OPEN THREAD conversation-starter: What drink does Starbucks need to introduce?

How about a Snickers Frappuccino? I'm a brewed coffee guy, so I'm happy with what's currently offered, but I suspect other customers and employees have ideas for drinks that have yet to be launched. What are yours? Discuss this -- or anything else Starbucks-related -- in the OPEN THREAD. || Jump to the second page of comments.

Comments

[Martha]

I've always wished for a Peanut Butter Latte of some sort. :)

[midamsm]

soooooo many requests for toasted marshmellow......

[Dave]

Can we discuss how awkward it is when you are a regular and the person on register tries to flirt with you?

[Jim Romenesko]

Your story, Dave? Tell us!

[Bananas]

I think it's more akward if your the barista and the customer is trying to flirt with you. At least as the customer there 4400 other Starbucks down the street.

[Streakn_it]

I went to a place in Portland Oregon called Coffee People. Delicious coffee milkshakes there! Starbucks bought them out and shut down all of them except the one in the airport so I think Starbucks should offer Coffee Milkshakes!

[Pike is here to stay]

A coffee milkshake is called a coffee frappuccino.

A wish Starbucks would do medium/mild coffee and bold every day all day long instead of Pike.

[I <3 music]

Because of trade marks sbux would have to pay to use the name snickers. I bet you won't see any brand names tie-ins.

[Stan]

snickers any style coffee.
1 pump mocha
1 pump hazelnut
1 pump caramel.

done.

[Adina]

Thai iced Tea

[Hirayuki]

I don't want Starbucks to be any more like Caribou Coffee (or the local Biggby Coffee chain, with a hundred cutely-named drinks and where whipped cream comes standard on a cafe au lait), so I'll settle for anything featuring a new SF syrup.

[Tiger Woods]

I heard a SBUX customer ask for an Arnold Palmer yesterday, and the newish barista was stumped. (I learned what it is via google.) is this often-ordered?

[ash_sk8s]

@ Tiger Woods - No, it's not often-ordered at all

[Mimi]

Iced decaf.

[TheRootinator]

I'd love to see the SF Mocha sauce finally launch. They've been testing that for a while, haven't they?

I'd like to see one or two new varieties added to the Vivanno line, like a mixed berry flavor and another citrus-y type smoothie.

Oh, and lighter roasted coffees. I know Starbucks refuses to do roast anything besides dark, but they need to know how delicious lightly roasted coffee can taste. And I think Pike Place can make its' exit. OH, and I'd love partners to be allowed to stir drinks again.

[javabuz]

toasted marshmallow flavoring

[...]

we had sf mocha a few years ago. it tasted like tootsie pops...

[otterinthewater]

That SF mocha stained skin a la motor oil. It also taste atrocious.

As for flavors- bring back Almond!

[baroosta]

The new SF Mocha is different from the version that was launched a few years ago. The new SF Mocha is actually whisked and mixed like the regular mocha.

Speaking of mocha, I think Starbucks should introduce a milk chocolate mocha. Sometimes the mocha is just too chocolately for me even when I do half white mocha half mocha...

[Mango]

I am a barista and make a drink similar to the Strawberries and Cream but with 1/2 orange mango and half milk-it's awesome. It tastes like a blended mango lassi. We have made it for customers as a special request--it goes over really well.

[Annie]

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf do a great SF mocha so it can be done!

[Judy]

Bring back Tazoberry!

[cali sm]

partners can still stir drinks - do what i do and keep a plexi of stir sticks on the bar by your lids. a quick swizzle only takes a second.

[Melody]

@otterinthewater - As to Almond, yes!

@therootinator - I'm with you, they could do more with the Vivanno. I think they tested a couple of additional flavors in 2009, but nothing launched.

What drink should launch? Refreshers please!

[Alexander]

Some delicious fruity things would be good, in order to add variety to the beverage line. I know Fontana (SBUX's syrup brand) makes both strawberry, cherry, valencia, and peach flavors, as well as almond/amaretto.

I'm assuming all we'd have to do is test the flavors in a few markets and then design Starbucks labels for the bottles. Boom. They also have SF raspberry!

[brian]

i think sb should have about 3 more full-time syrups, at least, on the menu. a local coffee shop here has like 50 different syrups plus u can get either 3 or 4 espresso shots for the same price along with having 1 price for 1 or as many syrup flavors as you want, so it makes it much cheaper compared to what a quad multi-syrup at sb would cost.

probably 5 yrs or so ago now, if not more when sb had banana coconut that was actually really good, it can be hard to have a good banana syrup flavor but sb's was good. they should have that full-time along with dolce de leche like they had 3+ yrs ago or more, and then a couple more flavors that i dont wanna take the time now to think about.

[Sheik]

Via Frappuccino's are coming....... I just know it.... All 4 flavors... Now customized to your perfection at your local Starbucks! I can see it now!

[Seamus]

They need to bring the Ice Doubleshot to the menu. I'm over having to coach other partners on the proper way to charge it.

That, and customers bitching because the store down the street charges for it differently, although that goes for pretty much everything.

[Sheik]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE bring back MALT!!!!!!!!!!

Mocha Malt Frappuccino...... Mmmmmm (however, I'll bet it would now taste like crap with the new watered-down, cost cutting Frapp recipe they cleverly market as "make it your own")

[btown]

Is anyone else's store computer plagued with a new atrocious screen saver? I'm in downtown Boston and yesterday upon my arrival to my store I noticed it...including the 1990s clip art and the Starbucks aprons that looked like they were added on in a Paint program...

It's a silly thing to be talking about, I know, but, er, if this is a company-wide thing, it's a little embarrassing for an enormous corporation. I thought my boss's 7 year old had done it!

[frapatte]

I agree with Seamus. What is the logic behind taking a somewhat-popular drink off the register/menu? People still order it all the time, now they just get annoyed because they always get charged differently and they encounter new partners who are not at all familiar with how to make them.

[tuppy]

It's been years, but I'm STILL lamenting the loss of malt. I'm an obsessive Sbux customer with a variety of tastes, but the Mocha Malt Frap is the only Frap I've ever actually liked. Mmm I can still taste it -- and how hard could it be to have the powder on hand? I'd be drinking them every day...

[76]

Give me Valencia or give me death!

[M]

Seamus, I am with you on the SB Doubleshot on Ice.

[otterinthewater]

@btown

I think the screen savers are kinda hilarious. What's sad about them is that people have to be reminded to report operating funds.

@76

Valencia yes!

[sense]

Streakn,
Review your facts. Starbucks never bought coffee people and has nothing to do with the airport cp store.

[Trippin]

Out of all the things they should be fixing why did they choose to make a screen saver? Huge waste of time!

[amanda june]

I would love to see the cherry syrup (from the dark cherry mochas last year) on the full time lineup. Yum!

And I second the Thai Iced Tea...oh my word!

[ash_sk8s]

@Sense - They bought the old coffee people buildings...

[slaw275]

Almond, Valencia, Dark Cherry... anybody else miss Melon? It made a passion tea lemonade just that much more delicious =)

[sense]

Ash,
No, they didn't. They were offered some of the ground leases from the parent company which they took. They do not own any land, buildings or the CP brand so claiming SB "bought out CP" is incorrect.

[Darkcrw]

Coffee people was bought out by Diedrich coffee (based in Irvine CA) back in 1998. Green Mountain Coffee (based in burlington Vermont) bought Diedrich Coffee (and as such, Coffee People) back in 2008. The locations of the stores were all leased properties and never owned by any coffee company. When the leases expired, it was natural for the land lords to look towards another coffee shop to replace it {since they were already set up for a coffee shop). Hopefully that may clear up any confusion on this tangent.

[Thinkagain]

Snickers don't have hazelnut in them. They have peanuts. Opps.

[Thinkagain]

@Mango-why does every partner I see post this think they came up with an original idea? It's not.

[Starbuckers, Inc.]

"They need to bring the Ice Doubleshot to the menu. I'm over having to coach other partners on the proper way to charge it."

How DO you ring it up? I've gotten conflicting instructions.

AGREED on almond syrup! For many things, but especially almond steamers. I mean 'syrup cremes'. Mmm, nothing better before bed.

[Thinkagain]

SD= americano +syrup (+shot in some cases). How is that hard?

[spence]

@Starbuckers, Inc.
To be specific: A tall and Grande are each 2 or 3 shots and are charged as an iced Americano add Classic (or whatever syrup the customer asks for.
A Venti SD actually has 5 shots of espresso so you charge Venti Iced Americano, add syrup and add shot.
There is no charge for the Breve added to the top because we do not charge for less than 4oz of milk.

[slaw275]

I think the confusion comes from the fact that an iced americano + shot + classic comes to a significantly higher price than an Iced Venti Starbucks Doubleshot. A lot of customers got upset when we dropped the drink and partners, in turn, felt uncomfortable. There was never really any explanation given, and I think we'd be hard pressed to find actual policy on how to make/ring/mark this drink when it used to be pretty simple.
It is a bit challenging to explain to partners who came to Starbucks in the past 2 years or so... but then again, so is a Marble Mocha Macchiato, Zebra Mocha, Crunch Berry, or any other off-menu drink that customers consistently order. I have no problem making any of these drinks, but a lot of the customers who get them act like we should always know exactly what they want (even if they can't tell you what it is).

[Barman]

Banana cream frappucino, made with coconut.Customers love it. Orange mango cream frap, tastes like peaches and cream.Set it up like a vivanno without the banana and protein. Apple pie a la mode, Apple juice, vanilla,cinnamon powder cream frap.Orange Julius frap, orange juice, creambase, vanilla powder.
Wish we had other freash fruits like pineapple,add banana and coconut syrup,cream base... Pina Coladas. Fresh strawberries or syrup, classic, cane sugar,raw, a squirt of lime juice..strawberry daiquri frap. Great crossovers for Howies stores that serve wine and beer.

[Jeff Tom]

Barman,

Too much fruit to keep track of. Way too complicated.

Plus the alcohol stores only sell wine/beer. Daqs/Pinas really do not go with those.

The Original Valencia should come back.

DOes SB still carry the Raskberry. Have not asked for a RM in a loooong time.