Tazo Tea

Starbucks introduces a 31-ounce “Trenta” cold drink size on January 18th

by Melody on January 16, 2011

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Starbucks is introducing a 31-ounce “Trenta” cold drink size on January 18, 2011, in numerous states, with a nationwide launch planned in May of this year.  This new, larger, drink size will be available only for iced coffee or iced tea beverages.  It is not a Frappuccino size!

Let me provide a little background and a few facts: 

Summer 2008:

Starbucks has long been interested in introducing a larger cup size to their cold drink lineup.  It is clear that there is a demand for very large iced tea beverages.  In fact, in the summer of 2008, Starbucks tested briefly in Washington State a “double grande” size cold cup with the word “Tazo” on it.  The “double grande” cup was 32 ounces and strictly for iced tea or an iced tea lemonade drink only.  Note that you couldn’t even get an iced coffee in the “Double Grande” cup.  That was a short lived test.  Here is the link to my prior blog post on the “Double Grande” size cup:

January 2010:

Again, Starbucks began testing a larger cup size in early 2010.  This time the cup size was called the “Trenta” and was 31 ounces.  The test was primarily in Arizona.  In February 2010, I blogged about this:

September/ Fall 2010:

By the Fall of 2010, the Trenta cup test was expanding.  Many parts of Georgia now had the Trenta cup, and in addition Georgia Starbucks stores tested a “Classic” iced black tea beverage.  As I write this, most Starbucks use the Tazo brand “Awake” black tea for their iced black tea beverages.  This is a delicious black tea and I love it!  It has a hint of citrus flavor to it making it not quite a classic tea but very delicious.  The “Classic” tea tested in Georgia did not have the citrus flavor to it, and therefore was more of a plain tea.  Here is my blog post on that test:

Current launch of the Trenta cup:

Starbucks has announced that 14 states will offer the new Trenta cup size on Tuesday the 18th of January, and that by May 3, 2011, all Starbucks stores will offer this new size.  The Trenta cup size is for iced coffee or iced tea drinks only (I realize I said that already, but it is important).

Here is the Reuter’s news segment on the Trenta:

And now for the gossip and speculation:

I don’t know exactly which 14 states will get the Trenta on January 18th.  I’ve heard that most of the South will have it by Tuesday.  One friend of mine told me that California launches the Trenta on February 1, 2011, but again, this is unconfirmed rumor.  I have also heard rumor that the Tazo Awake Tea will be replaced by the “plain” black tea as the standard iced tea offering.  Don’t quote me on that because I could be wrong!  I have frequently heard it said that when stores switch to the Trenta size cup the standard drink recipe will go from sweetened to unsweetened.  This means that you will now have to ask your barista to have your tea sweetened with classic rather than that happening automatically.  Again, I could be wrong!

I would love to know what you think of the new drink size!  Have you tried it?  I know that I probably could really drink a Trenta passion tea in the summer.  Let me know what you think, please!

Edit:

In the comments, it has been confirmed that all stores offering the Trenta size will be switching from “Awake” black tea to the “Classic” black tea.

In 2008, Starbucks briefly sold a 32-ounce old Siren logo cold cup.  I need to make it very clear that this was only briefly available and was a partner-only product.  This was never on the shelves at your local Starbucks.  I just realized that the Trenta cup lid fits it!  I think that is kind of cool!  I bought the 2008 novelty cup at the partner store, and a partner sent me Trenta cup and lids in February 2010 which is how I have all those items.  Again, my apologies for the off topic edit.  Now back to your Trenta conversation.

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Starbucks Tazo Tea – ‘Tis the season of Joy

by Melody on January 3, 2011

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This blog entry is a guest post written by twitterer @Amazonv (Nicole).  She produces her own blog, just for tea drinkers, and writes reviews of tea and tea experiences.  You can still find Joy tea in Starbucks, although it is probably quickly moving out the door right now.  I wanted to share Nicole’s thoughts on Joy tea this year, since it is a slightly different tea than last year, and she is far more qualified to write about tea than I! 

(She started writing this in December, and I meant to post this weeks ago, but time came and went quickly, and I realized that if I didn’t post it soon, all the Joy would be gone!  My apologies to Nicole that I didn’t post this sooner.)

GUEST POST

Now that the holiday season is upon us, it is time for JOY full leaf black, green and oolong blended tea at your local Starbucks.  I was excited to be able to purchase a tin of these tea sachets and I have been enjoying them at work.  I have been using a two minute steep time in boiling water.  From that preparation I taste the black tea most strongly and the oolong and green come through as it cools towards the end of each sip.  I have found only some Starbucks offer it prepared in the store, while others sell only the tin.

Starbucksstore.com describes Joy™ as follows:

“Tazo® Joy™ is a delicate yet full cup, created with some of the finest varietal teas available.  Rare Darjeelings and Formosa Oolongs are paired with light-bodied, fragrant Nuwara Eliya teas from Ceylon.  Yunnan teas from the high plateaus of Southern China and Southern India Nilgiris add texture and complexity.  It’s a very special tea to share freely with friends or selfishly hoard by yourself as an exceptional holiday treat.”

The paperfilter Tazo teas can easily be found in grocery stores, with a larger variety of flavors than seen in Starbucks.  Starbucks stores used to carry a small assortment of Tazo filterbags to serve in store, but I rarely saw the boxes sold.  It was earlier this year (2010) , around February, that the stores switched over from carrying filterbags to full-leaf sachets, both serving them and selling them.

Here is the lineup of teas available in store:

  • Awake (Black Tea)
  • Chai (Black Tea)
  • Early Grey (Black Tea)
  • China Green (Green Tea)
  • Zen (Green Tea)
  • Orange Blossom (Green Tea)
  • Calm (Herbal Tisane)
  • Passion (Herbal Tisane)
  • Refresh (Herbal Tisane)
  • Vanilla Rooibos (Herbal Tisane)

*Herbal tea is not really a tea, rather it is a tisane.

I was excited about the switch to full-leaf sachets as they contain full leaves, which tend to be of a higher quality, and provide room for the leaves to expand.  This year’s Joy was significantly better than last year’s paper filterbag version, in my opinion. 

My current pet peeve is that all teas are made without care in Starbucks.  They all get the same temperature water, and the amount of time the bag sits in water (steeps) is not controlled.  Tea water temperature and steep time should vary by the type of tea (black, green, oolong, herbal).  I tend to ask for the water and the bag separate from each other so that I have better control over the temperature and time of steep, which leads to less of a chance of bitter cups of tea.

~ Blog post by Nicole.

******************

If you are reading this and want to visit Nicole’s tea review blog, here is the link:

Amazonv Tea Taste Tracking

About one year ago, I wrote a blog post about the Tazo headquarters in Portland.  It’s still a fun quick look at the place where great tea is blended.  The link is here:

Tazo Tea in Portland – a mini tour

Let me know if you can still find Joy in your area.  I have definitely seen a few tins on the shelves still here in Seattle.  Talk about tea.  Anything tea-related is fair game in the comments.  What is your favorite tea at Starbucks?

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Starbucks tests tests tests: a ‘drip only’ line in Chicago and ‘classic’ black tea in Atlanta

by Melody on September 12, 2010

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Starbucks is testing a drip only express line in Chicago:

A reader in Chicago contacted me because he had recently stumbled upon a Starbucks testing a “drip coffee” only line in downtown Chicago!  This is one of those ideas that comes up over and over again on MyStarbucksIdea.com:

(Some of these threads may be closed threads or merged threads)

Many of these threads on MyStarbucksIdea are met with down votes.  I’m still confused as to how a drip only line would work.  It seems like it would require an extra partner on the floor to man the drip only register.  I suppose if the stores that are testing drip only are receiving extra labor for that, maybe it is worth it?  I also wonder if people get confused about what line to stand in.  A long long long time ago, in the very early 1990s, most Starbucks had a “beverage only” register and “whole bean only” register.  If you needed beans scooped from a bin, you went to the whole bean line.  I remember this well.  I also remember that there were times that people got in the wrong line, or people tried to cut the beverage line by getting into the whole bean line.  If you got up to the whole bean register and ask for a half-pound of Verona and a tall Latte, the barista would of course ring you up for both.  In the end, you got into a shorter line by getting beans with your coffee.  I even did that myself a couple of times. ;)

It seems like it would take extra labor to have a barista manning the separate drip-only register.  I would love to know if the express line test stores have been given extra labor for this test.  I recall hearing that Starbucks was also conducting such a test at one isolated store in Washington D.C. but I don’t even remember where I heard this gossip.  If any of my readers have been to a Starbucks with a “drip only” line, please do tell how it worked!  Did you like it? I would love to hear all your thoughts on this idea!

**Starbucks is testing a “Classic” Black Tea in Georgia:

And now, on a totally new topic, I realized recently that there is a “Black Tea Test” going on in Georgia.  I had to do some detective work to put two and two together to figure out there was a test at all.  These threads from MSI were great clues that got me started investigating this test:

Right now, in Atlanta, (and perhaps all of Georgia), Starbucks is testing a “Classic” black tea.  The new black tea is a different recipe than what is currently offered at Starbucks.  The new “Classic” black tea is still made by Tazo, however it lacks the citrus and bergamot flavors which give the current black tea its unique complex flavor.  It’s a much more classic, plain black tea, for the palate that wants just a basic tea, and perhaps even in a Trenta cup. ;)   The new black tea, so I hear, is offered at a slightly lower price point than the non-test black tea, though I do not know the price of it.  This test is currently in progress through the end of September, and designed as a summer test, when customers want a larger refreshing tea beverage while it’s hot outside.  As can be seen in the MyStarbucksIdea threads, the stores that have the “Classic” black tea are usually offering the Trenta size cup also.

I can see why this new tea might appeal to some people, however, I hate to say this, but I hope this new black tea does not make its way to Seattle.  I like the black tea exactly as it is now.

Has anyone here tried this new tea?

**Starbucks is testing “Refreshers” in San Diego:

Unlike most Starbucks tests, the “Refreshers” beverage test was widely-announced by Starbucks.  Usually testing of new food and beverage innovations is done quietly and without fanfare.  There is even a website for the “Refreshers”: http://www.starbucks.com/refreshers.  At this point I don’t have too much to say about these drinks.  I’m hoping to try them later on this month and then I’ll report back here with a full report.

The Refreshers are available in two flavors: Cool Lime and Very Berry Hibiscus.  They are iced drinks made with green, unroasted coffee beans.

Just as an aside, if anyone reading this knows the San Diego area well, I am looking for store suggestions.  I’d like to be able to write a review of the refreshers, and possibly review a nice store with a great design and a friendly staff of partners.  I can randomly pick a Starbucks in San Diego county to go try these drinks, but I’d much rather have a few suggestions to work with!  Thanks in advance for your help!

That is quite a roundup of three tests!  I’d love to hear your thoughts and if you have encountered any of these test items!

If you like reading about test items, I have a complete category of them here (some of those tests may include old test products never launched).

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15th Avenue Coffee and Tea has its one year anniversary & a little tea education

by Melody on July 20, 2010

{ 17 comments }

The Starbucks store known better as “15th Avenue Coffee and Tea” will have its one year anniversary on July 24, 2010.  I decided now is the time to take another look at this store, with updated photos and information, as well as a little Tazo Tea education at the same time.  While I might mention teas that are not commonly found at your local Starbucks, I always consider Tazo Tea fair game for this blog: Readers might be able to visit their local Whole Foods or other similar such grocery store and purchase the less commonly found Tazo Teas there.

Today (July 18, 2010) I joined in the cupping, arriving shortly before 11:00 a.m.  Barista-Amanda greeted me warmly (as always) and said, “Hey you’re here for the cupping? What do you want to cup today Melody?“.  I said, “Well, I’m not really a tea drinker but I think my tea drinking readers would like that. I seem to have a lot of them reading the blog.”

*****Tea cupping July 18, 2010:*****

Today we cupped four green teas.  They were Westlake Dragonwell, China Green Tips, Jasmine Pearls, and Gen Maicha.  All tea comes from the plant Camellia Sinensis.  Whether it is a white, green, or black tea has to do with how much the tea has been oxidized.  Tea can be processed in ways to bring out extreme flavor variety.  For example, the Jasmine Pearl tea has been infused with Jasmine flowers, giving a truly distinctive flowery flavor, and the Gen Maicha tea has toasted rice in it.  When we smelled the un-steeped Gen Maicha tea, it smelled like cereal!  The darkest teas, like an oolong tea, are charcoal fired, and a white tea has not been oxidized at all.  The best tea comes from young, fresh shoots.  Herbal tea does not come from the plant Camillia Sinensis at all and technically is not really a “tea”.

The teas steeped for about three minutes and then each of us tasted them.  The Gen Maicha tea was an almost savory tea.  I could get used to that! It was by far my favorite.  I have included a couple of pictures too showing the Tazo Tea packaging that these unique teas are packaged in.  I’ll be honest, I don’t know if a normal Starbucks has these Tazo Teas, but even if they do not, it seems like these shouldn’t be too hard to find at many grocery stores.

As a reminder, 15th Avenue Coffee’s own blog has featured tea entries several times, most recently discussing the tea Yunnan Pu-Erh.

And for even more on the topic of Tazo Tea, I have a previous blog post here on the Tazo Tea headquarters in Portland, Oregon.

However, I am not going to spend too much time talking about tea since I want to also cover what changes have happened over one year at this store:

*****One year review of 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea:*****

First off, if anyone reading this is confused about what is special about this highly unique Starbucks, I recommend this previous blog post as the primer for today’s post:

A lot has changed since the store was brand new.  The store doesn’t have the same manager as in the beginning. “Jay” is the store manager.  The first store manager was “Jenna”.  A number of baristas have been there for a full year. There are many new faces too.  The coffee offerings have come and gone, as small batches of various international coffee beans cycle through the store.  There still is a coffee or tea cupping at 11:00 a.m. every single day.  Every beverage is still a delicious hand-crafted beverage with shots pulled from a La Marzocco machine.

One thing that impresses me about this store is how they’re very good at getting customer participation in their cuppings.  I have attended numerous store cuppings, and lots of people who are visiting join in.  I have cupped with random SSC partners who were passing through, regulars, friends that I brought, and wonderful people who have traveled from all over to visit this unique store.  The day of the tea-cupping (above, July 18, 2010) a store regular named “Loretta” wanted to join in.  It was a lot of fun! She was definitely having fun talking about tea.  Loretta is a great regular. I know I have seen her there many times, but today I chatted with her about her relationship to the store and I learned that she credits herself for keeping this store open and alive! Thank you Loretta! I owe you too! She had petitioned Starbucks to save the store.  As you may recall, before 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea was “streetlevel” non-branded store, it was in fact a normal Starbucks.  There is a Seattle PI article about Loretta here.

Another thing that has not changed is that the baristas are all still full of personality.  Fortunately, the baristas at this store are completely used to the fact that I am constantly snapping photos of the store (all of the photos for today’s blog post were taken on July 18, 2010).  At a couple of points I was joking around with the baristas and they saw me with the camera and decided to offer the blog readers some of their best “poses”.  You’ll see what I mean below.  These partners are wonderful.

Some of the most significant changes to 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea over the course of one year are as follows:

  • Originally the store was designed with ALL hard seats. The store now has some soft-seating “comfy” chairs.
  • Originally the store did not have blenders. A few months ago blenders were added to the store, and with the addition of blenders, Frappuccinos are now available.  (Vivannos are still not an option).
  • Grilled sandwiches are now available.
  • The store now carries both Starbucks ice cream and Bluebird ice cream.
  • The store offers a small selection of salads.

The store front signage could use a little improvement:  The signage showing that you’re at a coffee house is not eye-level are exceeding obvious.  People mentally will gravitate to an awning looking for a business name.  I have hung out at this store enough to see that people walk by, stop right at the entrance of the door, peer in, puzzled look on their faces, and keep walking.  I think that there is still some fascination about whether this is a “sleuth Starbucks” but even more so, the big sign that says 15th Avenue Coffee (on the pole outside the store) is positioned much higher than eye-level, and somehow it’s not obvious from the street-level what is happening at this store. So people stop, peer in, realize it’s a coffeehouse (maybe they were looking for something else) and keep walking.  It would be such an easy fix to simply paint (in white letters) “15th Avenue Coffee and Tea” on the brown awning.  On a hot day, the door to the store is propped open, making it difficult to see the business name on the door.

Don’t forget, customers can pay with their registered Starbucks card here and earn “stars“!

Last but not least, don’t forget that if you use twitter you should be following 15th Ave. Coffee at @15thAveCoffee.

Here are some photos from today’s visit to 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea:

(Edit: 7-21-10 – Wow this blog is TERRIBLE when it comes to typos. Sorry. You can tell I wrote it at like 10 pm. I am working on correcting the horrible writing in this blog post. Sorry.)

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Tea that’s not afraid to mingle…at Starbucks

June 1, 2010

I’ll be honest, I struggled to write this blog post. My problem mostly is that I don’t have precise information about Tea That’s Not Afraid To Mingle at your local Starbucks.  A few years ago, there was a very small test of a couple of unique tea beverages.  My faded memory suggests to me that [...]

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The combo cupping: Tea and Coffee; Warmth and fun

April 4, 2010

This blog post is a mixed-bag of things. It’s a tea cupping (I don’t think I’ve ever talked about a tea cupping before, though I talk about coffee cuppings all the time.) It’s about the very limited small cooperative Rwanda Fair Trade Starbucks coffee available in the UK, Ireland, and Middle East (this is not [...]

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A blog for the tea drinkers at Starbucks: Take a tour of Tazo in Portland, Oregon!

December 13, 2009

Are you a fan of the Starbucks Chai Latte? Passion Tea? A black tea drinker? Refresh by Tazo? Rumor has it that Starbucks will be changing the tea line up soon! This made me think that there is no better time than now to take a peek into the world of Tazo Tea at their [...]

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I’ll take a “double grande” Starbucks passion tea lemonade please. (Cold drink sizes, tall, grande, venti, double grande)

September 30, 2009

This post is the kissing cousin to the tea menu featured a few weeks ago in this blog.  At the same time that Starbucks experimented with whole leaf in their stores, they tested a larger sized iced beverage. It was called “double grande” and 32 ounces in size.  The test size was intended for Tazo [...]

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Tea Is A Prism That Colors Each Day: Tazo full leaf tea at Starbucks

September 12, 2009

Recently I had a conversation with a barista where she related to me that she wished that Starbucks sold whole leaf tea in their stores. I mentioned to her that Starbucks did do a test of whole leaf tea in a few stores in 2008.  After more conversation about Tazo, I mentioned that there had [...]

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