Starbucks Is Changing Its Ice, the Way It Makes Iced Drinks

Starbucks fans were up in arms earlier this month when the company announced that it would be charging an extra dollar for certain iced drinks that were asked to be made with “no water,” but now it looks like loyal customers have another bone to pick with the coffee chain.

A Reddit user, who claims to work at Starbucks, is going viral this week after posting a photo of ice cubes that are much smaller and cylindrical in shape than the standard square ones used by the coffee chain. Dubbed “nugget ice,” the poster says their workplace is one of three locations testing the new ice.

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.
by u/Cupcake_Great in starbucks

The photo drew mixed results from Reddit users, with many raising concerns about how quickly the new ice would melt.

“I worry that they will melt too fast in iced espresso drinks,” one user pointed out.

“I love this kind of ice but wouldn’t want it for coffee, especially espresso bevs,” another said. “It seems to melt faster.”

Another Starbucks employee on Reddit who claims to work at an Incubation store — where ideas from corporate are initially tested — said the location they work at has had the new ice cubes since last summer.

“Your light ice will need to be extra light. Think the gentlest tap of ice and it’ll probably be okay,” the barista advised fellow employees on how to best manage using the new ice. “All of your shaken espressos will need to be shaken even more vigorously, otherwise there won’t be foam to speak of. It’s okay for shaking teas and refreshers though.”

Though Starbucks did not formally announce the new ice, the company confirmed in a statement to Today that the rumors were indeed true.

“As we continue to innovate and make investments in the Starbucks Experience for our partners (baristas) and customers, we are introducing new machines that make nugget ice to select stores this year,” a representative for the company told the outlet. “Like many of our recent investments, this machine allows partners to focus on delivering the Starbucks Experience while hand-crafting the same delicious, high-quality iced beverages our customers have come to expect from Starbucks.”

Starbucks is coming off of a strong Q2 2023, with total revenue coming in at $908.3 million, up from $674.5 million at the same time in 2022.

The coffee chain was up an impressive 46.75% year over year as of Friday afternoon.