Discovery Series – Ecuador

The Starbucks Discovery Series Ecuador mug highlights a country with an extraordinary range of landscapes packed into a relatively small area. Ecuador stretches from the Pacific coast across the Andes to the Amazon rainforest, while the Galápagos Islands add an entirely different world of volcanic terrain and unique wildlife. This geographic variety has shaped everything from agriculture and food to architecture, clothing, and local traditions. Ecuador’s official tourism site commonly divides the country into four major regions: the Coast, Andes, Amazonia, and Galápagos.… Read more

Discovery Series Ornament – Guanacaste

The Starbucks Discovery Series Ornament Guanacaste is an especially interesting release because this is the first time Guanacaste has received its own Starbucks mug or ornament. The province occupies the northwestern corner of Costa Rica and is known for its volcanic landscapes, tropical dry forests, wildlife, ranching traditions, and long Pacific coastline. It is also one of the country’s best-known regions for outdoor activities, with national parks, beaches, hiking trails, and surf towns spread across the province.

Here are some of the natural landmarks, wildlife, and activities featured in the design:

Arenal Volcano, part of the Cordillera de Guanacaste region, adds one of Costa Rica’s most recognizable volcanic landscapes to the design.… Read more

Discovery Series Ornament – Monterrey

The Starbucks Discovery Series Ornament Monterrey highlights a compact selection of symbols closely associated with the capital of Nuevo León. Monterrey was founded in 1596 and grew into one of Mexico’s major industrial and business centers, while its setting at the foot of the Sierra Madre Oriental gives the city one of the country’s most dramatic urban backdrops.

Here are some of the landmarks, foods, and traditions featured in the design:

– The sombrero recalls the ranching and northern Mexican traditions strongly associated with Nuevo León.… Read more

Discovery Series – Nagano

The Starbucks Discovery Series Nagano mug highlights one of Japan’s most mountainous prefectures, known for alpine scenery, historic towns, winter sports, hot springs, and local foods. Nagano hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics and remains a major destination for skiing and snowboarding, while places such as Matsumoto, Hakuba, Kamikochi, and the Japanese Alps give the prefecture a strong outdoor identity. Historic castles, orchards, mountain wildlife, and traditional cuisine add a very different side to the region beyond the ski resorts.

Here are some of the landmarks, foods, activities, and symbols featured in the design:

– The bowl of soba noodles is a natural choice for Nagano, where buckwheat noodles are one of the best-known regional foods.… Read more

You Are Here Christmas – London Gold on Black

The You Are Here Christmas London Gold on Black is another very interesting unreleased Holiday Edition mug for the capital of the UK. This prototype uses a striking matte black exterior with metallic gold artwork and lettering, giving the familiar You Are Here design a much more elegant and festive appearance. Based on the sticker on the bottom, it was probably planned for the 2017 holiday season, but unfortunately never made it to stores. Interestingly, Starbucks later used a very similar black-and-gold color combination for the Pike Place mugs later, so the idea clearly was not abandoned completely.… Read more

Discovery Series Ornament – Tainan

The Starbucks Discovery Series Ornament Tainan highlights a compact selection of symbols connected with one of Taiwan’s oldest and most historically important cities. Tainan served as the island’s political and administrative center for centuries and remains especially known for its historic sites, coastal wetlands, traditional crafts, and strong local food culture. The ornament combines references to the city’s Dutch-era history, wildlife, flowers, festivals, seafood, and textile traditions.

Here are some of the landmarks, traditions, and symbols featured in the design:

Anping Old Fort is one of Tainan’s most important historic landmarks.… Read more

Discovery Series – Peru

The Starbucks Discovery Series Peru mug highlights a country shaped by ancient civilizations, dramatic Andean landscapes, distinctive wildlife, traditional crafts, music, and one of South America’s best-known cuisines. Peru was the heart of the Inca Empire before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, but its history reaches much further back through cultures such as the Moche, Nazca, Wari, and Chavín. Today, the country’s identity combines Indigenous traditions, colonial influences, and enormous geographic diversity stretching from the Pacific coast to the Andes and Amazon rainforest.… Read more

Discovery Series Ornament – Chiapas

The Starbucks Discovery Series Ornament Chiapas focuses on some of the traditions, wildlife, plants, and everyday culture associated with Mexico’s southernmost state. Chiapas is known for its Indigenous heritage, tropical forests, coffee production, colorful textiles, and extraordinary biodiversity. The state is home to large Maya and other Indigenous communities, and many traditional crafts and agricultural practices remain an important part of daily life.

One interesting detail I noticed with the Mexican ornaments is the manufacturing information. All of them seem to have a small transparent sticker saying “Made in China”, while the bottom of the ornament and the box say “Made in Malaysia”.… Read more

Discovery Series – Phu Quoc

The Starbucks Discovery Series Phú Quốc mug highlights Vietnam’s largest island, located in the Gulf of Thailand off the country’s southwestern coast. Long known for fishing and agriculture, Phú Quốc has developed into one of Vietnam’s most popular resort destinations, with white-sand beaches, tropical forests, coral reefs, and a growing tourism industry. The island is also famous for several local specialties, especially fish sauce, pepper, seafood, and pearls. More than half of Phú Quốc is protected within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, helping preserve much of its forest and coastal environment.… Read more

You Are Here Christmas – London Speckle Debossed

The You Are Here Christmas – London Speckle Debossed mug is a fascinating prototype from a private collection, and it is currently being offered for sale. That makes this a rare opportunity to acquire a truly unique piece of Starbucks memorabilia, especially since this version never made it to store shelves. The design itself is unlike anything Starbucks ultimately released in the You Are Here series: the surface is covered with subtle speckles, while the vertical STARBUCKS wordmark is debossed directly into the ceramic instead of being printed.… Read more

1 2 3 266