Tag Archives: starbucks

Starbucks Japan lets you put a barista apron on customizable tumblers

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Whenever I see the latest Starbucks merch that drops in Japan, I kind of regret not living there so I can get easy access to these cute collectibles. Eventually they become available in various online stores in my country but they’re more expensive of course, even for a semi-collector like me. The Starbucks Japan online store is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and they released a customizable tumbler that you can customize and make look like a cute inanimate barista.

Designer: Starbucks

The My Custom Stainless Steel Bottle Barista is an online store exclusive product that you can customize and order with a possible 343 combinations. When you take a look at the basic tumbler, it just looks like any other regular tumbler but the joy comes in creating one according to your color preference and then dressing it up with other accessories to make it more like you. This is supposedly like how you would customize your drink if you’re that kind of Starbucks drinker.

When you place your order online, you can choose what color your cap, drinking rim, and bottle will be. There are seven color options – black, white, light green, green, pink, blue, and gradated pink-yellow. But the cutest customization here is that you can dress up the tumbler in a barista apron in its iconic green color. The apron is not just decorative but also functional as it can help you hold your drink if it’s too warm or too cold. There’s also a pocket where you can place notes, cards, or the beverage ticket that comes with your online order that lets you enjoy a free refill when you go to your Starbucks.

They also want you to add even more personalized touches to your tumbler like ribbons, patches, pins, and stickers, although they don’t seem to be selling things like that. Maybe they’ll do so eventually, like how Crocs sells things like Jibbitz charms. I’m still hoping someone from Japan will send me one of these cool steel bottles, no matter what the color combinations are.

The post Starbucks Japan lets you put a barista apron on customizable tumblers first appeared on Yanko Design.

Starbucks transforms a traditional ‘hanok’ home into its newest outpost in South Korea

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Starbucks announced the opening of a special new location on October 20th, 2022 in Daegu, South Korea. The beautiful store was created by transforming a traditional Korean-style house known as ‘Hanok’, which has been in existence for more than a hundred years. The exterior and the interior of the home have been designed in a traditional style.

Designer: Starbucks

The entire space is marked by an exposed wooden framework, tiled gabled roof, and ornamental detailing which are placed on top of a brick foundation. A lot of the original features have been preserved and maintained such as the roof, rafters, columns, floors, and beams. The cafe is an interesting and beautiful mix of modern and traditional elements.

Once you enter the cafe, you are completely enthralled by the fact that it accurately mimics a Hanok. The open and spacious interiors have dry gardens incorporated into the floorings, with the rooms opening up into a serene outdoor garden. It occupies around 7000 square feet and can seat about 120 people. Quite a few of the seats have been positioned on the parquet floor of the space, which provides stunning views of the outdoor garden.

The Daegu store will be supplied with music via a Bang & Olufsen sound system which was created especially for this space. In fact, Bang & Olufsen is a partner, and will be celebrating the opening of the store with a series of exciting events!

The post Starbucks transforms a traditional ‘hanok’ home into its newest outpost in South Korea first appeared on Yanko Design.

Samsung and Starbucks collaborated over coffee-cup-shaped Galaxy Buds… and I’m thoroughly confused

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In a year filled with absolute absurdity, Samsung and Starbuckssomehow managed to still top the list.

Words cannot espresso how confused I feel! Samsung and Starbucks just unexpectedly dropped a (metaphorically and perhaps literally too) hot new product – Cappuccino-inspired earphones. The ‘Latte Art Buds Case’ is the result of a Korea-specific collaboration between the two brands, and will be available to enthusiastic Koreans alongside a few other products including a more discreet-looking Galaxy Buds case with just the Starbucks logo, and a few smartphone cases (some with built-in Starbucks receipt-inspired smartphone grips). The showstopper, however, is the ‘Latte Art Buds Case’ – a Starbucks cup-shaped case that opens up to reveal two Galaxy Buds inside. Why this exists, I’ll never know. Why do I want this so bad, I guess that’s an unknown too.

Designers: Samsung and Starbucks

Clearly, the Latte Art Buds Case is meant to be some caffeine-lover’s tabletop swag. There’s no way that entire contraption will fit in your pocket easily, although looping a carabiner through the cup’s handle and securing it to your pant’s belt loop is certainly fathomable. The mini-cup comes in its signature white design, with the Starbucks mermaid logo on the front, and even latte art on the top for added realism… although given its size, just styling it to look like an espresso cup would work much better in my opinion. However, if you want to wear your love for Starbucks on your person instead of having these buds as simply a tabletop accessory, Starbucks and Samsung have a more pocket-friendly branded case with the Starbucks insignia on the front.

The price of this swag is still unannounced, although it will be available exclusively at select Starbucks outlets across South Korea in a limited capacity, so chances are you’ll need a whole latte luck to get your hands on a pair.

The post Samsung and Starbucks collaborated over coffee-cup-shaped Galaxy Buds… and I’m thoroughly confused first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Top 10 Starbucks Cafes that boast innovative architecture + the craft of coffee!

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Everyone loves a cup of Starbucks coffee, at least most of us do! Not only that, but visiting a Starbucks store, having your name misspelled on your cup, and then finally feeling that caffeine kick once you sip on your favorite coffee of choice, is a whole experience by itself as well. I, for one, love visiting new Starbucks coffee shops all the time, because each one has a unique aesthetic and feel to it. From a greenhouse-style Starbucks to a Starbucks cafe built from recycled shipping containers, we’ve curated some innovative and exciting Starbucks store designs that will truly blow you away! These are sure to be added to every coffee lover’s must-visit list!

Food trucks have become quite popular these days! And this Starbucks Truck by Zoi Karagouni seems like a really cool idea to me. Designed as a pop-up store, this compact little truck could be set up anywhere, making Starbucks even more accessible!

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has stacked 29 recycled shipping containers to make a Starbucks coffee shop alongside a shopping center in Hualien, Taiwan. The white containers have been put together to create a 320-square-meter cafe!

A greenhouse-style Starbucks opened up in Western Tokyo last year! The cute cafe displays digital flora throughout the year. Decorated with flower beds, and real plants as such fuchsia, petunia, bellflower, and more, the store is a beautiful floral space.

This four-story, 43,000 square feet cafe in Chicago is extremely impressive…and it is also the largest Starbucks in the world! The large roastery roasts, brews, and packages Starbucks reserve coffees from all over the world!

Liz Muller designed this Starbucks Reserve Roastery in the meatpacking district of New York. The interiors of the store celebrate the craft of coffee, as well as the history and heritage of the meatpacking district.

Starbucks opened its first signing store in Tokyo, Japan! The coffee shop celebrates sign language and the deaf culture through bright artwork and smart designs.

Kengo Kuma designed a beautiful Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Tokyo, Japan. It boasts a lightwood exterior, and a ceiling made up of geometric tiles inspired by the art of origami.

This Starbucks store in Milan, Italy is just exquisite! Located in a historic building in Milan’s Grandiose Piazza Cordusio, the store has been designed with great detail and care, and it truly comes through.

Designed by Thiago Rocha, this Starbucks pop-up store concept could work well for parks and other open public spaces. In a world where space is becoming a premium, pop-up booths like these could really work!

Starbucks has created its first-ever in-store AR experience at its Shanghai roastery. A custom roastery smartphone app will guide customers throughout the store, giving them a tour of the store’s equipment, and also provide them with a digital menu.

Starbucks pauses all social media ads over hate speech concerns

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Starbucks is joining the chorus of major brands withdrawing ads from social networks to highlight complaints about online hate speech. The coffee chain announced it would “pause” ads on all social networking platforms, not just Facebook, while it hel...

Starbucks is selling an Impossible sausage breakfast sandwich in the US

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As of today, you can buy a plant-based breakfast sandwich made with Impossible Foods’ imitation sausage at most Starbucks locations in the US. Given that Starbucks has more than 15,000 US locations and that Impossible Foods also signed a deal with Bu...

Starbucks redesigns their espresso machines to use gravity for a smoother coffee!

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The one thing I have missed the most during quarantine is going to cafes because I have now realized that someone else making coffee for me is a joy I took for granted. Baristas often aren’t respected enough for their craft and maybe it is so because people can’t visually see their process. So Starbucks has redesigned the bulky espresso machine to a slim, sleek tower that uses the bottom-fill method for a smoother espresso and experience!

The Phantom Espresso was born out of a need to make the experience a consumer has with the barista better. You tend to love what you eat or drink more if you have an appreciation for the person making it. The traditionally large espresso machines are obtrusive to the craft and become a barrier between the craftsmen of the beverage and the curious coffee drinkers. By moving the espresso engine below the counter and incorporating bottom fill espresso glasses it enabled the bar to become more open up the bar and let the customers enjoy the brewing process, especially for the seasonal and limited-edition drinks! From the customer POV, it has a tower that supports a cantilevered horizontal bar that holds the espresso glasses. The fluted-vase tower is the bean funnel which leads to the brewing of the coffee. The ends of the bar can be twisted 180 degrees to pour the espresso into the cup and then to be auto-rinsed. The milk steaming happens under the counter but the control dials for foam and temperature are on the top. In front of the tower, the team has placed bean hoppers and sensory bowls invite customers to get closer to the beans, putting quality ingredients before them to see and smell.

The bottom-fill process is unconventional in cafes, especially global chains like Starbucks. But it was chosen for the redesign because it produces a clean, sweet flavor due to gravity keeping bitter particulates suspended in line. The tactile treatments like the knurled bar handles create intuitive touchpoints for the barista and the appearance of the espresso is like magic for the customer. Phantom is easy to clean and the partner-facing angled grille hides the mess from the customer’s view while excess liquids are channeled directly into a sink basin below for drainage. When you see the crema fill up the cup the next time you go into a cafe, be sure to thank your local hero who keeps you caffeinated in these complex times!

Designers: Starbucks Industrial Design, Starbucks Equipment Development, and Thermoplan AG

Starbucks embraces fake meat, starting in Canada

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Next week, when Starbucks rolls out its spring menu in stores across Canada, it will include one notable addition: a breakfast sandwich with Beyond Meat sausage. Starbucks joins a growing list of brands that have added Beyond Meat's plant-based offer...