Jeff Keeping It Real!

Received my new Starbucks Gold card (gold) a week and half prior to my old one expiring.  The new one started on the 6th of January.  Here I am finally 15 stars into my new Starbucks Gold card and can compare the two.  You get a star for every visit you use your gold card, with money on it, to make a purchase.  You read that right you have to have money on the card and use it to get a star towards your rewards.  Here are the benefits of the new gold card by Starbucks:

• Free birthday drink
• 2 continuous hours of free Wi-Fi daily
• Free refills on brewed coffee, iced coffee and tea
• Free flavored syrups
• Free tall (12 fl oz) beverage with every pound of coffee purchased
• Exclusive offers & coupons
• FREE DRINK EVERY 15 STARS

My old Gold card (black) benefits were as follows:

• 10% off most purchases in participating U.S. Starbucks stores
• A free beverage on your birthday
• Exclusive offers & coupons
• 2 continuous hours of free Wi-Fi daily

I received the black gold card for free for all the purchases I made so no $25 fee.  If I did pay the $25 for the year that equals to $1.05 for the 15 visits.  I saved on average $0.68 a visit during these first 15 visits.  That same 15 visits saving on average $0.68 means the free drink would have cost me $10.20.  Wow, so far the new gold card does not save me anything and is costing me money.

Let’s break this down a little further.  If I stay to drink my Iced Coffee with sugar-free caramel and light breve and then take advantage of the free refill then the loss shrinks.  I order iced coffee and Frappuccino so there were no additional syrup charges.  I used the Wi-Fi maybe three hours last year.  That benefit did not help me and perhaps this year I will try to use it more so that I can see the benefit of the new gold card.

At least three of the benefits are the same but that 10% discount compared to needing 15 stars is a huge difference.  A lot of times the discount is what gave the Starbucks partners there tip. 

Early indications are the new Starbucks Gold card is NOT so Golden

What is your take on the new Starbucks Gold card?

My Ustream favorite has returned to Friday nights.  Taphandle-tv had to switch to Monday’s for awhile and I was unable to attend during that time.  I was disappointed but Greg "Lordo" Lord (facebook profile) did us all a favor and returned to Friday nights at 9:30 PM ET (6:30 PM PT).  If you have never visited Ustream.tv stop by and check it out and then click on Taphandle-tv for some real action. 

Lordo serves up drinks at Taphandle-tv.  I have blogged about this show before but tonight Lordo took a shot of Cabo Wabo.  I know your think so what, well Lordo put Cabo Wabo Blanco Tequila in a custom mini oak barrel and aged it for 5 months.   White tequila in and a golden brown smoky flavor stronger flavor but equally smooth tequila out.  Check this barrel out:

Lordo on Taphandle-tv about to take a shot of that aged Cabo Wabo Blanco.  Such a sweet taste you can see Lordo’s excitement.  Goes down as smooth as it looks.  If your not farmiliar with Cabo Wabo Tequila check out there site.  Sammy Hagar brought Cabo Wabo mainstream and such a hidden gem.

Stick with the show on occasions it starts off slow but as you can see below the show gets hot sometimes on fire.  The show is interactive with polls and a live chat room great times had by all.

Just when you think the show could not drink any more beverages he whips out the big daddy drink the Sloe Comfortable Screw.  Check these ingredients out.

Southern Comfort
Sloe Gin
White Rum
Brandy
Vodka
Triple Sec
Sour Mix
Orange Juice

Shaken not stirred.  Oh yes Lordo enjoying that beverage that over 40 people voted on.

I can tell you from a bar manager from days of old.  I would hire Greg "Lordo" Lord to bartend at BB’s lounge in the Holiday Inn Chico, CA (no longer BB’s).  He has a personality that would bring the customers back night after night.  While watching the show Zane Savage stopped by to say hi.  Zane Savage streams 24×7 and is crazy and worth a bookmark.  The Yeti made a grand appearance tonight and had a couple of beverage with Lordo.  Say hi,

Check it out and have some fun Ustream.tv.

Check Admiral out on these fine social sites:

• Twitter
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Thought the piss on guy had the market covered.

70 Creative Advertisements That Makes You Look Twice | Interesting

1. Great American Beer Festival, Denver, CO
2. Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium
3. U Fleku, Prague, Czech Republic
4. Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London, England
5. Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
6. Augustiner Keller, Munich, Germany
7. Abbaye de Notre-Dame d’Orval, Orval, Belgium
8. The Gravity Bar, Guinness St. James Gate Brewery, Dublin, Ireland
9. Monk’s Café, Philadelphia, PA
10. The Great Canadian Beer Festival, Vancouver, BC
11. Hofbrauhaus, Munich, Germany
12. The Brickskeller, Washington, DC
13. Rick’s Café, Negril, Jamaica
14. The Market Porter, Stoney Street, London, England
15. Cat’s Eye Pub, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD
16. Seats on top of the Green Monster in Fenway Park, Boston, MA
17. Mondial de la Bière, Montreal, Quebec
18. Horizon’s Café, CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario
19. Clubhouse box seats at the Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, NY
20. Beer Club Popeye, Tokyo, Japan
21. The Publick House, Brookline, MA
22. Infield at Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL
23. Henry’s 12th Street Tavern, Portland, OR
24. The Hopleaf, Chicago, IL
25. World Beer Festival, Durham/Raleigh, NC
26. French Quarter during Mardi Gras, New Orleans, LA
27. Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy
28. Zum Uerige, Dusseldorf, Germany
29. Toronado, San Francisco, CA
30. The Olde Mitre Tavern, Ely Court, Hatton Garden, London, England
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