We don’t usually say this… but go to Starbucks today. Grit your teeth as an obsequious minimum-wage hipster expects you to know the distinction between cup sizes written in three different languages, all meaning “big”. Resist the temptation to screw your thumbs through said hipster’s eye sockets. Because at least that coffee will be free today.

Yeah, that’s right, free. Starbucks is giving every customer a free coffee today from between 10am and 12pm. And if you don’t work or live near a Starbucks, they will also apparently be driving around A-Team like coffee vans, spilling out occasionally with heroic fanfare to right wrongs and service the tragically decaffeinated.

Every company gets a pass from us here at The Consumerist when what they’re shilling is free. So we’re giving Starbucks a two hour reprieve from criticism today. As for you, oh gentle readers, enjoy your free cup of joe. Hooray for Starbucks! Hooray for Freedonia!

Full Starbucks press babble after the jump.

More than 70 percent of Americans take at least one coffee break per day(1) and tomorrow, Starbucks Coffee Company wants to treat those Americans to a great cup of coffee. Starbucks will host its first-ever National Coffee Break, inviting customers in for a complimentary cup of freshly brewed coffee, on March 15 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. In more than 7,500 stores, partners (employees) will pour tall (12-ounce) cups of coffee for surprised customers and delighted commuters.

“This is what it’s all about: exceptional coffee beans, expertly roasted, perfectly ground, and freshly brewed,” said Jim Alling, president of Starbucks U.S. stores. “We want customers from Seattle to Miami, from Boston to L.A., and all points in between, to visit us tomorrow for a complimentary cup of the best coffee they’ve ever had.”

Customers are invited to visit Starbucks coffee houses tomorrow between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. for a complimentary tall (12-ounce) Starbucks
brewed coffee. The Company estimates it will serve more than 500,000 cups of coffee in its more than 7,500 U.S. stores during the two-hour event. Starbucks partners will take coffee to some who can’t make it, using innovative, mobile-sampling, “Venti Vans” and insulated coffee backpacks. Starbucks Coffee Masters, certified coffee experts, also will be available to introduce customers to coffees from around the world and to offer tips on how to brew great coffee at home.

Assistance on making coffee is needed, according to a recent survey. The findings indicate that half of America’s coffee drinkers (50 percent) brew coffee at home six times a week or more. Of those coffee drinkers, nearly half (46 percent) feel that coffee purchased at a local coffee shop often tastes better than coffee brewed at home(1).

Starbucks offers more than help. The Starbucks Coffee Break ushers in the best time of year for customers across North America to purchase best-in-class brewing equipment and accessories that are specially designed to prepare the best coffee at home. Today is the launch of Starbucks Annual Brewing Sale, which showcases coffee makers, espresso machines and coffee making accessories. Along with popular favorites like the Barista Aroma Grande(TM) 10-cup thermal coffee maker and Barista
burr grinder, the new DeLonghi 10-cup thermal coffee maker and DeLonghi 3400 Magnifica Super Automatic Espresso Machine are on sale today through April 3, 2006, in all U.S. Company-operated stores, and from today through April 10, 2006, in all Canadian Company-operated stores. Customers who purchase brewing equipment will receive an invitation for a complimentary 1/2-lb of coffee to further their coffee exploration.

Exploring the world of coffee can also take place from one’s desktop, as Starbucks launches an innovative website at http://www.whatmakescoffeegood.com. Visitors to the site can follow the journey of the Starbucks coffee bean from farmer to customer and beyond. Audio and video clips from farmers, roasters, tasters and baristas showcase the hands that take care of each cup of coffee — which in turn provide a break for 70 percent of Americans.

Starbucks Corporation is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in the world, with approximately 11,000 retail locations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim. The Company is committed to offering the highest quality coffee and the Starbucks Experience while conducting its business in ways that produce social, environmental and economic benefits for communities in which it does business. In addition to its retail operations, the Company produces and sells bottled Frappuccino
coffee drinks, Starbucks DoubleShot
espresso drink, and a line of superpremium ice creams through its joint venture partnerships. The Company’s brand portfolio provides a wide variety of consumer products — innovative superpremium Tazo
teas and exceptional compact discs from Starbucks Hear Music(TM) enhance the Starbucks Experience through best-of-class products. The Seattle’s Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia coffee brands enable Starbucks to appeal to a broader consumer base by offering an alternative variety of coffee flavor profiles.

(1) StrategyOne conducted a nationwide telephone omnibus study of 699 adult coffee drinkers 18 years and older regarding their motivators, preferences and behaviors relating to coffee consumption in the home and away from home. The interviews were conducted via telephone from February 23, 2006 – February 28, 2006 utilizing the field services of ORC (Opinion Research Corporation). A Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) facility and Random Digit Dialing (RDD) technology were used. The data were analyzed by StrategyOne. The margin of error for the total sample of coffee drinkers (699) is +/-3.7% at the 95% level of confidence, which means that in 95 out of 100 times that a sample of this size is drawn, the results would not vary by more than 3.7 percentage points in either direction.7

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