This cup, this, venti, black iced tea with 3 pumps of sugar*, is the beginning of a new era for Starbucks.  The barrista who served me referred to it as a move towards “mass production”.

Out with the quaint hand scrawled “Bk 3p CS” and in with the block  type,

Blah.  The  barrista said the new system isn’t as personal as the old one and I agree.  Occasionally, I’ll take the kids for a treat.  The staff knows us and they would frequently add a 🙂 to my daughter’s KHC (Kid’s hot chocolate, smaller, not as hot). It was easy to do because the sharpie was already in hand, but that little extra touch was always noted and appreciated.

I’m sorry to see the scribbles go.  I suspect, it all has to do with efficiency but, given a choice, I’ll take the personal touch over efficiency any day.

*FWIW, 3 pumps is HALF the standard amount of sugar.