Why You Should Avoid Starbucks Blended Lemonade!!!
 

TotalMILF works at Sbux again, and in the system, this is the line item for the new lemonade "sauce" for the blended lemonade drinks. She says someone has a freakish sense of humor at corporate. I believe they are deceivingly honest. You must decide for yourself...

This does not affect the iced tea/lemonade drinks :p

Outstanding! And quite appropriate.

haha.

The person supplying the pee must be rich with the prices they charge.

Well that explains what happened to my SBUX stock.

I avoid Starbucks like the plague on general principle.

Starbucks is a plague.

But apparently we're beating it; they're closing a bunch of locations.

Sbux is my hero... despite the pee. But they are only closing locations due to oversaturation of some markets, partly because of all the licensed Sbux vendors (like Barnes and Noble)

Yeah, I thought so. All I know is that at Queen & Spadina in Toronto, you can save around $0.60 by going to Le Gourmand a few doors up instead of Starbucks.

I tend to avoid all the drinky drinks and stick with the coffee and lattes when I do go the the 'Bux though. So no pee for me, if you please.

They're not closing down here south of the border. I know of three new ones in Merida with two more on the way.

46oz??? Did anyone else notice that little bit. Is that seriously a 46oz. Drink?

Well, even if you get a Starbucks drink without the pee in it, it will still taste like piss.

I think that's just the sauce to make the drink.

It's okay.... settle down.... :D

Haha, yeah, it's just a 46oz. mix

I will not settle down!

That reminds me of when I was in USA and there was a big add at Mcdicks that said something like: "Thirsty? Grab a 42 oz. cola"

It kind of scared me. The amount of sugar in that is frightening to comprehend.

THAT is why Americans are fat... duh! We love teh lardz!

And rightly so!

Wow, that's 410 calories right there....

From Baraka_Guru's link,
So, uhm... you can get a salad, apple wedges and a fucking 410 calorie soda? Wow, such an improvement, lol!

Lawlz, I know.

That's over 140 grams of sugar in that beverage, by the way.

Edit: And the weird thing is, according to that chart, the drink should be closer to 510 calories.

140 grams of sugar? Thats huge!! Thats so insane. Diabetes in a cup.

I don't think it's even sugar. I think it's high fructose corn syrup.


Sorry for the digression.

The photo is funny.

They're actually relatively similar. Either way, that's far too much.

I wonder how much is in that lemonade.... :confused:

EDIT: Okay, 85g of sugar in a venti (24 oz.) blended lemonade, so 48 oz. would be 170g of sugar.

Interesting.

Don't ever read the nutrition for a Frappucino...yeesh. Not only packed with sugar, but fat too! Fabulous.

(Sorry, had to do it.)

Venti Mocha Frappuccino:
Calories 500
Fat Calories 150
Total Fat (g) 17
Saturated Fat (g) 10
Total Carbohydrates (g) 82
Sugars (g) 67
Protein (g) 9


It's not just a beverage; it's a meal!

I have one of these every time I go to the movies. I know it's full o'crap I shouldn't have but once and while.

I could have one of these everyday, they're like smack to me.

Christ, a little of the old "pee in the lemonade" joke brings out all the AOLspeakers.

I refuse to order coffee that comes in arbitrarily named sizes. I drink my coffee black and strong, which makes Starbucks a good choice, but I hate the names and refuse to use them. Plus there's a drive-through one nearby that is great for weekends when one of the boys gets up at 5:00 am.

I love the size names, if only because I'd do the same if I had a business. My sizes would be "Why so fucking small?" "Now we're getting somewhere" and "Boo-ya motherfucker!"

And those I'd never be hostile towards. At least there's an attempt at humor (successfull IMO), but Starbucks is just arbitrary words, some of which don't mean what they imply, i.e. Tall.

great post..i was thinking the same way...

BUT

id rather "you know you like it big" as the largest one

This thread makes me really glad I've never bought a beverage from Starbucks - just a muffin at 5 am at the airport once.

as long as you don't mind paying exorbitant prices for burnt coffee...then hey, go for it.

What's wrong with Starbucks? Starbucks is great, I don't understand all the hate.

That comment was more of a joke. Starbucks is... okay. Overpriced and a bit overroasted.

They aren't the best coffee shop.

But I don't hate them.

I like Starbucks. I drink their coffee black. It doesn't cost $4, it is not 500+ calories. That's why I get confused why so many people hate them. The coffee I get at McD's, $1.49. The coffee I get at Starbucks, $1.50.

It's a good company, not perfect but they are pretty socio-conscious. I used to work there and received full health benefits and stock options even as a part-timer. They also encouraged me to go to school.

hehe. Fun photo. Made me smile.

I worked for Sbux for a while. I had an enjoyable time. I do not entirely understand the backlash against their business model. I am bothered by friends and aquaintances that say to my face that starbucks is the devil and ask me why I ever worked for them. It is not fun to defend a corporation whose beverages you happen to enjoy and whose employee benefits are appealing enough to work for them.

Yeah, Sbux gets a bad rap. Sure, their drinks can be pricey, but they aren't horrible. I like their coffee, and either go to Starbucks or Caribou most of the time. The prices aren't terribly different. Starbucks also buys coffee direct from farming co-ops in several countries, allowing them opportunity to make market value for their beans instead of being ripped off. They offer fantastic benefits, including insurance benefits for "domestic partners"... not "spouse". To me, that's a big step forward. I just don't want pee in my lemonade :p

Try looking at a Robek's nutritional chart sometime. They market all their drinks as healthy and filled with protein. They are in reality high sugar-fat gorillas.

NERD EDIT: at least it's nice to see someone still uses F keys.

I will say this--Starbucks is one of my go-to coffee places when I travel outside of my perfect little coffee culture bubble in the PacNW, or even travel to smaller towns in the PacNW with little coffee culture and only a Starbucks. Why? Consistency of product. There's something brilliant about the fact that I can drink the same cup of coffee in a mind-boggling number of places--and it's a better cup of coffee than I might get elsewhere. However, in town I only ever go to Starbucks if I'm in the mood for a Tazo chai, because they're the only ones who use Tazo chai (I dislike Oregon chai, it's too sweet and not peppery enough). We have a lot of locally-owned and operated coffee shops I would rather give my business to--with much better coffee. Plus, Starbucks house coffee isn't organic or fair trade--though they do sell beans that are organic/fair trade, and they are the largest purchaser of fair trade coffee--I prefer to buy conscientious coffee if possible, even by the cup.

Tricky bastards...

http://www.illwillpress.com/sml.html

I haven't bought any starbucks yet, but they don't appeal to me. I don't hate them. They just aren't my kind of place. I like the corner deli coffee for $.75

Esspresso, I like in a cafe, not a fast food establishment.

*sigh* It's not arbitrary. This is easily explained.

There used to be only three sizes: small, tall, and grande. Pretty straight forward. Due to customer demand, they added a new size, venti (20oz). So now they have, small, tall, grande, and venti. I hear they are getting rid of small so now it will be tall, grande, and venti. Instead of renaming the sizes, they felt it was easier and less confusing to just stick with what they had. I see this as no different as any other company that has different labels for different sizes.

Have you noticed that a Starbucks drip coffee is less expensive than a drip coffee at McDonalds lately?

Overroasted, eh? Sounds like you haven't tried light note.

Short. Not small. Short.

The short cup will always exist for hot beverages. I will be shocked if they ever remove it. It's for the children's size hot chocolate. I personally like getting a short breve raspberry hot chocolate. Besides, it's the only reasonable sized cup for a single almond camapana to go.

Not in my market. Tim Hortons coffee starts at around $1.00. Extra larges are, like, $1.50 I think. McDonald's has to compete with that, and they do. Starbucks tall starts at around $1.85.

I have, but I prefer dark roast. But one should not overroast my dark roast.

But it is arbitrary. For everyone else, those sizes are small, medium, large and extra large. That is how I order them. I refuse to learn how to "officially" order sizes at Starbucks. Why should I have to learn their codewords for their sizes?

The fact that you had to explain at all basically proves my point.

I'm not a Starbucks fan, though I will go there if I can't find a place that sells espresso, and I want one. I don't like drip coffee nor milk so I basically always order espresso (probably because strength-wise it matches the turkish coffee I grew up drinking).

For me, the problem with Starbucks is that they seem to have moved to automated machines for their coffee: a button is pressed and your coffee is made. Therefore the barista doesn't have to master the skills of making a good shot (which include factors like adjusting the amout and tamping pressure on the grounds to account for the type and grind of the beans, etc). So starbucks coffee ends up being a more or less consistent, though mediocre, product.

Of course, if you're mixing the coffee with a lot of milk and whatnot, then it doesn't matter as much because the taste of the coffee in the drink will be much less distinct.

And yes they tend to overroast, which is another thing that enables them to establish a uniform taste across different places.

Oops, thanks for the correction. Short. I think short is available only on request except the children's drink.

The mild blends would be good for Baraka too

Well, the flip side of that is that even "properly" named sizes are arbitrary except as compared to each other. A McD's small drink today is the exact size of a McD's medium drink 15 years ago. MD became SM, LG became MD and the new lard ass sized cup o' sugar is now LG. They did the same thing with fries, and then about 8-10 years ago started offering SMALL fries again if you specially ordered them... I still don't think they are on the menu. It's the size they put in a Happy Meal.

"coffee culture"

now there's a phrase that just makes my skin crawl...makes me want to vomit...makes me feel like I'm channeling George Carlin during one of his "fuck you, you trendy scumbag" rants

coffee is not a culture, it's a damned hot beverage and nothing more!

Hmmm, that's very odd. $1.45 for a tall Starbucks drip coffee around here, and at McDonald's it is $1.65

Yeah, it reminds me of "gun culture."

It's not the coffee that's the culture; it's what people are doing around it. If you're a writer who hangs around other writers at a coffee shop and you exchange ideas, show each other your work, and proudly announce your next publication, then what you are partaking in is writing culture or literary culture. The coffee is the thing you drink to give you a buzz to do so.

You must be in the States or something.

Well, technically, ANY culture is "just something" to people not into it. Music can be cultural... or just notes played on instruments, air blown through tubes or metal struck. Movies can culture, or just moving pictures telling lame stories. *shrug*

you guys use a very broad, vague definition of culture

Who is "you guys"? I don't consider the "coffee culture" to be anything serious. I do however think that culture, much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

you and Baraka Guru

Perhaps you have a very narrow, rigid definition of culture...

Oh, I can be more specific about literary culture if you want. I was just giving you an example of what literary types would do in a coffee shop, which is vaguely on topic in this thread.

Culture generally is an open word. It's up to those who use it to properly contextualize it.

What are you getting at, exactly?

thats disgusting

actually, I thought my original comments on the subject pretty well summed up my position:

"now there's a phrase that just makes my skin crawl...makes me want to vomit...makes me feel like I'm channeling George Carlin during one of his "fuck you, you trendy scumbag" rants

coffee is not a culture, it's a damned hot beverage and nothing more!"


but since you insist on more: basically, I see culture as another one of those over-used words that loses a little bit more of its meaning each time it's tacked onto something that someone is a little too preoccupied with.

"gun culture"..."drug culture"..."coffee culture"

what's next? "paper clip culture"

I see it as a pretentious way to describe a (possibly unhealthy) interest in something. when everything is a culture, then nothing is.

You're assuming "culture" has a value in and of itself. It's use should not suggest that. Today, it's use is for categorization purposes. It's easier to say "Coffee culture" than "What people do in coffee shops and how they enjoy their coffee."

Don't get hung up on the word. It's a word of utility more than anything. There is no capital "C" culture anymore. That died around the turn of the 20th century—actually, probably during or just after the Great Wars.

I personally believe Starbucks coffee is terrible. i drink a lot of coffee, and even though the crap you find at Delis in NYC is terrible, it's usually between 50c and a dollar for a cup, and it still tastes better in my opinion.
Also I don't like their company too much because they kind of stole the market from all the independent coffee shops, but I suppose more power to them.

They didn't "steal" the market from indies... The indies let them come and take it. *shrug* That's generally how it works. You think Wal-Mart "stole" the mom-and-pop shop? No, but not enough was done early on to stop them. Same deal... Think about it this way. The anti-Sbux crowd here say the coffee is too pricey and not very good. The neighborhood cafe is tastier and cheaper. If that's true, how is Sbux so huge? Why would people pay $5 for a cup of sub-standard coffee when they could drive two more blocks and pay $1 for a great cup?

At any rate, I like Sbux coffee and Caribou as well. I HATE Beaners/Bigby coffee. As for smaller cafes? They are hit and miss, so if I'm in the mood to be adventurous, I'll try one. If I just need good coffee I go where I know I can get it.

On topic: nice picture!
Off topic:
I love Sbux. I do. You can't make me change my mind. I don't drink "real" coffee, so I have to get my caffeine in light and sweet concoctions. Thus my MEDIUM (i don't use their terms) caramel skim latte. Yummmmmmm.

If you get the light version of the caramel frappuccino, it's only 180 calories. And tastes awesome.

DON'T get sugar-free syrups, though, they suck. They have a chemical aftertaste that is truly disturbing and grody.

a) This is true. In fact, Sbux and B&N (A Sbux branded cafe) are getting rid of many of their sugar-free syrups and going to a light syrup (either lower sugar or Sucralose... not sure which)

b) grody? LOL

Just saw this pic on TMs phone again. I had, oddly enough, forgotten about it. *sigh* Gotta love customer service like this!
-----Added 11/8/2008 at 09 : 40 : 42-----


Latte is real coffee. Most "real" coffee drinkers couldn't handle the power of espresso!

They certainly didn't steal any market share from the independent coffee shops in my town. Starbucks is probably the least popular coffee place here, though it is busy on Saturday mornings--when all the independent coffee shops are packed.

You're not beating anything, starbucks shut down those locations because Howard Schultz wants it to return to its roots.

Oh, and I know this because I work for them and I know people high in corporate.

Any regression in a disease such as a plague should be seen as a victory. :D Even if it does it on its own accord.

We win again!

Baraka, why do you see it as a win if Starbucks closes stores? Why all the hatred and vitriolic sentiment?

1. Xepherys - lattes may be real coffee, but they don't taste like it. :thumbsup:

2. I'd go to a "real" cafe, but they are always too strong for me, too bitter. I ask for extra milk, and it's like I'm talking to myself. That said, there's one awesome place in my nabe, but it's completely inconvenient to my commute (and their prices aren't that much cheaper, actually).

3. Baraka, dude... go enjoy your coffee-snob stuff! (I say that with all affection.) It's all good! Just don't hate on those of us who enjoy our Starbucks! I agree there might be a few *too* many stores in places like NYC, but overall? Who cares? They're not an evil company. They take care of their employees, they give back, and they don't kick puppies. A win all round, I'd say.

Guys, I was joking. See my post 32. Besides, I prefer the invective over the vitriolic, so you'll know when I'm hating something. :)

As long as Starbucks doesn't participate in unethical practices, then I have nothing against them. But that goes for just about anybody. I am far from being a coffee snob. I drink all kinds of stuff. I'm not even adverse to using those instant coffee vending machines when I'm in a pinch. :thumbsup:

jorgelito, just don't get me started on the Olympics. :lol:

haha, in that case, Victory!

Starbucks is a fine company; not perfect, no corporation is, but they are good as it is. I just find it disingenuous to pick on Starbucks.

What does the Olympics have to do with coffee? As far as I know, Starbucks is not affiliated with the Olympics.

By the way, there are a few great threads on the Olympics you should participate in if you want to talk about Olympics.

Only in presence. Currently, the Olympics can be found "on every corner," just like Starbucks. (I watched a record-breaking swim by accident.) Imagine the Starbucks outlets that are serving the visitors in Beijing, as well.

Are there any in Philosophy or Politics? :D

what you make of starbucks is a function of what you choose to look at---if all you see is a retail outlet that sells mediocre-to-ok coffee (which can be excellent coffee in a context that doesn't otherwise provide it from a retail viewpoint) then you head one way---if you prefer locally owned places and a greater variety of interiors and coffees, then you go another-- (on this much depends on where you live--in philadelphia, starbucks definitely had an impact on the coffeehouse circuit, but they didn't kill it off by any means---in chicago, it seems that the folk never really understood the coffeehouse thing at all, so the impact starbucks had was, from what i could tell, a zero-sum thing: most places sucked anyway, starbucks tends to suck, so it all zeros out). if you look at them in terms of how anti-globalization mobilizations constructed their symbol-systems in the late 1990s, then detesting starbucks becomes more comprehensible.

thing is that the pressure they got from this last bit makes them kinda interesting in terms of their purchasing strategies.
i don't know how much folk care about where the stuff they consume comes from, but anyway: fair trade coffee is often better in terms of flavor and is definitely preferable in terms of the politics of coffee production (direct democratic producer collectives...) but it comes with a limit on how much they can supply--starbucks is on the industrial side of the procurement system---so they developed their curious "cafe" system, which enables them to get about 20% of their coffee via fair trade---enough so they can use the logo---and the rest from plantations and other conventional (monocrop) growers. in this, starbucks really has the basic problems of the industrial food system as a whole, in a condensed form, and with reference to a relatively GMO-free commodity (coffee) the problems associated with which have largely to do with how production is organized.

but like i said, it's just a cup of joe.

Consider yourself lucky to have witnessed that historical and exciting event. I do not have television and had to watch highlights on the net. It's hard to get coverage of the Olympics here in the US. The Olympic threads are in General Discussion where it makes the most sense. Feel free to stop by and participate.

Sorry, I don't feel so lucky. It was rather anticlimactic for me.

I'm not that interested in general discussions of the Olympics, but thanks for the invite. I much prefer discussions of coffee and its distribution.

* * * * *

roachboy, that's a good summary—thank you.

I have heard that Tim Hortons coffee is wonderful, never tried it myself. One of these days I will have to order some of their beans and give them a try. As for Starbucks.. well perhaps the pee is why I never cared for the taste of their coffeee. On the rare occasion I would go to a coffee shop it would be from Caribou, Kodiak or Dunn Brothers. Preferably Kodiak, though they are out of the way for me.