By Kelyn Struiksma
Starbucks just announced their newest Frappuccino flavor – s’mores, the ooey-gooey favorite for all campers. On April 28, coffee enthusiasts will be able to delight in what Starbucks describes as a “nostalgic summer experience of roasting.”
The beverage will have a sweet, marshmallow whipped cream base, a layer of chocolate sauce and the blended combination of coffee, milk and chocolaty graham flavors. It will also be topped with graham cracker bits and more marshmallow cream.
For those camping and unable to access a Starbucks location, a bottled version of this drink can be found in nearly all grocery stores.
Trust me, as a kid, I spent almost every summer vacation camping and no one loved sitting around a fire roasting marshmallows more than me. But to make this into a drink, let alone a coffee drink, seems a bit ridiculous. I appreciate Starbucks being innovative and continually providing customers with new options, but there’s a point where it has simply gone too far.
Just weeks ago, Starbucks celebrated the Frappuccino’s 20-year anniversary by featuring a birthday cake flavored drink. With actions like these, Starbucks seems to be losing its foundational roots by offering these unique and “fufu” coffee drinks. They are only distracting customers from the richness of their freshly brewed coffee, but the bold and bitter flavor that coffee has and is meant to have is being lost in the added flavors, whipped cream and candy toppings.
In high school, I nearly forced myself to drink black coffee so I could join the elite. I learned how to love the true flavor of coffee and now, a morning without a cup of black coffee is rough. For the longest time, I looked at Starbucks as a classy coffee shop that provided the richness of coffee for those either catching up with a friend or independently studying.
I believe Starbucks still has this and is both valued and appreciated by many. However, drinks like the s’mores and birthday cake Frappuccinos are only taking away from the experience that I long to have at coffee shops.
The mission of Starbucks is to “inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”
This value system is simple and so should the menu. Yes, there can be different drinks and flavors available, but there comes a point where enough is enough and I argue that day will be Wednesday, April 28.
I may be traditional and may take my coffee just a bit too seriously, but Starbucks needs to return its roots and feature simplicity by allowing customers to enjoy themselves and others over a simple cup of Joe— like it was meant to be.