The Death of Chantico
Starbucks has been a huge success story. I recently read (I think in Fast Company) that the company opens up an average of 5 new locations per day, which is tremendous.
So, how did such a successful company screw up so drastically on Chantico?
Chantico — the rich, indulgent chocolate drink that was introduced about this time last year — ended up being a complete flop. In fact, Starbucks recently decided to discontinue the drink altogether.
So what was the reason for the failure? There are several rumors in circulation, but the two that make the most sense to me are:
1 Astronomical Calorie Count
Indeed, this drink was plugged as the ‘drinkable dessert’ for good reason. It was even decadent compared to their *normally* decadent drinks, which is saying a lot. Basically, Chantico was a liquid heart attack.
2 No Individuality Allowed
The Chantico was a an ‘as-is’ product that came with non-customizable ingredients in a single-size cup. This was totally unlike the rest of the Starbucks menu, which can be personalized to the nth degree.
For those (very, very few) of you sad to see Chantico go, no worries — Starbucks has not given up on chocolate drinks entirely. I’ve read in various places that the company will introduce other (less indulgent) chocolate drinks soon, so stay tuned…
Sources: Is Chocolate Hot?, Chantico and Coffee Don’t Mix?, Hot Beverages: Striking the Health-Indulgence Balance, The (anticipated) demise of Chantico
The History of Irish Coffee
It seems appropriate today to look at the history of Irish coffee, that wonderful, dark, strong drink that is a wonderful hair-of-the-dog hangover cure.
Though San Francisco pubs used to claim they invented Irish coffee, the true story of the drink comes from the airport at Foynes in County Claire, Ireland (near the current Shannon airport).
It seems that people flying in from America had to take a seaplane for the last leg of the journey, and when they got to the airport they would enjoy a warming cup of coffee or tea.
Joseph Sheridan, the head chef at Foynes, decided the travelers might like a little extra fortification and developed the drink that is now known the world over as Irish coffee.
According to Castletown Press, a repository of Irish information, this is the original recipe for Irish coffee:
- Heat a stemmed whiskey goblet.
- Pour in one shot of Irish whiskey.
- Add three sugar cubes.
- Fill with strong black coffee to within one inch of top. Stir gently.
- Top off to the brim with heavy cream slightly aerated.
Important: Do not stir after adding cream, as the true flavor is obtained by drinking the coffee and whiskey through the cream.
They also advise that using fresh cream without preservatives is better than using whipping cream that you commonly find in the stores.
Of course, if you don’t want to go to all that trouble, head out to your local coffeeshop and have them serve you up a great Irish coffee. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
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