This is a short blog post on a few of my favorite collectible Starbucks items. The three items picked for this episode don’t really have some common connection, but I like all three things so I figured I would share them here. I’ve got something old, something new, something borrowed, and something yellow. 😉 As I talk about each item, it should be totally obvious which pictures match up with the corresponding descriptions of the items.
Something old:
I was glancing at my million and one mugs at home and flipped this one over and looked at the date. I was stunned to see that it said 1994. All I could think is, “wow, is this mug really sixteen years old?” It is possible that many partners have no memory at all of what the Starbucks of 1994 was like. Since it is so old, and possibly not commonly found on many kitchen shelves, I thought I would pass on a few photos of it. It’s not the oldest thing that I own, but old enough to share here. By the way, I notice that the overwhelming majority of Starbucks merchandise is not dated. It can be very difficult to pin down exactly when something was produced because Starbucks is terrible about dating things. I was surprised to see the year “1994” on the bottom.
Something new and something borrowed:
This is a new Starbucks Reserve cup. For those who do not know, Starbucks has recently launched a line of premium coffees called the “Reserve” coffees. Stores offering the Reserve coffees also have these cute Reserve sample cups. This is also borrowed. 😉 I really have to get it back to the store. I love these little black cups because I think they are very classy looking. The first of the Starbucks Reserve coffees was launched in August this year, and was first time Starbucks has offered a coffee sourced from the Galapagos Islands. The link on the Galapagos Island coffee takes you inside the Starbucks headquarters for a special roasting event held on the last Wednesday in August. There are some photos of this event, which I was lucky enough to attend. I hope that there will be more of these kinds of events in the future!
Galapagos Island Roasting Event blog post
Something yellow:
This is also a favorite of mine. What collection of Starbucks merchandise is complete without a Vivanno apron? I bought this from ebay, but what I am really looking for is a Sorbetto apron! If I could find a Sorbetto apron, then I really would have “something blue” for this blog post. Yes, I do feel a little married to Starbucks sometimes. 😉
That’s it. A mini merchandise tour.
Chat away in the comments please…
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Do any of the baristas in your area have santa hats? I really want one of those!
Melody I like your collection especially the mugs from the different cities. My favorite new item is the recent double sided glass. It works so nicely when I pour my hot tea into it and the tea looks so nice in the glass.
What a fun collection, Melody! I really like the apron. I’ve only seen the green and black ones.
You said “little” and I was wondering how little the reserve cups are…I couldn’t really tell the difference in size from the Seattle mug 🙂
All really cool treasures! I think my favorite is the reserve mug…
Melody ~ the Seattle mug is awesome! I’ve never managed to live in a city that had it’s own ‘city mug’.
How many @Starbucks treasures do you have?
I, too, was wondering how little are the little reserve cups? Are they espresso size or, I’m guessing, something in between that and a regular ‘cup’. ? I think they are adorbale too.
For some reason I have found dates on lots of Sbux things….but, I’m not looking thru nearly as many as you are! I think it’s a very very good idea to have dates, always, on almost everything……you never know. I just went and looked at a couple of my mugs… One of my favorite special ones is the huge specual edition “italia”…2003 with “la dolce vita” written on the inside. Then, I have 2 other gorgeous large sz mugs but not HUGE, both from around some Valentine’s year…neither with a date! They are both really beautiful….one red red red with various designs and little bits of writing showing out from Romeo & Juliet…there’s a key with a heart on the inside. The other Valentine’s one is less striking, more pastel, but still beautiful with a quote from “Romeo” across the front. I’m guessing early-mid 2000’s.
Now I will have to check out a Reserve’s selling store and see the little cups. (when the roads are better! snow:)
love your blog Melody!
Melody- a good question- How large is your SB collection and how far back does it go?
Melody – I echo purple1’s question!
My favorite is the Starbucks mug that ChocoCat is sitting in, also from 1994.
Pardon typos. I’m going to quicky reply then run to court.
@DeniseR – The sample size cups are probably about one to two ounces. I should’ve thought to do a photo of the 2 mugs side by side. Probably the little cups are for a barista to put on a try and walk around to customers and say, “Would you like to try our new Sumatra Siborong Sibrong?”
Size of collection: Surprisingly small.
I spent the entire 1990s very poor. I didn’t buy much. I have a few things here and there, and I’ve re-collected a few things from ebay and garage sales. In 2001, I literally got rid of most of my worldly belongings so that I could pare down enough to make the move from Seattle to San Francisco. I had no place to store anything. Who knows what I got rid of. I made a lot of trips to Goodwill.
In 2004, I again got rid of things, packed my worldly belonging into boxes and moved back to Seattle. Again, who knows what I got rid of.
Believe it or not, many of those boxes have never been opened and still are in a storage unit (long story). I recently opened a box that had been taped up for eons, and pulled out an old Starbucks coffee grinder, which MUST pre-date 2001, and I was surprised thinking, “oh I remember that I liked that grinder.”
I remember in 2001 my mother sent me a gift box to SF and all it had in it was Starbucks tumblers. This was back in the day when every single tumbler had a free drink coupon inside of it. That was the point of the gift box. By the way, that is SO my mother’s personality to do that. I wish I’d saved those tumblers, but I think they got pared away in that move back to Seattle.
Right now though, my Starbucks collection is growing fast. I keep buying things to use as blog posts, and partners have sent me a few things, and so on …
I could expand on all this, but that’s the short version of the story.
Thank you all for reading! I think with holidays everyone is out buying gifts, wrapping gifts, and who has time for a blog?? 🙂
@deniseR – I’m glad you looked for dates on your mugs! It’s amazing how haphazardly Starbucks dates things!
I love the mini tasting cup with a handle…it reminds me of the line of ceramic in-house cups they have in the UK/Ireland market…you can sneak some peeks of them here. I really wish they would update the US line of ceramic in-store mugs to these. I personally feel the 8 and 12 ounce (short and tall) mugs we currently have are a bit too wide-mouthed and don’t help the beverages stay hot very long. The grande and venit mugs are sort of, well, ugly. It’s also hard to judge the “right” amount of liquid to put into each, and they spill easily. Basically, I’m sort of jealous of the UK/Ireland market and would love to see some of the things happening over there, happen here.
Wow, treasures! Are there in your office? I have to go to your office.
This comment from Roy Street Coffee & Tea (700 Broadway Ave E, at E Roy St, Seattle).
I like this store.
What a nice look at some really unique merchandise. I also really enjoy the theme to this post. As for my favourite piece in the collection…. the Reserve mug is stunning; I love that ‘Star over R’ logo. I hope to find and purchase some Reserve merchandise in the near future.
-@sbuckspassion
That 1994 coffee mug consider it a Starbucks classic…nice collection!
Aw! Love the reserve cups.
Hi Tina! Me too! I love mini size cups, though they’re designed for sampling out coffee. I should have clarified that these mini little cups are not for sale. That’s a shame!
Melody, I LOVE the reserve tasting cup! I have an extensive collection of aprons, but neither of the two you mention here. Already for Christmas I have been given a Starbucks St. Louis mug and so now I think that I will have to begin collecting the location mugs…I was previously trying to avoid them since I now I will get obsessed once I start. haha
Excellent blog Melody!
P.S. Melody don’t you have a Starbucks reserve t-shirt or did I dream this? I called a sbux in Dallas that sells the reserve coffee, but they said they did not get any shirts
What is the “D” on the reserve cup? Does it stand for “demitasse?” I like the size labels that they put on the “for here” ware in the Seattle stores (“T,” “S,” “G,” etc.) They don’t have those in my Chicago-area stores.
P.S. I have set aside and at some point will be getting around to sending you a 1994 Chicago mug to go with your Seattle mug. (In addition to the long promised Boston and Denver mugs).
Perhaps now that I’ve put this out on the internet I’ll actually get around to doing it! 😉
I am really bad for buying tumblers and mugs. Dh raises his eyebrows every time and pretty much laughs and says “pretty soon we’ll have to get rid of the boring mugs” (aka our plain mugs we bought when we got married). People have begun collecting the city mugs for me too. @Taylor do it, it’s so fun 🙂 @jacob thanks for the link , those little mugs on that video clip are awesome!
you would also have something blue if you got a frappuccino apron by the way 😉
@CD I never even thought about what that huge “D” stands for. Demo? Since they’re not for sale, maybe “demonstration”. ???
@CABarista Yeah that would be a lot of fun to have a Frappuccino apron. It would be great to put together an apron blog post someday, like that t-shirt post.
Or Doppio? Is it about a double shot size?
I love the Starbucks merch! I had the pleasure of visiting Melody’s office right after we met at jury duty of all places! It’s like a mini Starbucks museum! So great! Mel, you should give tours ;)!
@Kelly If I were a crazy rich person, I’d be well on my way to a Starbucks museum! 😉 Now if only I could get my hands on a Joe Magazine.
@CD – You’re good at this! “Doppio” sounds right too!
Yea…I deff got the new venti mug w/ some Christmas starbucks card money. But, my excuse was that it was a more lasting gift than a cup of coffee, beans, ect 😉 Also, they are hard to find!