Starbucks is Switching to Nugget Ice and People are Not Happy

Starbucks is doing away with its classic cubed ice in select locations and testing a nugget version, according to The New York Post.

A Reddit thread about the new ice was posted around May 10, from someone claiming to be a Starbucks employee. The post had nearly 400 comments at the time of this reporting.

"New special ice (we are 1 of 3 cafe stores testing the new ice). What do you guys think? It looks like the ice at sonic," Redditor Cupcake_Great wrote in the post.

Nugget ice is made of ice flakes that have been frozen together, according to the Federal Energy Management Program. The process makes this type of ice easier to bite down on and chew.

Some commenters were disheartened by the alleged company decision.

“The recipes aren’t built for this type of ice, which will melt a lot faster and dilute the coffee and sweetness,” one person wrote. “The texture of the frappuccinos will also probably be a lot different.”

"Normally this ice IS IT!!!! But I worry that they will melt too fast in iced espresso drinks," wrote another.

Another Redditor, who claims to work at a Starbucks incubation location where the brand tests out new concepts, said customers have been enjoying the new nugget ice.

The user, espeoncore, wrote, "It does melt faster and your drink’ll probably get watery easier, but the customers (at least the ones at my store) love the ice! Seriously we still get people going ‘oh my god I love your guys’ ice.’"

According to The Post, Starbucks conducted tests reportedly showing that the new ice does not melt faster than the existing ice.

“As we continue to innovate and make investments in the Starbucks Experience for our partners (baristas) and customers, we are introducing new machines that make nugget ice to select stores this year,” a representative for Starbucks told The Post on Wednesday.

Representatives for Starbucks didn't immediately respond to The Messenger's request for comment.