Macchiato (pronounced mah-kee-ah-to) comes from an Italian word meaning “marked” or “stained” (Wikipedia). Wikipedia continues by saying it usually describes two distinctive drinks:
* Caffe machiato – espresso with a little milk
* Latte machiato – steamed milk with a little expresso
Starbucks is bringing macchiato drinks into their menu from February 23 to April 18, 2016 and it looks they will be offering both the caffe and latte variants in 3 beverages: 2 hot, 1 cold.
HOT MACCHIATO BEVERAGES
The Chocolate Hazelnut Macchiato has layer upon layer of chocolate and hazelnut flavors are combined with the espresso Starbucks is known for.
Caramel lovers will love this Roasted Caramel Macchiato variant — layers of smooth milk, espresso and very rich caramel flavor.
For the hot beverages, here are the prices: Short (PhP 150), Tall (PhP 160), Grande (PhP 175), Venti (PhP 185).
COLD MACCHIATO
Unlike the hot beverages that have more espresso with a little milk, I see the cold variant having more milk with a shot of espresso (latte macchiato). The frappuccino is made from smooth milk, a caramel drizzle and a shot of espresso. This frappuccino variant costs PhP 150 for tall, PhP 160 for grande, and PhP 170 for the venti.
Here’s something fun too! Vote for your favorite macchiato beverage from Feb. 23 to March 4, 2016 and the winning beverage (one each for Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao) becomes a “Buy One, Take One” offer on March 7, 2016 in all Starbucks stores in the Philippines.
NEW STARBUCKS CARDS
Two new Starbucks card variants are out and they will be available only till April 18, 2016.
In anticipation of Easter Sunday and all the Easter bunny and egg hunting activities for the kids, Starbucks is putting out four (4) Easter egg cards. They come in 4 colors: purple, pink, blue and green and are cut out in the shape of an egg with a punched hole at the bottom for those who want to carry these on keychains. Instead of being swiped when you make a purchase, these cards are bar-coded and scanned at point of purchase.
At the first Starbucks branch I went to on its first day out, February 23, they were all sold out already (ang bilis!). Fortunately, on my way to yoga class, I stopped by another branch and they had all 4 still in stock. I was able to take a picture of the 4 cards while getting my own Easter egg card and two more ordered by my daughter.
These Easter cards are going really fast so you need to get yours ASAP. Each card is available at an initial consumable load amount of PhP 500. (Note: Purchases are limited to one Easter egg card design per customer per day.)
The second variant is one that I knew my girls would want — a Greek mythology-inspired Siren. What makes this design so different is that the Siren is hand-painted using watercolor and shows the change of the seasons.
One of my girls is such a lover of anything ‘sea’ including The Little Mermaid Ariel and dolphins so although I already had my own card, I went out to get two more for them. The Siren card goes for an initial consumable load amount of PhP 300. (Note: The Siren card purchases are limited to 5 per customer per day.)
