Starbucks Coffee

As a Starbucks retail partner, I urge you all to try a sample of the salted caramel signature hot chocolate. In 2 hours working the drive-thru window today, I sampled out a whopping 4 liters of signature hot chocolate to our customers who came through drive-thru!!

The conversations were great. When I asked if they wanted to try sample of the new salted caramel signature hot chocolate, I got a great mix of responses.....

"<<look of shock>>"

"Salted caramel?? <<eyebrows raised>>"

"OMG! Yes I would!!"

"No way, that sounds weird."

Here are the responses that correspond in order to the above initial reactions....

"Oh wow.....this is goooood...."

"Yummmmm"

"Oh this is delicious....its like a chocolate covered pretzel!"

"This is actually really good. I had no idea it could be!" (this is after convincing her to try the sample. She was so against it at first)

Also, remember that we still make chocolate whipped cream for our Mint Mocha Chip Frappuccinos, so don't feel shy about asking for us to substitute that in for the white whipped cream, just in case you are having "one of those 'I need chocolate' days"

Rachel, would you please suspend this work until you find a way to bring back a nice strong bold drip coffee all the time.   Hot Chocolate is great, but in the face of your refusal to offer your great bold coffees as drip, it's just another slap in the face of Starbucks traditional coffee lovers.

Art M.

Ok, those look great. How much would one of those cost?

I agree with ArtM.

YUCK!

I fail to find how any chocolate lover could like this, it was no better than a package of Swiss Miss made with water.

At home we make Europeon-style drinking chocolate, I was hoping for something close. There is no "handcrafting" to this drink. Might as well open an envelope and dump it into a cup of hot water.

When I went in this morning, they were between rushes so I figured good time to try a signature hot chocolate since I expected it to take some time to make--well when I asked for whole milk I was told it was only made with non-fat milk. This is no hand crafted signature drink. The night before the pour a bag of powder in a pitcher, fill it with non-fat milk and stir. Next day your drink is started with this base and it goes downhill from there.

Powder taste and mouthfeel. Since it is made with non-fat milk there is no flavor stay on the tongue. What little chocolate taste there was was not premium.

Another case of Starbucks marketing doing a job of trying to make us think this is a great drink--NOT.

A normal mocha or original hot chocolate tastes better, don't waste your money or calories.

You HAD the perfect hot chocolate in the past.  CHANTICO was perfection for chocolate lovers.  please bring it back once or twice a week for us!!!

I tried the Salted Caramel one yesterday and it was excellent... Looking forward to try the Hazelnut one since I love Nutella.  

Sorry Seattle! I do not like your new Hi End HC. It tastes like it came from a box! Awe full. You do know that we know it comes from a packet!?

It tastes like the crap you get from the grocery store! I love SB for its original hot cocoa. Please, Go back to the original.

Thank You,

Brian Kortmeyer

I agree with this emphatically, and add my vote to bring back Chantico!

>>> You HAD the perfect hot chocolate in the past.  CHANTICO was perfection for chocolate lovers.  please bring it back once or twice a week for us!!!

I enjoyed a free sample of the signature hot chocolate with whipped cream a few days ago.  Very tastey and delicious.  It was chocolatey and not too sweet.  I looked up the nutrition info just now.  Yikes!  Very calorific as well!!  Sounds like dessert.

To Art M:  The Starbucks I frequent brews bold coffee daily.

We've had it in England for years,

It's a really good seller during the colder months, i'd certainly choose it over a regular Hot Chocolate. (The Salted Caramel is an interesting addition though).

It Would be usefull if Starbucks introduced all the drinks in the American Stores into England and vis-versa.

(Slightly strange how you suggest that 'Rachel' has just invented the drink!)

how about making some sugar free hot choloate flavors too, also with low fat.  Too many calories in what you offer now.

I forgot to also suggest with a lot less sodium.  I can't understand why you need so much sodium, fat and sugar to make hot chocolate taste so good.

can you make like a godiva hot chocolate? Dark hot chocolate? White hot chocolate? not mocha. your sig. drink is alright, but it could be SO much better.

Just tried the salty blend today fantastic but why make it a limited time.

My wife does about two of the 'original' hot chocolates a day and we tried the new 'signature' over the weekend. Got to say it does nothing for us and at $1 more then the old coco its not a deal either.

Maybe it's good for some people's taste but neither of us thought it was any better. Starbucks did do a nice thing as we were asked by our usual barista what we thought and when we told her she made an original for free.

Again some of you all might really enjoy this but its a non-starter for us; much like Pike Place as its a non-starter too for us.

Why does the caramel one have to be salted.

I've had it and it was so unbalanced and overly salty.

What was wrong with simply caramel? ):

@ Kelp: you can ask your barista to not put the sea salt on top of it .. that's the only thing that makes the salted caramel salty. :)

I'm not a die-hard fan of the regular signature hot chocolate or the hazelnut one, but the salted caramel is incredible. Not to mention, every time I sample it, I go through two plates because people are just fighting to get one for themselves and about 3 more for their friend's mom's grandfather's dog.

I really don't like the hot chocolate.

Second Cup still makes the best hot chocolate for me!

It looks soo good. My name is Rachael, too, but I spell it different.

Loved the salted caramel hot chocolate !  Very different and delicious.  

I'm looking forward to trying this, but I'm adding another vote to bring back Chantico, even if it's just for a limited time. Perhaps it can become a national holiday like McRib week....

i like the salted carmel signature hot chocolate and i  made it into a frap with the creme base. half and half the liquids to the top line . its  delicisous and the rest of the baristas at my store love it.

While I, too, do miss Chantico and hope that it will come back at some point, I really do like the salted caramel hot chocolate. It was such a rich, pleasant surprise.

I like the new hot chocolate. It's a keeper

Not good.  Just had it yesterday.  

Why not make a real hot chocolate like they do in Italy - - melted chocolate and not a hot coco variety?

Best hot chocolate I have ever had!!! and so sad that the limited time is already over! Canada still has at least 2 to 3 more months of winter to go!!! What will we do to warm ourselves up now!! (non-coffee drinker here speaking). Please bring it back!!!

Any chance you will bring back the salted caramel hot chocolate???

Oh the salted caramel hot Chocolate sound yummy....my husband would love that. But what I want to come back in the chantico Chocolate drink. I used to buy a 16oz cup everyday and I would not care about how much I had to pay for it. I sometimes even would have two in one day. It was like something made from heaven.I feel that  the gods came down and gave this just to starbucks.

If Starbucks deiced to bring back anything PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, BRING BACK  CHANTICO! Ok I will stop yelling.  Anyone out there think that is a good idea? :)

Chantico was the best hot chocolate ever! Please bring it back!

Please, please bring back the Signature Hot Chocolate!!

Please, please bring back the Signature Hot Chocolate!!