Starbucks has managed to sneakily infiltrate its way into mainstream culture to such a degree that when you think of coffee, it’s difficult not to picture that iconic green logo on the white paper cup.
We may succeed in pushing them out of Australia with the passion of St Patrick chasing snakes out of Ireland (we take out coffee seriously), but there is no escaping the way this global chain changed the way we see coffee and coffee culture.
Pumpkin spice lattes, unicorn and mermaid frappes, venti Americanos – Starbucks has something for just about everyone, and now just about everyone can fit into the new Starbucks Shanghai, the largest and most extravagant coffee shop in the world that nobody asked for.
The shop is actually ridiculous.
Measuring over 30,000 sqft in size (larger than the average inner-city home) the store will roast coffee beans on location from over 30 different countries. There’s a “world first 3-D printed tea bar” in store, and they’ll be introducing novelty tea beverages such as nitrogen cold brew tea and unique, as well as exclusive in-house blendings.
Starbucks Shanghai
As if all of that isn’t over the top enough – customers will be able to use their phones to access the store’s one-of-kind augmented reality features. Download an app, point your phone around the store to learn more about the design and interact with others on social media.
Complete and absolute madness for the person who just wants to duck in and grab a cup of joe before work.
But at least it looks pretty.
