Starbucks lets it be known that customers can customize their Frappuccinos

The Wall Street Journal story says: "A rollout years in the making, the customized frappuccino is set to make its debut in early May in the U.S. and Canada. Starbucks is hoping its sales will help offset the seasonal slowing of hot-coffee sales during summer." The Seattle Times says this is more of a marketing than a product move.

Comments

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dreadingthenewfrapps: Uh, I never said some other company invented it. ;-)

More on this:

Starbucks adopting pour-over brewing method

It's cheap, it's simple and it's the latest rage in coffee brewing. StarbucksMelody.com writes all about Starbucks' efforts to expand pour-over coffee outside its stealth Starbucks stores on Capitol Hill.

A pour-over is like taking the basket of a Mr. Coffee, where you put the grounds, and putting just that above your cup, then pouring hot water over it and letting it drip into the cup. People do it when they're camping, and it's becoming popular at independent coffee shops.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/coffeecity/2011017879_pour-over_coffee_coming_to_sta.html?syndication=rss

ie - as I concluded, Sbx isn't an industry leader anymore. Sorry that sticks in your craw...but there you have it.

[tea-rex]

So... for those who have done this in a test market before, would you really just have to make them one at a time if say, a customer comes in and orders 10 mocha frappuccino's?

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PS: Stevia has a taste. Just FYI...

["]

More on Stevia:

Scientists studying the potential toxicology and toxicity of stevia have several main concerns:

Energy Metabolism: Large amounts of stevioside can potentially interfere with absorption of carbohydrates in animals. It can further disrupt the metabolising/conversion of food into energy.

Cancer: Steviol has successfully been converted into a mutagenic compound, which may promote cancer by causing genetic mutation of a cell’s DNA. The catch? Scientists don’t yet know if this will happen in human cells.

Reproductive problems: European scientists cite potential adverse side effects to the male reproductive system. When fed high doses of stevioside for nearly two years, sperm production in male rats was noticeably reduced and the weight of seminal vesciles declined. Likewise, when female hamsters were fed large amounts of a stevioside derivative called steviol, their offspring were found to be fewer and smaller.

[Karl Kenya]

The lights will no longer have nutrasweet or splenda. They will be sweetened with stevia, a natural, calorie-free plant-derived sweetener.

I actually went through the training this past week. It's not that bad.

[dreadingthenewfrapps]

@usorthem everyone is changing. don't be so ignorant and maybe your horse is a little high there....

[dreadingthenewfrapps]

@dee not to mention that your almond milk could make someone else very sick, no nut products can be used in the pitchers

[@usorthem3]

@dreadingthenewfrapps I'm glad to know that someone from the SSC upper Executive level reads these threads that knows all the corporate inside info, I will pass this along to all my customers that they can get customized at any SBUX in the world as well as use their gift cards everywhere, Thanks for the update.

[dreadingthenewfrapps]

@usorthem2 I know that the initial reaction is to become defensive (when shown to be wrong)...so, I'll let it go...

[howembarassing]

your defense is melody's blog? Hilarious! It's not new, hype ect ect. It's a method that has been around since 1963...oops

[Megumi]

We haven't been told anything about this yet. I only found out recently because there were "new buttons" on the register, and I asked the manager. I've yet to make one, taste one, or even see one. So, until then, I'm optomistic. Especially about the lack of aftertaste and the Stevia. I'm allergic to Splenda, Sweet&Low, and the like. And so are lots of our customers.

[TracyLynn]

I've been customizing my frapps forever! I add shots and flavors all the time. It'll be interesting to see the difference without the 'base'. Now if you'd just keep Pumkin Spice syrup in stock year round. Try a vanilla frapp with a shot of that and it's just like eating Pie and Ice Cream. You should make that a specialty drink name!

[shi(f)tsupervisor]

They don't need to take labor away for this to be a soul-crusher: I'm already on a two-man for the majority of my shifts, regardless of how busy/hot outside/frapp explosion it is.

[Andrea]

My mom tried it and HATED it. She's done drinking Frappuccino's so at one and sometimes two a day, that's at least one customer they lost for good. I love when people fix things that aren't broken.

[Patrice]

We have already started rolling the product out yesterday. Our customer's had the attitude, whatever. We will see. The steps that are taken to make one of these things is costly. If Starbucks if worried about customer time in line, then this is not the product to roll out with. It is taking too much time for training and coaching our customer's. Is Starbucks or Barnes and Noble going to pay for this extra time, or get on the Managers for not putting time wisely?

[lizz]

Its not good atALL .I give it a year.

[April Coke]

I have now tried the new coffee frap light base twice, and it is completely disgusting. I couldn't force myself to drink more than 5 sips of it. It tastes gross and has a weird after taste. Not to mention you can't leave it sit for any length of time like you could the old ones. Today I chose a hot chocolate versus a frap. I have been buying a light frap at least once a day sometimes twice for years and now there is no way I'm ordering one.

[buck]

do the training and all will be known
they are a lot thinner then, but you still get chuncks of ice if you put in big chunks of ice.

[Frapps]

Question from a customer (me).

I get a tall coffee-lite frapp (sugar free cinnamon dolce syrup) every single day. It has 90 calories (about), etc, etc. My questions in case someone knows:

1. How much dairy was in the old frapp? If I get the new frapp w/non-fat milk, will it taste *more* milky than the old ones? Soy adds sugar, which I don't want.

2. When will we know more about the nutritional content?

3. How would I bet mimic a tall, coffee-light in the new version? Would it be non-fat milk + shot of espresso?

Part of what I liked about the old frapps was that they did not have a strong coffee flavor. A latte is too strong for me (espresso flavor wise).

Thanks for the info! Anxious to hear more about it. Our store in Santa Rosa, CA started the new frapps today (I guess their delivery person got mixed up and didn't deliver the old frapps).

[coffee]

the new recipe is going to fail. starbucks will never get it and i hope it sets the company back

[Eddie S = a really pissed off customer]

There are honestly REPULSIVE. I have not gone a day in two eyars and spending $5.30 (over $150 a month on frappucino's) but the day the old ones come to my store permanently, I will NEVER order another Frap. God god, it tasted like alcohol. I am asuming it is the syrop flavor rather than the thick white chocolate liquid they use now. But good god, they were sick. Oh well, I have been trying to stop, but they are soooo darn good. Oh well, now I have the chance in less than 2 weeks :)

[lynn@queenofthecastlerecipes]

I agree with a couple of other posters. I have been a dedicated frappuccino fan for years. This last week I have tried this new formula four times -- all four were absolutely terrible. They lost the coffee flavor, lost the chocolate flavor (in the mocha frapp), lost the sweetness -- now it's like a watery, icy chocolate milk with very weak chocolate taste, and an aftertaste that makes it seem like there's sugar substitute in it. Oh well, I guess now Starbucks has helped me kick my frappuccino habit :( I sure hope they got back to the old version, though. This new one is NOT GOOD.

[hatingnewfrap]

They lost me too. I used to get one almost daily and like some of the others here said they are now watery with an after-taste like artificial sweetner. They didn't tell me the first time I tried one and I actually brought it back thinking they made me a "light" on accident. That's when I was informed about the new process. I tried one again a couple of days later and still gross and made me nauseous. The good news is I've lost just over 3 lbs this week by giving them up.

[denise]

I also tasted the new one and absolutely hated it-even called the company-i really hope they bring the old one back!

[Anonimous]

OMG, what a mistake.... they are horrible! I have wasted some money in the last few days by trying to buy frappucino in different stores, and some lie to me that is the old mix, and I know right away they are not, and they end up in the garbage can. I gave up frappucino myself. Me and my husband used to spend about $400 a month on frappucinos... we both hate them now, absolutely hate them... no taste, no flavour, horrible weired taste after the first sip... just weired... whoever came with this ideea .. a very bad ideea. I gave up Starbucks all together now, along with many other I know! I don't even want to see one... I look at Starbucks now as if I would pass by a really cheap low quality 99 cents store... who sells shitty coffee... no way I'm drinking that crap (for 5 dollars!!!)

[Erika]

Don't like the new frappuccio at ALL...won't be buying this anymore, which means less trips to starbucks...this was the one drink I bought almost every time I would visit.... very sad customer

[Dissappointed]

The 10+ tests I experienced last summer in Texas were terrible. It's now here at my local SB locations and is still terrible. How about SB figure out what combination of new ingredients will make it taste the way it did before, then post it online. Let me know when you do that and I'll return to spending thousands a year at your stores.

[Nicole]

I have been a dedicated mocha frappuccino consumer for around 10 years. My day was not complete without having one. I'm an addict.. I admit it. This morning was the end of an era.. After I was informed of the new formula I decided to give it a shot.. but after forcing down a few sips it ended up in the trash. I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye. Although the weight loss might be welcome it won't compare to the joy my frap brought me everyday.. What a tragic loss..

[siriusmindfrap]

I too was addicted to a double espresso frap for 10 years. I absolutely abhor the acrid nasty taste of the new frappuccino. I have always ordered "my way" no problem. Trying to fool the customers into liking this nasty bitter via like or stevia like tasting substance isn't good business. The baristas were wonderful in trying several times but, I cannot drink half of one of these types in venti. I wouldn't drink it if it were free. I had an horrible headache reaction and started to wonder if "real" espresso beans were used or they just use some sort of nasty via as the coffee part of the mix. YUCK!

[wahine]

this new thingy customization fraps are awful.
I remember seeing box of frappucinos in their cabinets.
is that available in a store?

[ccmeyr]

Several weeks ago I ordered my usual Cafe Vanilla Frapp at the drive-thru window, took a sip as I was leaving and immediately turned into a parking spot to go inside and ask them to fix my drink because something had obviously gone wrong - it was horrible. That's when I found out about the "new" base. They tweaked it for me and it was still horrible. I tried it again yesterday and it is still horrible. I used to get these several times a week. No more....off to try the competition frozen coffee drinks...

[Cathy]

PLEASE add unsweetened almond milk to your choices. I purchase a venti soy hot chocolate daily and need to cut
sugar substantially. That would be wonderful to have
available and very healthy!!