Just in case you’re not getting enough energy from Starbucks’ actual coffee or espresso drink, the company has a new offering in the pipeline to give customers the jolt they crave. In April, the omnipresent chain will introduce Refreshers at retail locations nationwide, as well as convenience and grocery stores.
USA Today reports on the announcement, made at the company’s annual meeting in Seattle. The drinks will be “natural,” made from unroasted, green coffee extract, but will have a fruity, non-coffee taste. They’ll run around 60 calories per $1.99 can, with about two-thirds the amount of caffeine of an espresso and one-third of an eight-ounce cup of coffee.
“Starbucks is firing on all cylinders,” CEO Howard Schultz told 2,000 shareholders (pyew, pyew, pyew!). “We are now creating lots of Starbucks products to live outside of our stores.”
The energy drink industry is a lucrative one, with around $8 billion in business, and Starbucks is optimistic they’ll get a nice lille chunk of that. Executives predict sales from these drinks will one day match those from their retail sales. They’re all about expanding lately, announcing earlier this week the opening of their first Evolution Fresh juice bars, with plans for more next year.
Starbucks to jolt consumers with Refreshers energy drink [USA Today]
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Me: “I would much prefer the original Jolt Cola.”
Starbucks: “But, These go to 11.”
Still waiting for Bonk! Atomic Punch to become more available.
Nigel Tufnel: Well, it’s one louder, isn’t it? It’s not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You’re on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you’re on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there?
Trivia:
Spinal Tap was loosely based on Savoy Brown / Foghat.
Cat: A veritable compost heap of useless Rock trivia.
That is some seriously obscure info. But fascinating!
With only 2/3 the caffeine of espresso and 1/3 that of coffee they’re turning the dial more to about 6, probably closer to 4 and a half with these energy drinks.
+1
Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking. Why would you make an energy drink that doesn’t even have as much caffeine as your normal coffee and espresso offerings?
So it has the same amount of caffeine as a can of coke?
and Coke is an “EXTREME RUSH OF ENERGY”
I think it’s weird that Starbucks is making a big deal out of an April launch for these beverages when I bought four of them off a prominent endcap in a Target here in SE Michigan two weeks ago. We’re not exactly known for being on the cutting edge of stuff like this.
So SE Michigan is not the nation’s trendstarter? You mean I’ve been subscribing to the Port Huron Times Herald for nothing?
How much more burnt could this be? The answer is none. None more burnt.
On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most burnt would you give it an 11?
Given an espresso drink at starbucks costs $8, then it seems they’re keeping the same dollar-to-caffeine-intake ratio intact.
Hyperbole? An espresso drink definitely doesn’t cost that much. /sips espresso drink
If they could hike up the caffeine to that of a RedBull, they would have a market with me.
(Provided the flavor is palatable. …and I LIKE RedBull too. I just like $1.99 better.)
They’re pretty good and while they’re not going to amp you up like crazy, it’s enough to wake me up. I liked the strawberry lemonade one the best. They taste kind of like a less sweet fruity soda, kind of like Izzes. And no, there’s no coffee flavor at all.
You will get more energy for more of the day by having their iced coffee and their oatmeal for breakfast.
Energy drinks make me sad. Most of the people I see drinking them, do so because they are overworked. Long hours at work, due to the economy: people getting laid off, and others picking up the tab, for no extra $. So, due to being drained from work stress, we turn to paying $2-$3 drinks to “pick us up”. So…we pay more $ out of our pocket in order to work harder for no extra pay.
Wait, and that’s bad for our corporate overlords how?