Starbucks Cuts The Cheese

Starbucks announced that they will be replacing their breakfast sandwiches with new sandwiches made with a different cheese. The move was made because the old cheese was said to have overpowered the desired coffee aroma in Starbucks establishments.

In a related move, the state of Wisconsin is removing all Starbucks from within its borders.

Starbucks to introduce new breakfast sandwiches[Yahoo Business]

As always, we at The 360 try to keep you up to date of all the goings on at Starbucks.

Starbucks Is Giving Away Free Coffee

Starbucks has been all over the headlines recently. First....they announced a new premium brewing device called The Clover, that will brew you one cup at a time. Then, they debuted a new healthy breakfast menu. And...now more news from the coffee giant. In the month of September, Starbucks is giving away free Tall coffees to K-12 teachers every Monday.

I love the idea of giving away free cups of coffee. If I owned a coffee shop, I'd be handing out cups of coffee left and right. How much do they cost Starbucks? 10 cents/cup? When anything is free, it catches consumers' attention but they are wary of a scheme. (You're offering me a free trip to the Bahamas, but what do I have to do to get it?) When coffee is free, it catches consumers attention and they believe it. But I ask you King Starbucks, why teachers?

Don't get me wrong....I love teachers. But, couldn't you be a little bit more creative with your promotions? Once upon a time, Starbucks was a trendy place to go for coffee and conversation. You do own a record label, don't you? How about free coffee days for Miles Davis fans, Beck fans, Norah Jones fans, etc.? Prove it with your iPod.

If you were Starbucks, to whom would you offer a free cup?

Starbucks Ideas in Action

Starbucks Is Seeing Double

On the heels of its announcement of a new brewing system, Starbucks is rolling out a healthier breakfast menu. The menu focuses on 'portability and beverage pairings.' A high end steakhouse pairs a porterhouse with a Merlot. Starbucks is pairing oatmeal with a vanilla latte.

As for the greasy breakfast sandwiches that Howard Schultz claimed would be discontinued, they are still in my local stores. I hear they will be completely fazed out by year's end, which is a disappointment to me. When I'm looking for coffee and breakfast on-the-go, the Starbucks breakfast sandwiches tip the scale for me when I'm choosing between Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's and Starbucks.

I wonder how 'portable' its new breakfast options will really be. I've never eaten hot oatmeal while driving. It might be tough to hold a spoon and my iPhone in the same hand.

Starbucks' 'Billion-Dollar' Plan Starts With Breakfast [AdAge]

Starbucks is Changing the World, One Cup at a Time

Starbucks announced they are test marketing a new premium coffee, brewed using a machine that cranks out one cup at a time. The machine, known as "The Clover," enables baristas to select a specific time and temperature based on the characteristics of the coffee bean being brewed. The process is designed to extract the most possible flavor from the beans.

According to David Latourell of Starbucks,

"Vacuum-press technology pulls the coffee through a 70-micron filter in which every hole is like a hair's breadth."

Sounds delicious...I love when "hair" is used when describing beverages.



Starbucks is feeling the heat from competitors, with quality coffee now readily available at McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts, and your local convenience stores. Their response seems to be...you think you can make premium coffee? Well...we're going to make super premium coffee.

Will Dunkin' Donuts retaliate with wicked premium coffee? Come on now...we're not selling razor blades here. This is not the Gillette-Schick battle to see how many blades they can fit onto a handle.

I question whether the average consumers' palate will really be able to discern the difference in quality with this magical Clover machine. Even if the coffee is noticeably better, will you be willing to pay more and wait longer? Prices are expected to be about 40% higher for Clover-brewed coffees, and they will take about a minute to brew (not exactly well suited for the morning commute crowd).

The Clover debuts at select locations in Boston, Seattle, and San Francisco in early September. The timing isn't exactly ideal with Americans trying to save pennies here and there to pay their mortgages and fuel their cars.

But what do I know? Maybe The Clover will blow your mind. Let me know how it tastes. I'll be sipping a cup of Dunkin' Donuts and beating the traffic while you wait in line.