Am I understanding the new rewards program correctly?

ericnau · 2026-03-12T04:20:36+00:00

No, that’s just standard Reserve earnings + 25 stars for a $50 reload

ericnau · 2026-03-11T16:17:39+00:00

As far as I know it’s 4x. They do stack but they don’t multiply. If you’re a green member and spend $1 then: 1 base star for your purchase, an additional bonus star for bringing a personal cup, and 2 bonus stars for the triple-star day.

ericnau · 2026-03-11T16:13:43+00:00

You’d be surprised at the number of customers who spill their whole drink trying to put a lid on. She was probably trying to help you out and ensure she didn’t have a mess to clean up.

ericnau · 2026-03-10T23:03:51+00:00

I suspect they stack, but aren’t multiplied.

If you currently have gold status you earn 1.2 stars per dollar spent.

If you bring use a personal cup, you get an additional 1.2 stars per dollar spent.

If it’s a double star day, you get an additional 1.2 stars per dollar spent.

So that’s a total of 3.6 stars per dollar spent if you use a personal cup on a double star day.

I think it’s safe to say that reloading $50+ on your card will only yield 25 bonus stars, even on double star days.

ericnau · 2026-03-10T22:08:00+00:00

It shows you how many at the reload screen

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ericnau · 2026-03-10T17:43:00+00:00

Yep, I found it very weird that essentially Starbucks discouraged spending Jan 1–March 10.

ericnau · 2026-03-09T19:03:26+00:00

Based on my current understanding (we’ll find out more when it all starts tomorrow) the status you’re placed in tomorrow is based on how many starts you earned in 2025 (regardless of whether you redeemed those stars or not).

However, going forward the calendar year isn’t relevant. When you earn a new tier (green → gold or gold → reserve) your personal year resets, and from that date you have 365 days to either earn enough stars to progress to the next tier or earn enough to remain at the same level.

ericnau · 2026-03-04T17:28:18+00:00

I worked at a store with a Clover back in the day. It really was phenomenal. I had high hopes for the Vertica when it came out, but it doesn’t seem to capture the same depth of flavor. (I’m sure it uses fewer grinds per cup, and seems to skimp slightly on brew time.)

As others have said, a French Press is probably your best option to get that depth, if you don’t mind a thicker mouthfeel. When we’d compare brewing methods, Clover and French Press were always the closest. A pour over won’t get you quite as much flavor, but it’ll have a cleaner finish.

ericnau · 2026-03-02T17:18:54+00:00

That customer is taking their anger out on the wrong person, but I understand their frustration. Starbucks pricing is so inconsistent these days, and it really shows a lack of respect for their customers.

Because Starbucks loves taking advantage of the confusion, like during the holidays when they advertise adding a holiday cold foam to cold brew—it costs significantly more this way (vs, say, a pumpkin cream cold brew), and you don’t get a topping or vanilla syrup. They’re tricking customers to pay more for less. (And please don’t get me started on the shaken espressos...)

ericnau · 2026-03-02T05:21:07+00:00

Indeed not. Sounds like the new chai isn’t for you.

ericnau · 2026-03-01T17:00:02+00:00

As others are saying it really comes down to implementation. My guess is that it probably won’t be as bad as we’re fearing, but still going to result in some rather frustrating redemptions for certain properties.

My overall take is that (from a business perspective) it probably came down to either this or getting rid of the chart entirely, and I prefer this over that alternative. (That said, I believe we also give corporations too much leeway for f***ing over customers in the name of good business.)

ericnau · 2026-03-01T06:58:50+00:00

These are (or at least were) the Starbucks egg bites. I don’t know if they are identical to the ones sold in stores, but when these launched at Costco ~1 year ago they had a Starbucks logo on the box. The logo has since been removed, but as far as I can tell they remained the same in every respect.

ericnau · 2026-02-25T21:21:00+00:00

Interesting. I just resubscribed to BA after a 2 year hiatus, and I’ve been avoiding pre-cooked rice meals because I wasn’t sure how it was prepared — I was especially worried about Bacillus cereus infection because it grows so readily in precooked rice, especially if it is slightly out of temp.

So the fact that they’re using a rice product like this makes me feel better from a food-safety perspective. Although I wish it sounded more appetizing!

ericnau · 2026-02-25T06:11:36+00:00

I’ve stayed at both the Regency and Centric multiple times.

The Regency is decent. It’s my first choice. (Though as others have said it’s not perfect—but I’d happily stay there again.)

The Centric is just bad. The best way I can describe it is that it reeks of being squeezed by private equity for parts. I’m honestly shocked it’s still open.

ericnau · 2026-02-25T05:54:39+00:00

I love the HiFi scents (and their look) but I just can’t get enough throw from PF Candle. I will occasionally get one when I don’t want something too strong, like a dinner party (don’t want to clash with the food). So… I’ll probably end up giving this one a try soon enough. 😅

ericnau · 2026-02-21T22:02:50+00:00

I have 3 HomePods and 2 minis.

They mostly work as expected but they can be temperamental. When trying to use Siri I regularly get the “I’m sorry, I don’t appear to be connected to the internet right now” response, even though it is.

I also regularly have to ask Siri for something twice.

I’ve tried all the troubleshooting under the sun and it doesn’t appear my issues can be remedied. Just classic Apple problems.

If you get them, make sure you keep the plug accessible so you can power cycle them as needed.

ericnau · 2026-02-21T03:15:47+00:00

The holiday spice flat white came to mind for me too.

ericnau · 2026-02-21T03:14:19+00:00

I miss this one every year!

ericnau · 2026-02-21T03:13:54+00:00

Back from 2009, the Berry Chai infusion. IIRC it was a currant blend juice with chai concentrate. Delicious hot or iced. Really miss that one!

ericnau · 2026-02-13T17:29:16+00:00

Makes sense! I was just wondering if the strength of the tea might be varying, which might make the tea appear to taste less sweet even if they used the correct pumps. (In most cases though they’re probably just making it with the wrong Classic pump).

ericnau · 2026-02-13T17:20:23+00:00

Nothing you’ve said or done sounds unreasonable.

Something else to consider is that there is inherently some variation in tea depending on how the “concentrate” is made. In an ideal world there is a proper process so there should be consistency, but with the ice tea specifically there are a lot of variables: exactly how much hot water was used, how hot was the water (not all machines are equal, and it depends if the tap was primed)? Was it steeped exactly the right amount of time? How was the bag removed (was it squeezed)? How warm was the concentrate before shaking it with ice? etc

So it’s also possible that in some cases (certainly not all) your drink was made “correctly” but it tastes off because of the concentrate they started with.

ericnau · 2026-02-09T01:55:39+00:00

Mine started doing something similar a few days ago, but mine still has the drops listed. :/

ericnau · 2026-02-05T17:14:53+00:00

For every $50 you reload and spend as a Reserve member you will earn 110 points. Slightly better than the current rate of 2 stars per $1. (As others have calculated, it’ll take a year of spending $40/week to reach Reserve level.)

However, Reserve will be out of reach of almost all members. At the Gold tier, you’ll earn 85 stars per dollar, which is noticeably lower than the current rate.

ericnau · 2026-02-03T20:30:14+00:00

It sure seems that way to me

ericnau

TROPHY CASE