico + Joe + Mazagran = Direction SBUX is heading.

FOR TIM:

Looks like I was right re: Chantico and you were wrong... I can't wait to prove you wrong on the Valencia as well.

Will be in touch!

Hey Tim!

Why don't you search Juicy Raspberry on the portal!! You'll see that it is core and not going away.

Also, I'll be LMAO when Summer Phase 1 happens and there is no Valencia. YOU ARE WRONG!!!

Chantico is NOT coming back... ICED OR HOT! Why in the world would Starbucks bring a drink back that bombed the first time?!?!?
Posted by: | Mar 9, 2008 8:19:00 PM

^^ How do you know I'm wrong about valencia? You say "YOU ARE WRONG!!!" but you have zero proof to back that claim up, and you continue to hide behind the anonymity of the internet. I'd say you're bluffing, so show me any proof that you've got that says I am wrong and I might just believe you. I mean, look, I could call the SSC - but they would never tell me, I might leak the info prematurely, partner or not. What are they going to do, ask for my partner number? Honestly...

I'm just repeating what my SM and DM both confirmed to me. Hey, if they're wrong, we can blame them and anyone else spreading the rumour (including me) for getting our collective hopes up.

As for Chantico, it admittedly was a pain in the ass the first time but it was a solid idea and quite tasty, IMO... so bringing it back I'm sure they're prepared to market it better and train baristas better. It could become a great seller with the right amount of effort, and iced Chantico is a great luxury drink in summer - I personally loved iced Chantico, and a rival where I live still sells iced Belgian drinking chocolate and it's a hit there. Don't say it can't be done.

Finally, you seem to assume that I don't check the portal/VM/comm book/communicate with my SM every day. I have only one thing to say to that: "YOU ARE WRONG!!!" Fact is, I am a CE shift on the who's next list. I think I understand how the portal works and where to find information better than the average bitter bean on this site who couldn't give two craps about his/her job (namely you).

There was no need for you to respond with such hostility. Hopefully you're not a partner. If you are, I hope the espresso excellence, core values and customer focus training weeds you out.

[CoffeeMasterZach]

Wow...such uber hostility. Calm down people its only the internet.

[Bladerunner]

I remember being disappoint that Chantico was not a bit darker chocolate, it was too similar to our mocha. Sometimes a liquid candy bar is just what a girl needs. I believe it did enhance the coffeehouse experiance. And if it was still around, I don't think I would have lost 25lbs in the last year!

Also I've noticed the anger and hostility on this site lately. Why?

[Ristretto Bentham]

Does anyone have a decent recipe for bootleg chantico? I wasn't a partner when SBUX offered it, but definitely admired the beverage. I've heard Soy is the milk of choice for bootleg chantico, true/false?

As for the above-mentioned 4p Mocha sauce breve, how much breve do you add? I'm sure I can figure this out via trial and error, but would appreciate clarification or other suggestions.
>>>>I make a bootleg Chantico at my store with 4 p mocha sauce with some steamed half and half, its as good or better than the original!!!! (w/o the clumps)

[TheOriginalOm]

Yep - there is indeed a recipe for "Bootleg Chantico" - also known as "Italian Hot Cocoa" that you can make at home.

for 2 1/2 cups total:

Stir together in a heavy sauce pan:
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa (use dark cocoa if you prefer dark chocolate)
1/2 C sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
Stir in throughly (until smooth)and set over low heat:
1/2 cup water
Stir in:
1/2 cup water
1 cup milk (use half and half if you're really looking for something that will kill you)
Cook over medium-low heat, STIRRING CONSTANTLY, until the mixture is thickened and coats a spoon (about 10 minutes.)
Remove from heat and stir in:
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (or, for adults, 1/2 teaspoon Kahlua or Grand Marnier)
Pour into tiny cups (espresso/demitasse cups are perfect.) Top with a sprinkling of nutmeg or cinnamon, or a dab of whipped cream or a marshmallow and serve.

[Peaches]

Anon tim hater,

Did you not see tims brilliant use of xkcd? Because you kind of did the exact same thing. No matter how factually correct you are, if you present yourself in that manner, you probably shouldn't be on the next list.

I'm also going to point out that you accused tim of hiding behind the anonymity of the internet, and then posted your gigantic rant anonymously. Classy.

[Tim]

Bladerunner, these trolls have been on this site since day 1. I think "bitter beans" is the best way to describe them. They're just here to hate on us and hate on Starbucks.

As for anon-dork, I will say that even though valencia has been confirmed to me regarding its return, if it doesn't, I will be disappointed, but not embarrassed or mad that I was wrong. It's not the end of the world if it doesn't come back. I just heard that it was, so I shared the info accordingly. Again, if you can't wait to prove me wrong, why don't you just do it now? Show me the information you have that says it's not coming back. If it isn't, great, congratulations, you proved someone wrong on the internet and thusly deserve to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Neat-o.

By the way, thanks for the support, Peaches. =)

[KC]

I always thought the Chantico should have been only a seasonal drink (Oct - March), but after having read on this site about pouring it over ice, I'm thinking it would be iced chocolate heaven on a warm day. Hopefully, some form of the Chantico will be back.

[INside-tha-mallbux]

For Ristretto:

My recipe is done pretty much trial and error, the breve is a MUST for the creaminess of the beverage. If I had to guess, I would say it was 2oz to every 4p Mocha. I still make it up for all my Hot Topic addicts, then for my partners and I when we need just a small treat.

[Barista 101]

No joke, a customer ordered it the other day! A couple of new partners asked me what it was. I had to explain to them all about Chantico... I had to laugh as I began explaining. LOL

[Newf]

while we're at it, why don't we bring back malt, the power packets, and CBB Lite?

[Kathy]

P-L-E-A-S-E Bring it BACKKKKKK
I love it! I even bought some on ebay after it was canceled. If you don't bring it back at least tell us who makes the mix & where we can get it. There was no info on the package. I need my warm chocolate fix!

[kate]

The COFFEE shop is going to have baristas serving oatmeal and IT IS TRUE...CHANTICO style beverage is coming back. It is too much.