Starbucks Adds First New Menu Items Of 2017

Starbucks ended 2016 on a high note with a fancy lineup of Tuxedo beverages. The trio included the Tuxedo Mocha, a Tuxedo Hot Chocolate, and the Tuxedo Frappuccino.

Now the Seattle-based coffee giant is ringing in the new year with two new menu items – Sous Vide Egg Bites and the Cascara Latte.

The company website describes the Egg Bites as “perfectly cooked eggs with wholesome ingredients.”

“People are more conscious of what they are eating,” Eveline Chao-Rivera, Starbucks brand manager said in a press release.

“Many are skipping out on bread and focusing on nutritious protein to fuel their increasingly busy days.”

According to a company press release, the Starbucks food team began the development process for this new breakfast item two years ago, taking cues from current food trends.

“Time and time again, we learned that customers were ordering our breakfast sandwiches without the bread or requesting more vegetarian options,” Chao-Rivera said.

“We knew that we had a very specific need to satisfy.”

Starbucks to launch Sous Vide Egg Bites in January 2017 – wheat-free, low calorie, high protein https://t.co/TRzZAyw12x #SBUXinvestorday pic.twitter.com/ytT264fH6u

— Starbucks News (@StarbucksNews) December 7, 2016

Sous-vide – which means “under vacuum” in French – is a culinary technique Chao-Rivera discovered through Cuisine Solutions where vacuum-sealed food is immersed in water and cooked at a very precise and consistent temperature.

“The Sous-Vide technique is ideal for cooking as it uses water, which is the best transmitter of heat, while also maintaining the integrity of the product being cooked,” Chef Bruno Bertin from Cuisine Solutions said.

“We have a special passion regarding sous-vide cooked eggs as eggs are a very versatile, yet delicate food product, which requires the precision the sous-vide technique provides.”

We Tried Starbucks's New Sous Vide Egg Bites and They Are Delicious https://t.co/oaAhogivWx pic.twitter.com/eqVjLi10nw

— Uma Prasad (@UmaPrasadD) January 5, 2017

Starbucks teamed up with Cuisine Solutions to create the Bites in two flavors: Bacon and Gruyere and Egg White and Roasted Red Pepper.

“Sous-vide cooking offers an unbelievable texture to food unlike anything else,” Chao-Rivera said.

“It makes eggs velvety and creamy – almost like you’re eating something indulgent, but you’re not.”

Bacon and Gruyere

Starbucks describes the Bacon and Gruyere Bites as “Velvety cage-free eggs” made with aged Gruyere and Monterey Jack cheese topped with a layer of Applewood smoked bacon. Two Bacon and Gruyere Bites have 310 calories per serving and 19 grams of protein.

Egg White and Roasted Red Pepper

The Egg White Bites are described as cage-free egg whites made with Monterey Jack and creamy cottage cheese, spinach, and fire-roasted red pepper. Two Egg White and Roasted Red Pepper Bites have 170 calories per serving and 13 grams of protein.

“Bacon and Gruyere is more of a classic flavor, while the egg white version is a vegetarian option with a lot of flavor from the roasted red peppers,” Chao-Rivera said. “Our egg bites are great because they are delicious, satiating and fit right in your hand for taking on the go.”

“The experience working with Starbucks was amazing because we both share the same high standards for food,” Bertin said.

“I am proud and excited for everyone to know the difference between a traditionally cooked egg and a sous-vide cooked egg. With Sous Vide Egg Bites, customers will find a perfect match for their morning coffee.”

The Cascara Latte

Starbucks’ first beverage of 2017, inspired by the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle, combines flavors from the fruit of the coffee cherry.

“Cascara is Spanish for ‘husk,’ and we are taking the fruit of the coffee cherry to give our latte a subtle, lightly sweet flavor,” Erin Marinan from Starbucks Beverage Research and Development team said in a company press release.

Starbucks Cascara Latte combines espresso with steamed milk and cascara syrup. The beverage is then topped with velvety foam, and a sprinkle of cascara topping made with cascara extract and cane sugar.

Introducing Starbucks first new beverage of 2017, the Cascara Latte https://t.co/GWaSxczfxe pic.twitter.com/6uAJvDyJDx

— Starbucks News (@StarbucksNews) January 6, 2017

“Cascara Latte has a nice dark brown sugar and maple flavor that is subtly sweet,” Marinan said. “As you look at the beverage from the top, it looks like a coffee bean,” she said.

“It’s full circle.”

Customers can enjoy Starbucks Sous Vide Egg Bites and the Cascara Latte starting Tuesday, Jan. 10.

[Feature Image by Oli Scarff/Getty Images]