Eater has learned that at least one Starbucks in lower Manhattan is brewing the Starbucks brand Espresso Roast instead of their Café Estima Blend™, the latter of which is being advertised as the coffee of the week. Here is the report an operative filed this morning:
Strange thing happened to me a few minutes ago at a Lower Manhattan Starbucks. I ordered a tall "Estima", one of the two coffees on the sign as being brewed today, and a suspiciously made-up-sounding word. The barista leaned over and said "just so you know, it's not actually Estima. We've been asking them to send us some for days but they won't send us any and they won't let us change the sign, so we're brewing espresso instead. We're not supposed to be telling people."The bait-and-switch aside, a larger issue for some will be that the Estima Blend is Fair Trade Certified™ while the Espresso Blend is not. (And here we are, right smack in the middle of Fair Trade Month.) Starbucks officials have been contacted for comment and we are awaiting their response. Oh, the humanity, indeed.
· Estima Blend [Starbucks.com]
· Starbucks Fair Trade Fact Sheet [Starbucks.com; .pdf]
UPDATE: Starbucks responds:
"Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Café Estima Blend. We are currently looking into the matter and can confirm that Café Estima Blend, Starbucks Blend of Fair Trade Coffee, is being sold in all our stores throughout the New York Metro area and featured as the brewed coffee of the week.All but one, it would seem.Best regards,
Dan Lewis, New York Metro Regional Spokesperson