Memoirs of Beijing

It’s summer sizzling hot in Beijing.  It’s suffocating outside that going to a bar is like going to a sauna.  For the second half of the summer, Starbucks theme is “Step into your oasis”.  This would be great as you really need to cool down with the weather outside.  So what’s new for Starbucks?

Beverage

I’m so glad that they got rid of the Black Sesame theme and introduced three new cold tea drinks and frappuccino.  The first cold tea drink is the Black Currant and Raspberry Juiced Tea.  I haven’t tried this one yet but I would imagine it would taste more berry.  The next tea drink is the Hibiscus Mango Juiced Tea.  It has a flowery mango taste and the mango doesn’t taste like Chinese mango flavor.  Price: Tall for RMB 20, Grande for RMB 23 and Venti for RMB 26

The Coffee Jelly Frappuccino Blended Coffee is back.  I’m not sure if the black jelly is the Chinese “Gui Lin Gao” but if it is then it’s good for you to have it in the summer months.  Price:  Tall for RMB 30, Grande for RMB 33 and Venti for RMB 36

Read the rest of this entry »

Winter weather is finally out and Spring was cut short.  Summer is now in the wind but it’s still relatively cool.  If you’re planning to visit Beijing, do it now as weather in July and August is unbearable.  In any case, the summer theme of Starbucks is “Black is Chill This Summer”

Promotions

From April 27 to June 27, every purchase of the Black is Chill merchandise or food product will entitle you a sticker.  Collect 12 stickers to form a picture of the new summer drink and get a free Starbucks summer cloth bag.  The stickers they will give you may be the same as your previous one so better befriend your local barista and they might give you the missing sticker you still need. 

Collect 6 stickers and they will give you one free Black Sesame Green Tea Frappuccino Blended Cream drink. 

Read the rest of this entry »

My sisters came to visit me in Beijing but since they took the budget flight to Shanghai, I had to pick them up there.  As usual, I have to stop by a Starbucks shop to purchase for my favorite collectors.  There are several Starbucks in Shanghai notably in famous tourist spots like Xintiandi, Yuyuan and Nanjing Road.  They still don’t have a store at the new Terminal 2 airport of Shanghai Pudong.

Unlike Beijing tumblers, Shanghai have box sets perfect for gifts.  I was lucky enough to purchase a Shanghai box set and a Zhejiang box set.  Each box set costs RMB 388 (Ouch!).   What I like about it is, some of the tumbler designs are transparent and can only be purchased in a set.  The Shanghai box set is composed of Shanghai, Xintiandi and Yuyuan.  The Zhejiang box set is composed of Ningbo, Shaoxing and Hangzhou.  Check out the pictures of these sets.

Read the rest of this entry »

Chinese New Year is just around the corner and what better way to give gifts to your loved ones is to buy Starbucks merchandise.   The coming Chinese New Year is the Year of the Ox.  Merchandise shaped like an Ox are sprouting up everywhere.  Some of them ridiculously expensive while others are dirt cheap.  Not to be left in the dust with the other shops, Starbucks came out with the Chinese New Year merchandise.

Some of them are the coin bank which is shaped like an Ox.  According to my cousin, my aunt have been collecting this coin banks for the past two years already.  She already purchased the latest one which is an Ox.  It seems like Starbucks merchandise collection runs in their family.  Another Ox merchandise is the mug.  It’s quite cute actually though I can’t remember how much it cost.  There’s also a small tumbler with the Ox design which they don’t have on the website.

Read the rest of this entry »