More "Star" for Your "Buck"

As if I needed another reason to be addicted to everything Starbucks® , there are a whole bunch of new things brewing at my favorite bean bistro. Primarily, the Starbucks® Rewards card! Its a gift card, a prepaid card, and a frequent buyer card all in one. Not only can you design it yourself online so that you recongnize it in your wallet and remember not to pitch it when its empty, but you can set it up to automatically refill every month so your coffee needs are always available. I bet this would be an especially good tool if you're trying to stay within a budget. Only use your Starbucks® card--no cash/credit--when buying those mocha lattes and you'll be back in the black in no time. How long have we been waiting for this huge corporation to give something back to its loyal customers? A long, long time that's for sure! Finally, we get a little boost for our patronage. Like your latte with syrups and soy? Those extras are free! Enjoy sitting in those cushy velvet chairs and sipping Pike's Peak®? Refills are free! Stopping in to pick up a new grind? Get your favorite drink free! My personal favorite though, has got to be the option to refill someone else's card. If you buy someone a gift card, register it to that person's email and tell them they have a registered Rewards card. Then you can surprise the giftee anytime by refilling their card online with any amount you choose and they'll have a free drink (or ten!) next time they check it.

What else it brewing? It seems that Starbucks® has jumped on the bandwagon with their new Doubleshot®Energy+Coffee. Its being marketed like an energy drink in its extra tall can, but with the taste of a classic iced coffee. I asked my barista if he'd tried it and he hesitantly recommended it to me as "pretty good". I don't know, the thought of adding guarana to coffee doesn't sound all that tasty...not to mention it has to be dangerous to your health. Oh...what the heck, I'll give it a try. (Read my review here.) But normally I steer clear of anything with Guarana for fear it will give me the shakes.