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Starbucks
Discontinued: 2017
For five short days in April 2017, this color-changing frappuccino became a worldwide cultural phenomenon. The electric-blue and pink concoction changed from sweet to sour with each sip. It was created to go viral at the height of the Instagram era. Baristas still wince, recalling the endless lines of selfie customers seeking the perfect shot for their Insta profile.
Discontinued: 2022
Though its hot latte counterpart hits the coffee shop every fall without fail, the blended version quietly vanished from standard menus amid Starbucks’ strategic pivot toward hot seasonal offerings.
Discontinued: 2020
Marshmallow-infused whipped cream layered with milk chocolate sauce and graham cracker crumble created the perfect drinkable campfire that perfectly captured millennial nostalgia. Its sudden disappearance triggered a social media meltdown that lasted for weeks.
Discontinued: 2019
This holiday-themed latte—with its perfectly balanced notes of ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg—became a victim of menu streamlining. Its brief resurrection in 2023 operated as a masterclass in leveraging nostalgia for temporary sales bumps without committing to bringing it back permanently.
Discontinued: 2006
Marketed as a “drinkable dessert,” this chocolate drink was served in diminutive 6-ounce cups that confused American consumers accustomed to supersized offerings. Its swift failure was due to Starbucks’ early struggle to translate European coffee culture to the broader American market.
Discontinued: 2025
The textured mouthfeel of chocolate chips blended with coffee created a sensation that other competitors couldn’t replicate. This frappuccino was eliminated during the Niccol-era menu purge, which sparked particular outrage among Generation Z consumers, who viewed it as an affordable luxury during economic uncertainty. The corporate explanation—“streamlining operational complexity”—failed to address the emotional connection formed over countless study sessions and first dates.
Discontinued: 2021
This Starbucks fall offered balanced salt, caramel, and chocolate in a way that appealed to more mature palates. It was discontinued quietly, without announcing it.
Discontinued: 2017
This spicy, less-sweet chai endorsed by Oprah represented Starbucks’ attempt to merge cause marketing with flavor innovation. Its disappearance was due to the talk show host’s breakup.
Discontinued: 2015
The Dark Barrel Latte was a polarizing experiment with whiskey barrel-aged flavor notes without alcohol. Its failure was due to Starbucks’ limitations in its attempt to capitalize on craft beer enthusiasm. Customer confusion—many expected actual alcohol content—doomed an otherwise interesting flavor experiment.
Discontinued: 2024
Howard Schultz’s final innovation experiment before his third retirement was infusing coffee with olive oil. It created both passionate defenders and haters, and some people reported digestive distress. Under new leadership, it was swiftly discontinued.
Discontinued: 2009
The Tazo Berry Chai Infusion was an early attempt to capitalize on the rising tea market. The Starbucks drink paired chai concentrate with berry flavors, bridging coffee loyalists and potential tea converts. Its quiet retirement coincided with the company’s strategic shift toward more coffee-inspired offerings.
Discontinued: 1995
This carbonated cold coffee drink was developed with PepsiCo. It was launched two decades before cold brew was a standard in American coffee culture. It failed due to bad timing.
Discontinued: 2004
This citrus-infused specialty drink represented Starbucks’ early experimentation beyond pure coffee offerings. Its disappearance coincided with the company’s global expansion.
Discontinued: 2010
Few consumers recognized when Starbucks reformulated its Frappuccino base, but this invisible transformation represented a fundamental shift toward operational efficiency and consistency. The original recipe was less sweet and more coffee-forward. It remains a favorite for long-term Starbucks diehards.
Discontinued: 2008
This Italian-inspired frozen beverage barely survived a summer despite significant investment in specialized equipment. Its labor-intensive preparation proved impractical in high-volume stores, revealing the fundamental tension between artisanal aspirations and the operational realities of serving 70 million customers weekly in a quick-service environment.
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