Caffeinated Blog

Starbucks Rwanda Blue Bourbon Coffee

Starbucks has launched their 10th variety in the Black Apron Exlusives line of high-end coffees produced in limited quantities, Rwanda Blue Bourbon.  The coffee features various cocoa and spice notes and is complemented with herbed breads, cinnamon pastries and rich chocolates. The name is unusual but blue refers to the blue-green color of the unroasted coffee cherries, and bourbon refers to a variety of arabica species.

I'm eager to try the Rwanda Blue Bourbon at home.  The Baristas french pressed a sample cup of this the other day for me and it was fabulous!  It has a wonderful sweetness to it and they paired it with an espresso brownie to bring out the flavor of the coffee.

The Black Apron Exclusives are some of the finest (and most expensive) coffees Starbucks offers.  Give them a try, you won't be disappointed.

French Press Techniques for Starbucks Coffee

I just bought a French Press at Starbucks, and I have to say it makes the most incredible cup of coffee I've had in years.  Since we all moved away from the percolator many moons ago, we have become so accustomed to the auto-drip coffee maker that the French Press method has nearly become obsolete.  But let me tell you, if you haven't had a French Press cup of Starbucks coffee, you haven't lived.

French Pressing coffee is a technique that needs to be done correctly in order to have the perfect cuppa joe.  This site gives you step by step instructions with pictures to make it simple.

If you're considering purchasing a French Press, head over to Starbucks during their Annual Brewing Sale  going on now through April 3rd.

Starbucks Coffee Tasting

From the spiciness of Komodo Dragon to the fruitiness of Kenya, Starbucks Coffees all do have distinct tastes and getting to know what you like and what you don't can be a lot of fun.

Coffee master Warren Owen hosts a free coffee talk and tasting at a Peoria, AZ Starbucks. Three our four different coffees are served and the coffee master  explains their differences.  Various Starbucks dessert offerings are sampled and paired with the coffees. 

"The big problem that I found - it was true for our customers and our employees as well - is they didn't know why they liked a certain coffee or didn't like it," Owen said.

"They can recognize what they don't like. They can see it's the way it's processed. It makes it a lot of fun."

Starbucks locations throughout the world offer free coffee tasting seminars. Check with your local Starbucks for the next Coffee Talk in your area.

source

How Many Calories Are In Starbucks Cupcakes?

                                                   

I know you all are wondering how many calories are in Starbucks new cupcakes.  I have the nutrition facts for you directly from my local Starbucks Barista, (they will give you the nutrition fact sheet if you ask for it).  The Starbucks Chocolate Cupcakes and Vanilla Sunshine Cupcakes have 400 calories, of which 200 are calories from fat.  Apparently some Starbucks locations also have Orange Cupcakes as well, because these are also on the nutrition fact sheet and have 400 calories. 

So, there you have it, Starbucks Cupcake Originals contain a whopping 400 calories each, 200 calories from fat, 22 grams of total fat and 50 grams of carbs!

Cupcake anyone??

Free Coffee Today at Starbucks!

Be sure to head over to your local Starbucks between 10am and 12 Noon today for your free cup of coffee!  Starbucks will be hosting their first ever Customer Appreciation Day on March 15th by giving away over 500,000 free tall sized cups of coffee!  During Starbucks Coffee Break at over 7,500 stores, they will have coffee experts on hand to answer customer's questions about coffee brewing at home.

While sipping your free 12 ounce cup of coffee, browse the coffee and  espresso machines throughout the store and take advantage of Starbucks Annual Brewing Sale going on now through April 3rd.

Starbucks Annual Brewing Sale Starts Today

                                     

 

Starbucks will be holding their Annual Brewing Sale beginning today through April 3rd.   

Select Coffee Makers and Espresso Machines will be available at discounted prices!

Pop in to your local Starbucks to check out the Baristas they have available. 

Happy Brewing!

Why Starbucks Doesn't Need to Advertise

                                        

                                                            

 

Ever notice how you don't really see any advertising for Starbucks?  I have.  I've never seen a Starbucks commercial, ad in a magazine, etc.  Only recently have I begun noticing highway billboards touting the brand, as they expand their stores across the nation's freeway exits.

Scott Bedbury, former Chief Marketing Officer for Starbucks gives us insight on why we don't see Starbucks advertisements:

Starbucks net income shot from $8.3 million in fiscal 1993 to $88 million for the fiscal year ending September 28, 1997. Amazingly, its growth has come with virtually no use of traditional media advertising, “Starbucks is probably one of the best-positioned brands on the planet to reinvent what we may traditionally call marketing, or make whatever marketing programs we undertake better" (Bedbury, 1998). Instead the chain has relied on in-store marketing initiatives and word of mouth to develop brand cachet, We are blessed with a brand with a tremendous reputation that people like to talk about. We can do more with less than most manufacturers (Bedbury, 1996).

via ciadvertising.org

Coffee Consumption Rises, Competes With Soft Drinks

According to a news report, more Americans are drinking a cup of coffee every day, creating a hot competition between a hot cuppa Joe and soft drinks.

Preliminary data from the National Coffee Association of USA's "2006 National Coffee Drinking Trends" showed the percent of U.S. consumers who drink coffee each day rose to 56 percent in 2006 from 53 percent in 2005 and 49 percent in 2004.

"With increases in coffee consumption from 53 percent to 56 percent, accompanied by a decline in soft-drink consumption over the last year to 57 percent, daily coffee drinkers are now statistically equal to daily soft-drink consumers," NCA said in a statement.

According to a recent survey revealed in the report, the daily consumption of coffee was driven by adults 25 to 39 years of age, up 6% than the year prior.

The survey also showed 82 percent of all American adults drink coffee either daily or weekly. That's up from 80 percent in 2005.

"Americans are making coffee a bigger part of their lives, expanding attitudes and behaviors that are driving new levels of consumption," Robert Nelson, president and chief executive of NCA, said in the statement.

via Reuters

Starbucks Looks To Expand Coffee Supply With Growth of Stores

As Starbucks continues to open up new stores daily around the globe, Starbucks has increased their coffee bean buying from Central America and begun looking for new suppliers as well in places like Peru and Indonesia, a company official said on Thursday.

Peter Torrebiarte, general manager of Starbucks Agronomy Company, the group's farmer support center in Costa Rica, said Starbucks expected to ramp up coffee purchases from outside Central America, currently the source of most of its beans.

"Opening five new stores a day, we have to buy more coffee from Central America and more coffee from different origins," Torrebiarte said. "The ratio of growth from Central America will be less than that of say Peru."

Starbucks Coffee works directly with individual growers in 27 countries.  Working directly with the farmers allows Starbucks to have some control over the quality of the beans.

The San Jose-based Starbucks Agronomy Company goes into the fields, advising the farmers technically in order to help keep standards high and flavors right.

"If we can continue to work with the same farmers year after year, we can obtain quality results year after year."

Starbucks developed "the Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices Program" to encourage sound environmental and labor practices. Farmers are rewarded when they meet higher standards in that they are favored by Starbucks buyers.

The company's goal is to buy 225 million pounds -- the bulk of its purchases -- from the CAFE program growers by 2007.

via Reuters

Dunkin' Donuts Rivals Starbucks With New Store Design

                                                   

                                                   

 
Dunkin' Brands aims to rival Starbucks with the introduction of new store designs, an all-day menu and WiFi capabilities. Chief Executive Jon Luther said a new store design for the doughnut chain will appeal to consumers who want to relax with their afternoon coffee in the same way they can at Starbucks. 

"We are paying attention to environments because we don't want to alienate those consumers who do want to come in to relax," Luther said at the Reuters Food Summit in Chicago. "Since we've gone into the espresso-based drink business ... more and more of our consumers come in in the afternoon to take that 10 minutes out of their day."

Sales at Dunkin' Donuts have rebounded in recent years, due to new products like cappuccinos and lattes. Their niche in the coffee business is providing quick service at a lower price than Starbucks, says Dunkin' Brands Chief Operating Officer William Kussell.

"We really believe that high quality, speed of service and value pricing is a great place to be in the market," Kussell said.

via Reuters

Starbucks In No Danger of Overbuilding

With Starbucks adding stores on what seems like every corner, some are left wondering if the company is overbuilding or growing too quickly.  The head of Starbucks Corp.'s U.S. business says otherwise.

"The more we build out and the more ubiquitous we become, we become that much more familiar," Starbucks USA President Jim Alling said at the Reuters Food Summit in Chicago. "To date, it's been a formula that has stayed tried and true."

Starbucks plans to open 1,300 coffee shops in the United States this year. While drink prices have remained steady over the last two years, sales continue to rise as does the flow of customer traffic.

Starbucks plans to add to it's bottom line with the testing of new menu items including Grani, a Kellogg's cereal served with steamed milk.  Hot breakfast sandwiches will be added to over 600 Starbucks locations this year.  Revenue from the new sandwiches is expected to reach 30,000 annually in each store, Alling said.

via Reuters

Starbucks Competes With McDonald's Breakfast Sandwiches

As McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts strengthen their coffee offerings in an effort to compete with Starbucks, look for Starbucks to get into the game with the launch of English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches. 

Currently Starbucks offers toasted egg sandwiches in hometown stores, but they are expanding the offerings with English Muffin sandwiches in Washington, D.C., Portland, OR, San Francisco and Chicago. Peppered bacon and Black Forest Ham sandwiches will be available in about 600 stores by October.

Industry analysts believe the breakfast sandwiches to be a sensible move that doesn't involve much risk, as long as they are able to keep up fast service with the addition of hot food to the menu.

"If Starbucks can get food right, it gives them a whole new leg of growth," said Linda Bannister, an Edward Jones analyst in St. Louis.

via wcco.com

Starbucks Hear Music Chief Resigns

Starbucks Corp. announced the resignation of  Don MacKinnon, founder of the Hear Music stores it now owns.  MacKinnon cited his departure was for personal reasons.

Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment said Wednesday that he company is relocating music department employees who scout artists to Los Angeles from Seattle so they will be closer to record labels and musicians.

via seattlepi.com

Starbucks Gives Away Free Coffee at "Coffee Break" Event

Starbucks is showing customer appreciation on March 15 by offering a 12 oz (Tall) complimentary cup of coffee on it's first annual "Starbucks Coffee Break" event at over 7,500 of its stores.

Starbucks Coffee Masters (certified coffee experts who have taken extra coffee classes and facilitated many coffee tastings) will be on hand to introduce new customers to the world of coffee and offer customer tips on how to brew great coffee at home.