Bravo, Starbucks, bravo. Marketing for the win: see commercial, must have product.
Not too shabby, Starbucks!
So, I have a weak constitution when it comes to marketing. For eight years, I worked in the higher education marketing field. I know all the tricks. I know exactly what goes on in brainstorming meetings; I know how executives target people like me. And yet, it never fails. I see it on tv, I have to have it. That recent Vaseline Spray Moisturizer commercial? Totally went out and bought.
Starbucks’ new marketing campaign is all about the orange. Orange Refresher. Orange Iced Tea. Orange. Spice. Coffee. Be still my heart.
Both my husband and I have a strange fascination with citrus. We love orange. Orange candles, orange room spray, orange soda (Stewarts is the best!), orange sour patch kids, orange anything. When I saw this new marketing campaign, my heart skipped a beat. I had to try it.
Today, in the middle of yet another random deluge of rain (from a clear blue sky, nonetheless), I pulled into the Starbucks drive thru to get the Orange Spiced Iced Coffee. I was rather impatient with the lady in front of me–really people, if you’re going to order six drinks, please, for all of our sakes, go inside. Finally it was my turn. The Gates of Happiness opened and out came my venti iced Orange Spiced Coffee with cream. Yes, I don’t play around. Venti, all the way.
Every coffee junkie should have a trusty double-walled cup for iced goodness without the sweating cups!
My first impression was of strange “floaters” on the top of my cup. Figuring they were only random clusters of cinnamon–it is orange spice–I shook the cup a bit before adding the straw. The floaters disappeared. Hasta la vista, floaters. I then noticed slices of orange in the cup. Interesting.
My first sip was an eye-opener. Mind you, I love strong coffee. The stronger the better, in my opinion. But wow, this is strong. I continued to sip as I made my way home. Tasty, but it definitely did need a bit of sweetening to take away the bittery/spicy aspect of the drink.
I arrived home, poured my coffee into my trusty double-walled cup, and added a splash of simple syrup (See recipe below). After the addition of the syrup, it tasted much better.
So, all in all, good job Starbucks. While I still prefer the small coffeeshops over franchises, the Orange Spiced Iced Coffee is a welcome distraction from the same-old-same-old Starbucks menu.
In the end, I liked this cup of coffee. It is definitely not for the faint of heart, though. If you’re all about frappuccinos and macchiatos, definitely add cream and simple syrup. On the other hand, if you like a strong cup of spicy coffee, go with just cream.
The Culinary Newbie’s Simple Syrup
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- Bring water to a boil.
- Dissolve sugar into boiling water, stirring constantly.
- Once the sugar is dissolved completely, remove the pan from the heat. (Don’t let the syrup boil too long or the syrup will be too thick.)
- Allow to cool completely and thicken, then bottle.
You can add a drop or two of your favorite flavoring, as well. Experiment with this recipe. Adding flavor gives a nice, light taste to the syrup. It’s an inexpensive way to create your own lattes and drinks.
UPDATE: I had the spiced coffee again today… it was totally weak. Bottom line, it’s all the hands of your barista. In the future, I will be ordering it with only cream/milk and adding my own syrup at home if it’s too bitter/spicy. It’s a whole lot more appealing to sweeten/lighten than drink weak coffee! Best of luck, folks!
The Adventures of the Culinary Newbie 