For all the hubbub about Starbucks' latest drink launch, you'd think the coffee giant was the first to bring the flat white to Chicago. Sorry guys, Intelligentsia sold the concoction for a week last year in honor of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby match at Soldier Field. (Intelligentsia's version is pictured above.)
But Starbucks' Tuesday launch will make the espresso/milk combo a permanent menu staple. It's a lot less foamy than a traditional latte, and, according to a Starbucks spokesperson, "will be made from two ristretto espresso shots-which are smaller and more concentrated-topped off with whole milk steamed to a 'micro foam.'" So think strong and creamy, folks.
Time will tell whether the flat white will hold up with Americans. In the meantime, here's the history of some of Starbucks' other biggest innovations and how they fared.
Source: Starbucks
Frappuccino
When: 1995
How'd it do?: Starbucks claims there are more than 36,000 possible combinations worldwide, and the frosty indulgence does about $2 billion in annual sales. So, um, a mild success.
Source: Starbucks
Starbucks card
When: 2001
How'd it do?: Well, 46 million Americans received a Starbucks card this holiday season-or 1 in 7 people. So it's OK to feel left out if you didn't get one.
Source: Starbucks
Pumpkin Spice Latte
When: 2003
How'd it do?: The PSL has become a joke, a meme-and wildly popular. (It has a nickname, for crying out loud.) This fall, Pumpkin Spice fans were able to "unlock" the seasonal drink at their stores early. Like, way early ... it returned in early September.
Source: Handout
Starbucks coffee liqueur
When: 2005
How'd it do?: The partnership product with Jim Beam, which was never available at Starbucks stores, came in coffee and cream flavors. It since has been discontinued, but the empty bottles are a steal on eBay!
Source: Handout
Sorbetto
When: 2008
How'd it do?: This drink version of an Italian dessert crashed and burned, especially among those whiny Starbucks workers who didn't like cleaning the machine. It went "arrivederci" right quick.
Source: Starbucks
Trenta
When: 2011
How'd it do?: No, you still can't buy a Frappuccino in this 31-ounce cup.
Source: Starbucks
Tweet-a-coffee
When: 2013
How'd it do?: This online campaign, which involves pairing your Starbucks account to your Twitter handle in order to send drinks, seems like a money pit waiting to happen-or a great flirting technique. About $180,000 worth of 'Bucks were tweeted in the first two months of the program.
Source: Starbucks
Starbucks Evening
When: 2014
How'd it do?: We'll just have to drink and see-Starbucks has launched just four of these locations, which serve beer and wine after 4 p.m., in Chicago. Oh, one just opened at Disney World's Downtown Disney, too.
Source: Starbucks
Teavana Oprah Chai Tea
When: 2014
How'd it do?: The combination of Oprah, chai tea and Starbucks sounds like some kind of axis of evil, but as of October, sales of the drink had led to nearly $2 million in donations to O's Leadership Academy Foundation.
SOURCES: Starbucks, USA Today, Fortune, Seattle Met, The New York Times, Mashable, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sun-Sentinel