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The Frappula Is NOT Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah

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Starbucks Frappuccino creation for Halloween 2015, the Frappula, is anything but blah, blah, blah, blah. It definitely is interesting looking with the raspberry syrup mimicking blood. And it’s even cooler watching the blood trickle down the sides of the cup, slowly infusing with the white chocolate Frappuccino mix.

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The base of the drink is pumps of mocha sauce which when mixed, pretty much destroys the visual appeal of the Frappula. But you kinda want that mocha and raspberry combination in this drink, meaning you gotta mix the drink for the best flavor. You can’t just suck up the mocha sauce because that’s just too overpowering. The white chocolate Frappuccino is creme based, so there’s no caffeine. Mixed together, the flavors blend nicely, and the Frappula is not too sweet either. I was expecting uber sweet, but I’ve had sweeter drinks from Starbucks before. Don’t be fooled, this drink is loaded with fat but is a fun changeup for the rest of October.

The Vampire Frappuccino looks interesting as well but oddly is available only in Europe and Latin America.

Here are more pictures of the Frappula as the different layers are gradually mixed together.

From Franken Frappuccino to Frappula

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Although I’m not a Frappuccino fan by any means, the seasonal specialities suck me in. Last Halloween, it was the green-ish Franken Frappuccino. In 2015, Starbucks is featuring Dracula in the “Frappula.”

Image from starbucksmelody.com
Image from starbucksmelody.com

The Frappula has mocha sauce, white mocha Frappuccino, whipped cream, and “bloody” raspberry syrup. Go find the Frappula starting on Wednesday, October 28, 2015 until Halloween. I wonder if it’ll appear on the Mobile Order menu?

Starbucks Ala Moana Now Tolerable with Mobile Order

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Wow, what a profound effect the new Starbucks Mobile Order & Pay has, especially while cruising at Ala Moana. Gone are the days of waiting in the long lines at Starbucks.

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Right after finding parking, you can mobile order and pay for your drink and pick it up, bypassing those infuriating lines. It’s so simple! Now I have to decide if getting a free refill is worth the wait in line…

Siri and Starbucks Mobile Order & Pay

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sbux-recent-ordersThis combination has to be in the works and watch out when it surfaces. The Starbucks Mobile Order & Pay app works great. You place your order via the mobile app and pick up your drink in a few minutes. The most difficult aspect is actually placing your order on the mobile app while driving. Easy if there’s a passenger, not so much if your the sole vehicle occupant. If you’re re-ordering a previous drink, it’ll be on the Previous Order menu, making it a little easier.

But if you wanted to place a new order, you have to browse for the drink or search for it. Either requires tapping on your device. Instead of this dangerous distraction, why not just tell Siri what you want and let he/she/it order it for you? Okay, so you probabably have to acknowledge the order either with a tap of approval or perhaps a Touch ID “unlock” but just imagine the ease and convenience!

And of course, Siri would get trained from your commonly ordered drinks and better understand your verbal order. Or perhaps the app could simply assign numbers to your “quick order” list so all you need to say is, “Hey Siri, order a number 3.”

I can definitely see this happening, and I can’t wait.

Six Minutes. Today’s Starbucks Mobile Order

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My first experience with Starbucks Mobile Order & Pay resulted in a minute-long visit to Starbucks. Today’s experience showed the inconsistency of this experience. Six minutes. That was my time in and out of the same Starbucks.

I placed my order before filling up gas at Sam’s Club. The app said 3-7 minute wait with a one-minute drive. After filling up, I drove around to the Starbucks parking. I went straight to the pickup area, thanking that I could bypass this line.

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But at the pickup area were others waiting for their pickup, either mobile ordering or in-store ordering. There was also one patron whose drink supposedly got lost and getting the re-order was tough with language problems. Frappuccino or cappuccino? Even I could tell what she was saying. So as that was being sorted out, the clock kept on ticking. The baristas were shuttling back and forth getting food and drinks ready as I waited and watched.

Then my drink (a grande Cold Brew) was called. Sadly, it was sitting in the back of the pickup area all this time. It was on a tray with other drinks so I thought it was part of a bigger order. But nope, I was waiting while my drink was waiting. The store was busy this morning, and that’s something the Mobile Order and Pay can’t account for. Busy workers are busy and can’t be expected to track everything perfectly. So anyways, my drink was ready in the stated timeframe, but I didn’t receive it until six minutes after walking in.

Fastest Visit to Starbucks. Ever.

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sbux-mobile-pay1Ever. Did you hear me? Ever. I walked in. I was handed my my drink. I walked out. I didn’t clock my time, but it must have been less than a minute. When’s the last time you ever bought something in Starbucks and was done with your entire transaction in less than 60 seconds?

sbux-mobile-pay2Thanks to the nationwide launch of Starbucks Mobile Order and Pay service, this experience is now possible for all mobile app users. Using the expanded Starbucks mobile app, you make your order, customize the heck out of it (if wanted), and finally place and pay for your order at a nearby location. The app approximates your driving time (based on your location) and also estimates your drink creation time. When you get there, you walk straight to the pickup area and claim your drink. Even better if the workers recognize you and can pull your drink from the other mobile orders awaiting pickup.

As far as I know, you can’t order ahead and set a specific pickup time. When your order is placed, it’ll be made and be available at the pickup area in the next few minutes. Also, I don’t think there’s a notification informing you when your drink is ready. I guess there’s no point since you’re supposedly on your way.

Now, will this mobile ordering method lessen the overall Starbucks experience? Maybe, since you no longer have the chance of interacting with the workers. But then again, you’ve been to a Starbucks with a line 8 to 10 deep and reconsidered. Waiting behind the customer making a mass order for the workplace is never fun. Never. Especially when that person is paying individually to rack up the Bonus Stars. With this app (and some preplanning), you can avoid these queues and get your caffeine fix.

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Starbucks Cookie Straws for Free!

Did you manage to get an entire tin of the Starbucks Frappuccino Cookie Straws for free? That’s 28 straws normally priced at $9.95 all for “free” by redeeming one of your Starbucks Rewards. Yup, normally used for drinks or food items, you can trade in a star reward for an entire set of cookie straws. Why would you want 28 of these? Give a straw to coworkers or gift the entire tin to someone for fun.

After completing a recent Starbucks Dash, I had accumulated three Rewards, and three free cookie tins later…

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Starbucks Treat Receipts Are More Discrete and Less Discreet

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The Treat Receipts are now back at Starbucks where a morning purchase unlocks any iced grande drink for $2.50 in the afternoon. But there’s a change to the actual Treat Receipt that makes them simultaneously more discrete and less discreet.

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The new Treat Receipts are now their own separate paper receipts. When you make your Starbucks purchase, you’ll get your regular receipt along with a discrete Treat Receipt. This discreteness comes in handy so you don’t accidentally toss your receipt that previously doubled as a Treat Receipt. So this additional printed receipt makes the Treat Receipt less discreet, calling for your attention.

What Does Origami from Starbucks Look Like?

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Of course origami from Starbucks is not going to be your typical folding paper. Instead, origami from Starbucks looks like this.

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Starbucks Origami is a personal drip, single serve coffee in a foldout packet. Assemble the packet above a cup, pour in hot water, and get fresh brewed coffee. Convenient, fast, easy cleanup, kinda fun, but just average tasting for me anyways. The Veranda light roast is a little too light, and I should have used hotter water. One Origami packet filled half the pictured mug. Still though, this setup feels more authentic than using instant coffee crystals.

I picked these up in Hong Kong, but they were originally released in Japan back in 2010. I haven’t seen Starbucks Origami in any American stores, and I don’t think I will with the availability of Starbucks VIA Instant.

More pictures of the Starbucks Origami.

Starbucks Origami

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