Discovery Series – Kyoto

The Starbucks Discovery Series Kyoto mug explores a city that served as Japan’s imperial capital for more than a thousand years, from 794 until the emperor moved to Tokyo in 1869. Over the centuries, Kyoto became one of the country’s most important centers of religion, art, traditional crafts, and court culture. Much of that heritage survived the rapid modernization experienced elsewhere in Japan, leaving the city with an extraordinary concentration of temples, historic neighborhoods, gardens, and traditional wooden houses.

– The traditional building above the city name is the Starbucks Coffee Kyoto Ninenzaka Yasaka Chaya, one of the most distinctive Starbucks stores in Japan.… Read more

Discovery Series Ornament – Santa Cruz de la Sierra

The Starbucks Discovery Series Ornament Santa Cruz de la Sierra offers a smaller selection of symbols from Bolivia’s largest city and the surrounding eastern lowlands. Santa Cruz de la Sierra was founded by Ñuflo de Chaves in 1561 and was moved more than once before becoming established at its present location. Over time, it developed into the economic center of eastern Bolivia, with a culture and landscape quite different from the country’s high-altitude Andean cities.

– The sloth is one of the most distinctive animals found in Bolivia’s tropical lowlands.… Read more

Discovery Series – Phuket

The Starbucks Discovery Series Phuket mug explores Thailand’s largest island, known for its beaches, maritime culture, historic old town, and distinctive Peranakan heritage. Phuket grew into an important trading and tin-mining center, attracting Chinese, Indian, European, and Muslim communities whose influence can still be seen in the island’s architecture and food. Today, Phuket combines a busy international tourism industry with traditions that developed over centuries around fishing, trade, and life by the Andaman Sea.

– Air travel is an important part of modern Phuket, with the island serving as one of Thailand’s busiest international destinations.… Read more

Discovery Series – Monterrey

The Starbucks Discovery Series Monterrey mug highlights the capital of Nuevo León, one of northern Mexico’s most important industrial and business centers. Monterrey was founded in 1596 and grew significantly during the 19th and 20th centuries as industry, steel production, and manufacturing transformed the city. Its location at the foot of the Sierra Madre Oriental gives Monterrey a particularly dramatic setting, with mountains rising immediately beyond the urban area. The design reflects that combination of modern city life, outdoor recreation, regional food, and some of Monterrey’s most recognizable natural landmarks.… Read more

Discovery Series Ornament – Taoyuan

The Discovery Series Ornament Taoyuan is an especially interesting release because Taoyuan did not receive its own mug or ornament during either the You Are Here or Been There series. The city was previously featured in the older Relief series, however, so this is not actually Taoyuan’s first appearance in the Starbucks collectible lineup. Instead, it marks the city’s return after being absent from the two major series that followed Relief.

Another detail only became apparent to me while looking at this ornament: the inside of the cup does not carry the Starbucks brand name.… Read more

Discovery Series – Kobe

The Starbucks Discovery Series Kobe mug focuses on the port city’s distinctive mix of maritime scenery, Western influence, music, food, and hillside neighborhoods. Kobe developed rapidly after its port opened to foreign trade in 1868, and the arrival of merchants and residents from overseas left a lasting mark on the city’s architecture and culture. That history is especially visible in areas such as Kitano, while the harbor, Mount Rokko, and the city’s strong food and music traditions continue to shape Kobe’s identity today.… Read more

Discovery Series – Santa Cruz de la Sierra

The Starbucks Discovery Series Santa Cruz de la Sierra mug takes us to Bolivia’s largest city and the center of the country’s tropical eastern lowlands. Santa Cruz de la Sierra was founded by Ñuflo de Chaves in 1561, although the settlement was later moved several times before becoming established at its present location. Over the centuries, the city developed very differently from Bolivia’s high-altitude Andean centers, with strong influences from the Indigenous cultures of the eastern lowlands. Today, Santa Cruz is one of Bolivia’s main economic centers while retaining a distinctive regional culture known as camba.… Read more

Discovery Series – Ciudad de Mexico

The Starbucks Discovery Series Ciudad de México mug takes us to Mexico City, one of the largest and oldest capitals in the Americas. The modern city stands on the site of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital founded in the 14th century on islands in Lake Texcoco. After the Spanish conquest in 1521, Mexico City became the capital of New Spain and later, following Mexican independence, the capital of the new nation. Today, its Indigenous and colonial heritage exists alongside an enormous modern metropolis, something reflected particularly well in this colorful design.… Read more

Been There – Manila Christmas 2025

The Been There Manila Christmas 2025 is already the third iteration of the Holiday Edition Been There mug for the city. While the artwork remains largely familiar, Starbucks has again changed the outline colour. The original Christmas release from 2022 featured gold outlines, while the second version from 2024 used black; this time, the 2025 edition switches to red. The holiday additions are easy to spot, including a large Christmas tree, ornaments, gifts, and other festive details scattered throughout the design.… Read more

Discovery Series – Hokkaido

The Starbucks Discovery Series Hokkaido mug explores Japan’s northernmost main island, a region known for long snowy winters, mountains, wildlife, agriculture, and distinctive local traditions. Hokkaido was historically inhabited by the indigenous Ainu people and was known as Ezo before receiving its present name in 1869, during a period of rapid Japanese settlement and development. Today, its relatively cool climate and wide-open landscapes distinguish it from much of the rest of Japan, while winter sports, seafood, and spectacular natural scenery attract visitors throughout the year.… Read more

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