Starbucks' new Blueberry Oatmeal worth the extra buck

Today Starbucks started off by disappointing me, but ended up deliciously surprising me. Love your new Blueberry Oatmeal! It's a winner.

Once again, the West Salem Starbucks didn't have any multigrain bagels by the noon'ish time I arrived for my regular Sunday get-together with some friends.

That always irritates me, since the only stuff health-conscious me likes to eat at Starbucks are the multigrain bagels and the oatmeal. But since I have oatmeal for breakfast every day but Sunday (when I make a gigantic whole grain pancake), I prefer the different'ness of the bagel.

Sounding as pathetic as possible, I told the barista, "Well... since you don't have any multigrain bagels, I'll take some oatmeal."

He cheerily replied, "Do you want to try the new blueberry oatmeal?" "Sure," I told him. I'd added freshly unfrozen blueberries to my pancake just a few hours earlier. But, hey, I like blueberries.

And I sure liked Starbucks' Blueberry Oatmeal. So does this other reviewer.

The steel cut oats, now blended with rolled oats, must account with the new let-sit-for-five-minutes instructions on the container, up from three minutes (after hot water is added). I dutifully checked my watch and waited the requisite time.

I enjoyed stirring in the whole blueberries, pouring the agave nectar over the oats, and sprinkling on the fruit, nut, and seed medley package. This is a big improvement, both health- and taste-wise, from the brown sugar, dried fruit, and a different nut mixture in the old rolled oats oatmeal.

Having paid with my iPhone's Starbucks app, I had no idea what the Blueberry Oatmeal cost. Overly optimistically, I sort of assumed it'd be the same price as the original oatmeal offering.

Checking my app just now, I found that a grande Pike Place and oatmeal cost me $1.10 more today than last Sunday. So that must be the price difference between the new and old oatmeal.

Almost certainly I'll continue to pay it. The Blueberry Oatmeal is worth an extra buck.

Good going, Starbucks. Hope you keep on adding healthier food choices. Your breakfast pastries could benefit from more whole-grain items than the single multigrain bagel. How about a whole-wheat scone?

Comments

[Heather]

I tried the Starbucks Blueberry Oatmeal for the first time today and I was really very impressed. The blueberries were fresh, flavorful and crisp and the agave nectar is a great alternative to straight brown sugar for sweetness. I had never tried their dried fruit and nut mix with the classic oatmeal (only 70 calories as opposed to 100 with adding the nut only mix) though it was fantastic. It's definitely on my list for breakfast on the go.