Starbucks

A few weeks ago, I posted my reviews of all of the assorted drinks, baked goods, and candies that I have tried from Peet's.  It seems only fitting that I should do the same for Starbucks, although honestly, I don't go very often, so I don't have a whole lot to say here.

Cold Drinks

Cool lime refresher, Very berry hibiscus refresher.

These are Starbuck's newest products.  They are meant to be refreshing and energizing, due to their use of green coffee extract, which is apparently made from unroasted coffee beans.  I'm not really sure how the caffeine content compares to other things, but I didn't really notice anything from it.

The cool lime version was really watery, and didn't have much flavor.  It did have a full slice of lime floating in it, making it seem almost juice-like.  It was light and fairly refreshing, but I didn't care for it.

The very berry hibiscus version was much better.  It had a strong blackberry flavor, and was clearly made with fresh, real berries, as there were chunks and seeds floating all over in it.  I can't say I enjoyed getting the blackberry seeds stuck between my teeth, but it was nice to know there was real fruit in there.

Both were interesting to try, and were given out free as part of a promotion to market the new product line, so I enjoyed trying them, but I wouldn't buy one.

Coffee

I've tried a few of their different coffees, and never been impressed.  My tasting notes are pretty minimal, as I didn't find any of them worth trying again.

• Holiday Blend: bitter, not good.
• Blonde: way too light, no flavor whatsoever.
• Pike’s Place Roast: ok, but nothing special at all, no complexity.
• Bold: best I’ve had, but still not complex.
• Decaf: horrible

Baked Goods

• Holiday Gingerbread Cake: "Ginger spice cake topped with sweet cream cheese icing and candied orange peel."  Tasting notes: Surprisingly good.  Nicely spiced, moist.  Icing wasn’t all that cream cheesy, but pretty good overall.