May 28 2008
Starbucks Enters Energy Drink Market
So, so much for Starbucks finding their roots. I walked into a Starbucks tonight and saw the new Starbucks doubleshot + energy 15oz can. The shape and size of the can shows that it is a direct competitor of the other multitude of energy drinks out there (Monster, Amp, etc.) What happened to Starbucks returning to coffee? Didn’t they get rid of their sandwiches, where were all pretty good, so they can reclaim the coffee market? Now they want to compete with Coca-cola and Pepsi in the energy drink market.
I thought things were a little fishy when I first ordered the doubleshot shaken drink and they asked me if I wanted that “plus energy.” I stared at the barista with a glazed look as he started to explain what “plus energy” meant. “Plus energy” is the standard cocktail of energy (vitamin B, guarana, and ginseng). So much for coffee.
I had the vanilla version today, and I have to say that it had WAY, WAY too much vanilla flavor! There was hardly any coffee flavor, which is a drastically different taste than their over the counter doubleshot. This is hard to swallow, pun intended. Though, I think it is perfectly inline to compete with the all fruit-flavored energy drinks that are out there now.