Most people have pretty strong opinions about Starbucks (SBUX).
Some devotees go religiously on their morning commute and are on a first-name basis with their favorite barista. Others dabble for the novel new products, like the newly released cold foam drink, and seasonal favorites like the pumpkin spice latte.
DON'T MISS: Keurig Makes a Move to Take On Starbucks, Dunkin'
Others turn their noses up at the cafe. Some claim its coffee is over-roasted, while others criticize some of its more subtle maneuvers, including a decision to temporarily halt plastic straw usage and remove seating in some locations.
Never one to turn away from a good opportunity to gin up controversy, Starbucks' latest move has riled up its Reddit crowd, a lair for some of its most outspoken and observant customers.
Image source: Starbucks
Starbucks Tests a Special New Product
"New special ice (we are 1 of 3 cafe stores testing the new ice). What do you guys think? It looks like the ice at Sonic," a Reddit user posted on the forum r/Starbucks with a photo of a large metal basin filled with opaque cylindrical ice cubes.
The new ice is a foodie favorite among ice connoisseurs. It goes by several names, commonly referred to as "Sonic ice," "crunchy ice," "cubelet ice," "pellet ice," "nugget ice," and "Chick fil-A ice." More specifically, it's just a popular kind of ice used for fountain drinks and teas because it melts quickly and contains air bubbles, allowing a drink to penetrate the ice quicker.
Since Sonic and Chick fil-A have amassed cult followings for their ice, Starbucks seems to think offering the stuff in its cafes might drum up more traffic (or at least, PR).
However, crunchy ice isn't typically used in coffee drinks because it melts too quickly and can water down a drink.
"Normally this ice IS IT!!!! But I worry that they will melt too fast in iced espresso drinks," one reddit user commented on the news.
"Lemme eat it all day. But not in my coffee," another wrote.
Others were more optimistic.
"We use these at The Coffee Bean, and it’s not too bad, just don’t pull directly onto the ice. At my location, we get tons of people who’ll get 2-3 shots topped with milk," a barista at a different cafe commented.
Others were more resourceful.
"Bag it and sell it as snacks," one user said.
Starbucks Has Had Ice Trials Before
The world's largest coffee chain has run into issues with its ice in the past. In 2016 the chain was sued by a Chicago woman for putting much ice in its drinks, which she claimed was deceptive since the drinks didn't contain enough liquid. The case was later tossed by a Federal judge who said no reasonable customer would be deceived by the practice.
A barista on the r/Starbucks reddit forum defended the company's ice policy in 2021.
"Our products are so sweet that the ice balances it out but my main argument is that since the scoops of ice fill the extra space in the cup it actually improves the drink. I used to order light ice espresso drinks but after working here I realized that utilizing the full scoop allows the ice to reach the bottom of the cup so the first sip isn’t a lukewarm espresso-y sip, it’s actually a cold sip of a cold drink where the ingredients have been properly incorporated," baristasgtpepper wrote.
Currently, most Starbucks cafes offer generic ice cubes. You can customize your orders with options like no ice, light ice, ice (the standard issue), or extra ice.
