Lost a guilty pleasure to Motherfucker Krasnov's tariffs

[Aviation Pro]

Every once in a while, I'll pop into my local Fourbucks (Starbucks) for a break and order an unsweetened green tea lemonade and one of their double chocolate brownies. Well, no more, the brownies have been discontinued even though they are one of the most popular items on their scant menu; when I queried one of the baristas, she said she didn't know why.

Well, I think I have an answer, brownies require, demand, various chocolate products; there is no known source of cocoa (cacao) beans in the United States and they are primarily grown and harvested in Africa and South America, which are subject to these onerous tariffs. Fourbucks knows there's a price point beyond which customers won't pay for the treat and rather than risk a long-term contract and inventory that won't move decided to cut ties.

So, in the end, thanks, Motherfucker, in both large and small ways you make life miserable, you fucking oxygen thief.

[malaise]

1. And the Caribbean

😀

[Aviation Pro]

2. Yep, forgot to include that

DR specifically but plenty more.

[True Dough]

3. Grenada produces some

high-quality cocoa as well.

[malaise]

4. Trinidad and Tobago is said to have the best flavor on the planet

Trinidad and Tobago is renowned for its high-quality cocoa beans, particularly the Trinitario variety, a hybrid of Criollo and Forastero. The country is recognized as a leading producer of fine flavor coc

[markodochartaigh]

8. Am

I correct in assuming that the horrific child labor practices in West African cocoa plantations are not a problem in the Caribbean?

[malaise]

10. Yes

Excellent point

[malaise]

7. Here are the best

The Caribbean islands, particularly Grenada, St. Lucia, Trinidad, and Dominica, are renowned for producing the world's finest and most rare cocoa varieties,

[rog]

12. Is there a source for odering these varieties (in the form of cacao powder)?

I honestly was not aware of this, and I'd love to sample. Just to be clear, unsweetened pure cacao powder, not 'hot chocolate drink". For example, one of my guilty pleasures is 'enhancing' organic peanut butter with other nuts, ginger, cacao, and a bit of garam masala.

Thanks ... although I suspect I'll have to deplete my life savings to pay for it!

Edited to add: Looks like I found some on Amazon (Freedom Superfoods says their cacao is organic, unsweetened Trinitario), and yeah ... it's pricey: $23/lb. I think I'll bookmark this while I think it over!

[malaise]

13. The cocoa boards or cocoa bean suppliers in each island would be my go to

And yes pure cocoa😀

Here’s a Trini link
https://www.facebook.com/p/Cocoa-Bean-Supplier-Trinidad-and-Tobago-100076086676880/

[yellowdogintexas]

28. Makes me glad I stocked up on cocoa at Costco last Christmas

they only carry it from October until they run out. It is great baking cocoa.

[spooky3]

5. Please keep sending us chocolate. Nt

[malaise]

6. Hehehe- tariffs are hitting everything

Folks here love chocolate tea as we call it. I prefer coffee😀

[spooky3]

18. Agree-coffee sounds better. For me, the less mixed with chocolate, the better, usually

[malaise]

19. Ditto

[kerry-is-my-prez]

9. They start messing with chocolate, you get a lot of angry people.

[Sympthsical]

11. They've been streamlining the menu for a while now

They seem to think sales vs costs are being affected by menu bloat, so they've been getting rid of various things.

The big one before the brownies were the almond croissants. Oh, people were pissed about that one.

I was a little salty about the reduced white chocolate offerings. I kept wanting to try to pistachio one, but it's been discontinued. But the lavender frappuccino from their spring menu is quite nice.

[Blue Owl]

14. Fuck that fucking fuck

[spooky3]

20. Ewww, no thank you. Give that job to Pooty. Nt

[relayerbob]

15. Um, no

May be unpopular, but that is unfounded speculation, since they announced it months ago, on March 4.

https://www.tastingtable.com/1823383/starbucks-bakery-discontinued-brownie/

[Aviation Pro]

16. Are you suggesting that Starbucks

Did not do their due diligence on tariffs before they announced their decision?

[relayerbob]

17. They made their decision long before they announced that on March 4

They are motivated by cash. Read the article. The tariffs may be the nail in the coffin for that particular item, but Starbucks has been ripping off Americans for a very long time, with little concern for anything other than cashing in on the hype and the trendiness.

[mr715]

21. Yep.

There is a lot of suffering in little papercuts like the loss of little pleasures. And the meta-guilt of awareness of the bigger issues.

We shall adapt. At least he isn't Pope.

[karynnj]

22. There is at least one small US source of chocolate

Hawaii! A few years ago, we went to a chocolate tasting at a place that grew cocao trees and produced chocolate including some that were very dark chocolate in Kauai. I assume they were VERY SMALL producers.

Incidentally, Hawaii is also, I think, the only US source of coffee beans.

I doubt the tariffs are the reason they dropped the brownies. I suspect that all the raw ingredients represent only a small portion of the Starbucks cost.

[Cha]

24. Yeah, I was thinking Hawaii when I read that.

TY

[yellowdogintexas]

29. there are several coffee farms on the Kona side of the Big Island

and at least one chocolate farm. There is also a vanilla farm, which we visited and thoroughly enjoyed. We did not get to a coffee farm, unfortunately

However we did tour a salt farm which was fascinating!!

[DENVERPOPS]

23. Not just Cocoa and not just Starbucks

Due to Climate change, many areas in the world are suffering serious droughts cutting back on production....

Wheat (for flour), Rice, Fruit, Vegetables, etc etc etc Then add in Tariff's and you have a real shortage at any price.....

[Littlered]

25. Apparently they are

Going to replace it with an “updated” version.

[Beartracks]

26. Well, duh, America just needs to build cocoa factories!!1!!

Bring back all those cocoa jobz!!!11!

if needed.

============

[samnsara]

27. oh whew.. i thought you were gonna say it was..

tequila!

sux about the brownies...

[Initech]

30. The absolute worst administration in US history!

Any other president doing this much damage to this country would have been given the heave ho by now. I'm sick of the fucking asshole being given all the get out of jail free cards.