Starbucks rolls out “Trente” size

Starbucks is constantly testing new products and marketing ideas for their stores, running them in just a few test markets around the country at any given time to gauge consumer reactions. They’re rolling out one of these new ideas nationwide in the next few months: the Trente size. This new drink size is a whopping 31-ounces! To put this in perspective, the Vente size currently runs 20 ounces for hot drinks and 24 ounces for cold drinks. Moving up to 31-ounces is quite a big step! Other coffee shops that offer such large sizes tend to promote them for iced tea and similar drinks, rather than hot beverages, because it’s pretty difficult to drink a hot drink of that size and actually have it remain hot.

The new drink size will be rolled out Tuesday in 14 states: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, Nevada and Arizona.California residents will be able to buy them beginning Feb. 1 and the nationwide rollout should be complete by May 3.

Starbucks Hacks for the Frugal

I can’t count the number of former baristas who have told me that they hated the customers who ordered a huge cup with a single shot of espresso, then filled up the remaining 18-oz of their drink with water from the condiment bar. Mostly, this was because the customers tended to have an attitude even bigger than their cups when they pulled this “trick”  and never tipped on top of it. They were trying to save money – and who isn’t these days? – but there are better ways to do it even when visiting Starbucks without antagonizing the staff.

One Starbucks barista pulled together a whole list of helpful tips for frugal Starbucks shoppers, and tips to help you discern a good Starbucks from a bad one. Check out the whole list and see what you’re already doing, and what you might want to try on your next visit. Even taking your own cup in, while it only saves you $.10 per trip, will add up after a while!

Polar Bear Cookie from Starbucks

The holidays mean holiday baked goods in the pastry case at most bakeries and coffee shops. I’ll always prefer homemade baked goods but I couldn’t resist tasting this cute little polar bear cookie from Starbucks. It is a crisp butter cookie coated with a white chocolate-like glaze. It’s a good flavor combination and not too sweet, but even though I enjoyed it, you’re buying it for looks and not just for its flavor. Maybe it’s a decorating idea I’ll end up trying at home!

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf holiday special

For those of you who live near a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf location, you might want to head out to take advantage of a special holiday offer. When you buy a $25 gift card, you get the drink of your choice FREE. Some of my favorite drinks there cost about $4 each to begin with, so this isn’t a bad deal at all. It’s like getting a $30 card for only $25! Give the gift cards away as holiday gifts or just keep them in your wallet and use them the next time you visit the coffee shop for a holiday drink.

NYC coffee shops pulling the plug on laptops?

Laptops and coffee shops go together just as well as espresso and steamed milk – or, at least, they certain seem to when you consider the fact that you can’t walk into a coffee shop without seeing at least one person typing away on their laptop, hard at work on a coffee break. For years, small coffee shops used free wifi and a friendly environment to lure customers in, away from the sometimes less expensive fast food coffee options. With business slowing down, some small coffee shops in New York City want to cut the cord on laptop use and free up space taken by cyber-loiterers for customers who want to simply sit and drink their coffee.

Seeing as I’m sitting in a coffee shop typing this right now, I tend to favor wifi at coffee shops – but then, I also always have at least a drink or two while I’m working and don’t just take up space for hours on end. It would be sad to see free wifi come to an end (and it hopefully won’t happen anytime soon out here in California!), but on the other hand, it would also be nice to walk into a coffee shop and snag a table to hang out at without competing with people who staked out a table in the morning and stayed until close to make use of the free wifi.