New coffee blends and trends are already roasting in the new year as Starbucks switches from dark roasts to blondes and multiple celebrities, such as Leonardo DiCaprio, filmmaker David Lynch, Dave Mustaine from Megadeth and Lcd Soundsystem star James Murphy, enter the profitable industry.
After years of everyone being told by the coffee connoisseur that dark roasts are superior, coffee companies decided to attract a new market of coffee drinkers during this economic slump. This trend has already become a norm in many European countries, where they brew the blondes strong.
Starbucks is taking their new 'blonde' Veranda blend very seriously. Apparently, if any employees make a 'blonde' joke about the new flavor, it will be a written offense. According to Jim Romenesko's Starbucks Gossip site:
we were told at a Regional Rally there are absolutely no Blonde jokes to be told around the coffee what so ever. It will be a written offense if so. This came right from the [Regional Director]'s mouth to about 100 [Store Managers] so communicate back to our stores at our own meetings.
Yes, it's true. Starbucks has raised prices on several of their beverages. You'll now notice a 10 cent hike on many of your favorites including 'Tall' sized lattes and brewed coffees. I couldn't help but notice when they rang up my 'Tall' bold this morning that is was $2.01, instead of the usual $1.91. Most annoying, the change hadn't even been notated on the menu! Sure, 10 cents isn't much, but the price increase happened suddenly, with no formal announcement that we can recall. (Of course, many of us were submerged in pumpkin pie and a turkey coma recently, so it's possible we missed something.) I only found out after my purchase. What trickery!
The New York Post reported earlier today that many public bathrooms in NYC-area Starbucks will close this holiday season. According to the story, "Starbucks can not be the public restroom for the city anymore." And while you may not have noticed yet, a handful of the 190 caffiene-pushing locales throughout the city have been quietly shutting their restrooms doors for good this past month.
Apparently, the decision to deny patrons the right to pee was based, in part, on employees difficulty in carving out their own bathroom breaks. From here forward, many locations will have baristas (and other Sbux employees) only loos.
Well here's the most disgusting news we've heard all day: a man calling himself Mr. PeePee is challenging himself to masturbate in Starbucks bathrooms throughout New York City. How many Manhattan-area wi-fi accessible coffee joints is this guy aiming to hit? Every. Single. One.
It gets worse. Apparently this self-lovestruck dude is a regular on The Glory Hole podcast as well as a frequent tweeter @MrPeePee. He will be documenting his quest on both sites and also commenting on outstanding factors like bathroom cleanliness and barista attractiveness.
Starbucks announced yesterday that they will release a lighter roast coffee in January 2012. The new "Blonde" variety will be even weaker than the company's 2008 "Pike Place" version and will be available in whole bean, roast, ground, K-cup Portion Packs and Ready Brew forms.
Why the introduction of this new brew? According to a Starbucks National press release (that we glanced at first via Eater), people are really jonesing for a punier drink. "We recognized the unmet consumer need for a super-premium light roast coffee," said Cliff Burrows, Starbucks President of the Americas. The statement went on to describe that "over 40 percent of US coffee drinkers- or approximately 54 million consumers" are craving this easier to swallow beverage. We're not totally convinced but we can pretty much guarantee that this news makes ironically-bearded baristas around the country fog up their plastic frames with a few tears (also shed ironically, of course).
Greetings coffee fiends! It's (more or less) officially Fall on this planet and you know what that means- crisp air, pretty colored leaves, Halloween party stores, and...the Pumpkin Spice Latte returns at Starbucks. Debuting at the beginning of September, this warm and fuzzy drink is getting a lot of attention. From Facebook status updates to subway chatter to amateur food blogs, this drink seems to be the best thing since sliced bread. And after a recent visit to Starbucks, the famous multi-bazillion dollar coffeeshop chain, I was inspired to try the drink and then conduct a quick poll in the office to see how my cohorts feel about this pumpkin-spiked espresso and milk concoction.
That's right! The popular chain hailing from Los Angeles makes its debut in the big apple at the end of the month. The first location will be at 39th and Broadway, with four more locations to follow by the end of the year. If you've never been to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, you're in for a big treat! They rival with Starbucks back in L.A. and certainly gives the 'ol 'bucks a run for their money. Their coffee packs a punch, but is a little more delicate on the palette than Starbucks' robust signature flavor. If you're into a more subdued coffee, Coffee Bean (as we call it in L.A.) is a perfect option.
All we're wondering now is, when exactly does it open? Will there be free coffee to celebrate? And why didn't this happen sooner!?
Welcome to NYC, Coffee Bean!
As red hot star Mila Kunis promotes her latest film opposite Justin Timberlake, Friends With Benefits, we all benefit by learning a little bit more about the celebrity's sense of fashion. From the ditzy girl next door Jackie in That '70s Show to a crazed ballerina in Black Swan, the Ukrainian beauty has been proving her versatility for a considerable amount of time for such a young talent. In the public eye since the early 90s, appearing in print ads and commercials for Mattel's Barbie, Guess girls and even a small role on popular soap opera Days of our Lives. In 1998, Mila Kunis was cast in Fox's That '70s Show, playing Jackie Burkhart at the young age of 14. Growing up on camera and behind the scenes as well, Kunis began to lend her vocal cords as the voice of Meg Griffin on Fox Broadcasting Company's Family Guy, a gig she still has 12 years later.
We love our daily coffee. However, if you're a heavy bean drinker, you know those cups can add up. We also know fair-trade and organic is the way to go if you want to be environmentally conscious Here are a few tips to make your coffee breaks extra friendly.
- Opt for a reusable mug. All those plastic and styrofoam cups are harsh on the environment.
- Go for fair trade certified coffee. Fair trade labels ensure fair compensation and safe working conditions for farmers.
- Choose local cafes over corporate coffee shops. Yes, we all love Starbucks, but support your local cafe too.
- Go organic to ensure beans are processed and grown without toxic chemicals.
- Reuse your coffee grinds for plant fertilizer! Yep, coffee grinds are the perfect nitrogen fix for your plants.