Rough Edges on New Smoothie

I have the utmost respect for the creators of Starbucks. Really, I do.

They have single-handedly made it possible for fussy latte lovers like me to get a “single shot, grande, extra hot, light foam” caffe latte virtually anywhere in the well-travelled world.

But I’m sitting here now with two Vivannos (or would that be Vivanni?) on my desk, wondering what the heck were they thinking?

Introduced last week, the “vivanno nourishing blends” (the Buck’s insistence on lower-case letters, not mine) consist, basically, of bananas, milk, ice, and whey and fiber powders. They come in two flavors: Banana Chocolate and Orange Mango Banana. They offer 21 and 16 grams of protein respectively, 6 grams of fiber and about 5 grams of fat in a 270 calorie drink. (Photo from flickr.com.)

And they taste really BORING.

Both drinks are bland. I kept taking more sips wondering when some flavor, any flavor, would hit me. Yes, there’s plenty of banana there. And hints of cocoa in the one, and a slight mango-orange edge in the other. But first, middle, and last impressions are of a frothy blandness, along with a bitter aftertaste and an unpleasant chalkiness that coats the tongue. There’s no kick, no sparkle, no flavor notes to make me say “yum.”

Other blogs, such as SeriousEats, are critical of the thin, runny consistency and the metallic overtones contributed by whey powder. Some “comments” suggest that an optional shot of espresso or a sprinkle of green tea powder salvage the drinks. But, why?  I mean, would you go to Jamba Juice for a shot of espresso?

The Vivanno debuted just after Starbucks announced the closing of 600 stores and the laying off of 12,000 workers in the process.

Call me crazy, but it seems to me that if times are tough, you might just want to perfect the product that brought you to the dance. You might want to keep reminding people that you are customer service (“you want that cappuccino HOW?”), and that you deliver remarkably consistent coffee beverages in Buffalo, Bangkok and Berlin. You might want to focus on pouring coffee into that cup that is recognized everywhere on the planet, instead of cranking out fruity protein drinks that don’t hold a candle to those already established in the marketplace.

I’d like to hear what you think about the new drink? The next Frappuccino…or a flash in the blender?

Comments

[Charlie O]

I haven't tried one of these drinks, but I have heard from one person that they were not great. For a great smoothie I always stick to jamba juice.

As for new starbucks drinks, at 7-11, I tried their new Doubleshot (name?) that is the size of one of those monster drinks. It was actually pretty good. It tastes like coffee but has added ingredients to make it an "energy drink."
Check it out.

[Caron Golden]

Hi Maureen:
As we discussed on The Gourmet Club, I wasn't impressed either. It was like drinking liquified banana bread.

And, my real complaint is that when I went in this morning to get a decaf mocha frap, I was told that Starbucks no longer offers a decaf version. How can this be? There are a lot of us who can't tolerate high octane. Why would they flip off what I assume is a large consumer base?

Focus, Starbucks, Focus!

Caron

[Julie]

I haven't tried one yet but my husband -- who has a sweet tooth -- really liked it and has been dying to buy one for me. Hmmm. Now I am more tempted to try!

[Maureen]

Let us know what you think. FYI I'm hearing that the Orange-Mango gets better ratings that the Chocolate.