Starbucks Rumor Is, In Fact, True

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I love the start of Starbucks “red cup” season.  The appearance of those glorious cups marks the beginning of two months of holiday beverages in their stores.

Eggnog Latte

But over the weekend I heard a nasty Starbucks rumor.

I tried to order an Eggnog Chai (which is a Chai Tea Latte made with eggnog instead of milk) because I cannot drink any of the coffee-based drinks.

“I’m sorry, we won’t have eggnog this year”, the associate replied.

What?  I didn’t understand.  I’d been in a Peet’s near this establishment the day before and had already had my first Eggnog Chai of the season.

“Only the Pacific Northwest is getting eggnog this season.”

Tragic.  Surely he misunderstood.  Or maybe it was some strange Northern California thing.

I meandered into my local Starbucks in Texas this morning, determined to put the nasty Starbucks rumor to rest.

I glanced up at the chalkboard of specials.

Gingerbread Latte?  Check.

Peppermint Mocha?  Check.

Caramel Brulee Latte?  Check.

Eggnog Latte?

Eggnog Latte?

Bueller?

It was missing.

I asked the staff?  They were confused too.

One volunteered that he took had heard the Starbucks rumor of “no eggnog”.

I quickly took to the internet where I discovered the following text under the Eggnog Latte beverage:

Our Eggnog Latte brings holiday cheer to fans every year. Rich espresso mingles with perfectly spiced eggnog and milk, and is finished with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Only available in the Pacific Northwest and western and central Canada.

So lucky you if you live in the Pacific Northwest or the western half of Canada.  (Although if you are in Canada, you should be at Tim Hortons where you belong, not overpaying for coffee at Starbucks!)

For the rest of us, that means no Eggnog Latte, no Eggnog Chai, and no Eggnog Frappuccino.  And for those of us who do not drink coffee, it means just the same old boring choices we get the rest of the year.

Granted, this just negated my normal holiday weight gain so I should be probably be saying “thank you”.

But right now I’m feeling like the Grinch stole my red cup.

Bah humbug.

12 Comments

  1. I’m right there with you! The powers that be have lost their minds. Went through the same thing with Coconut syrup (for yummy coco-mocha!) – only there it’s hit & miss on a store-by-store basis. I understand a trial run at limited stores, but why would you limit something you’ve done successfully for years? Sigh…Hey, is that a Peet’s over there??? (Hear that, Sbux? It’s the sound of loyalty shifting…)

    1. I could… but I so rarely drink tea at home (except on a rare weekend where I have no where to be). But I do always splurge on the low fat eggnog – or make my own – every year.

    1. Eggnog chai is delightful. It tastes like all kinds of spicy holiday goodness. Thankfully Starbucks rethought their position and now it will be out November 17 or so.

  2. Boo hiss! I am not sure why they always do their supposed testing in the Northwest…when we were in Portland, I got a cranberry orange scone daily as they rolled out the new bakery items. It was a year before I could get one in Fort Worth. As for eggnog, I am not sure why it is being ‘tested’ since it was previously available everywhere. Dumb.

    1. I felt that way about La Boulange. Some markets got it a year ahead of us. Not that it matters… my wheat allergy had been discovered by the time it arrived here in Texas.

  3. So I stopped by a Sbux inside of Tom Thumb today and asked about the Eggnog, and the manager fellah said, “First they said we weren’t getting it, but then they said we are getting it next week.” Later, I read a similar report from USA Today. Ah, sweet victory! Meanwhile, Mr. Manager Fellah gave me a sneak taste of another new item coming this weekend: Chestnut Praline, and it was yummy!

  4. I lived in London England for a few years and was thrilled when Christmas would come around because there, they offered Eggnog! They would even sell us a carton of the stuff! We couldn’t find it in the dairy department of any of the markets.

    1. If I lived somewhere with no eggnog in the stores, I would have to dig out the family recipe to make your own. When you throw it together you realize WHY eggnog does not have the best nutritional data… but damn, it’s good!!! (I may have to see if I can share that recipe for the holidays… if the family lets me!)

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