Variety is the Spice (Not Cider) of Life

Seeing as how it's the holiday season and we've had our share of cold days lately, I've been indulging in one of my favorite warm holiday drinks quite a bit these days: Caramel Apple Cider from Starbucks. Except something's different now--they're not calling it that anymore. It's become "Caramel Apple Spice."

Huh? That's just silly to me. "Spice" doesn't sound like a drink; it sounds like something you put in a drink. But I think I know why they did it: They don't always use cider; sometimes it's just plain ol' apple juice from the grocery store (I've seen the bottle before). I can remember a time or two when the drink formerly known as CAC wasn't available because they ran out of apple juice (the term they used), and I suggested that they just send someone next door to the grocery store to get more, but that never worked.

So did they make this change in the name of honesty, or were they pressured into doing it? (And if you're wondering, I pretty much got a Starbucks employee to admit a few weeks ago that the reason for the change was indeed that true cider was not being used in the making of the drink.) Was it an outcry from customers who could taste the difference, or did the International Brotherhood of Apple Growers and Mashers demand that anything bearing the word "cider" in fact be made of cider?

(The whole corporate thing isn't just whimsy, you know. When I worked in a fast-food place in high school, we served Pepsi products, and we were required to correct customers who asked for a Coke. The alleged reason for this was that Coca-Cola would send in corporate spies to ask for a Coke, and if they weren't corrected--and the beverage was analyzed at the lab and found to be something other than Coca-Cola--lawsuits would begin.)

Still, it's a silly name for a drink, so I find myself kicking it old-school on the name. Thankfully, no barista has been crude enough to correct me yet. (I did try it once, but it came out as a hybrid: "Caramel Apple Spider." Sounds like a twisted Halloween treat to me.)

What's your favorite dumb product name, especially one that changed because of some silly regulation? Those of a certain age may nominate any cereal that used to have "Sugar" in the title, but I'm sure there are more out there.

Roo on the loose: DId you hear about the escaped kangaroo in Lewisville over the weekend? Enjoy the video...