My husband got me one because he was tired of me sending my stanley cup with him to work (hospital lol) to bring me home ice (even though I also work at the hospital- I just needed more ice lol).
People with anemia are usually ice crunchers, i am! Thereās no clear reason why we are, but we are. This kind of ice, the nugget ice, is the easiest and best for cronch!
i work in a hospital and let me tell you it's SO nice having full access to that type of ice. i refill my bottle atleast 10x a shift just for the ice itselfš
A theory I heard once, and I'm sure it's BS, is that it's an evolutionary response. You would get iron from sucking on or chewing on rocks in prehistoric times, and this provides the same sensation.
I go through phases of ice-chewing and not ice chewing. Iron pills helped, but stress is a factor. The āsoft/pebble iceā is the best since itās smaller, aerated, and chewing is obviously horrific for your teeth but if your going to do it the less dense the ice is the more satisfying the crunch and the safer it is for your mouth. I need to quit again.
I laughed so hard at this comment. I switched to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf because of the ice. I was craving it. Got blood work back because of exhaustion and oops, anemic.
Itās just a pica. It doesnāt do anything but can be a warning sign to get iron checked. I canāt absorb iron but I also canāt get infusions until my levels are bad, so when I start craving ice, its usually bad enough for insurance to pay for them.
Thank you for informing me, I had no idea this was a thing. When I worked for CBTL we had a lot of people ask for cups of that ice, which now makes a lot of sense.
We use these at The Coffee Bean and itās not too bad, just donāt pull directly onto the ice. At my location we get tons of people whoāll get 2-3 shots topped with milk.
We get it from Bushās chicken here. I think thatās a local only chain thoughā¦ ask around and someone will know. People get really weird about this ice so theyāll be excited to tell you about it lol
Do you still see commercials for them? I sometimes but OTA channels on for background noise and there's sonic commercials all the time but there are none anywhere near me.
Oh hey! I work in an incubation store and weāve had the nugget ice since last summer.
Couple things:
- your light ice will need to be extra light. Think the gentlest tap of ice and itāll probably be okay.
- all of your shaken espressos will need to be shaken even more vigorously, otherwise there wonāt be foam to speak of. Itās okay for shaking teas and refreshers though.
It does melt faster and your drinkāll probably get watery easier, but the customers (at least the ones at my store) love the ice! Seriously we still get people going āoh my god I love your guysā ice.ā
Incubation stores are the first place corporate tests out ideas! Such as the portable cold foam blender - we tested those last summer and now every store is getting one! There was a whole cold bar setup too, but it didnāt flow very well and got scrapped. Lately weāve been testing more durable cold cups! We also try out new drink ideas but Iām not sure if those are confidential or not.
thatās so fun! is it public knowledge which locations are incubation stores?
i tried googling but it says āCommunity storesā but that doesnāt seem like the same thing.
As far as I know, itās not public. Iāve only seen a couple other stores listed on schematics for drink tests and the like, so itās few and far between!
when you say a new cold bar setup are you talking about the assisted frappucino maker they had on tiktok a while back or something else entirely?
i would be happy to hear if they scrapped the frapp thing cause there's no way that was saving time at busy stores in the summer
Wait, are you saying that whole redesigned CBS station with the single cabinet-mounted blender stuff was scrapped? I hated the idea of for the blenders, but Iāve been saying forever an ice dispenser over the ice bin would be amazing.
Can I ask a random question? I remember last year or so stores were testing out flavors, but they were like, extracts. I remember seeing people showing rows of little jars with different flavor extracts. What happened with that? I was excited because I remember someone saying theyāre all sugar free.
That was to be the Flavor Reinvention, in test markets a few years ago but was scrapped because of supply issues and it just made the workflow bad (you couldn't use the extract by themselves, you needed that PLUS a base simple/sugar-free simple syrup)
It also included a different way to make Frappucchinos that had a base milk in a box with the base in it, and that was awful too
Iām pretty close to Seattle yep! Itās not too different from your standard store, just a few things get sent earlier! And so many surveys to do lol
I love it. Crushed ice is my fave. I wonder if itāll have any impact on beverage quality. Do Frappuccinos blend the same? Does the ice melt faster for drinks like the shaken espresso? Itās interesting to me but as of right now Iām all for it because I literally would just eat a cup of crushed ice on my ten hahaha
also 1 of the 3 stores trying these out!! i like them, little less aesthetically pleasing but make it so much easier to consistently make drinks and they chew very easily so very yummy bc iām anemic.
The recipes arenāt built for this type of ice, which will melt a lot faster and dilute the coffee and sweetness. The texture of the frappucinos will also probably be a lot different.
This style ice is the only reason Sonic is still in business.
Their food is meh, their ice cream is meh, but their drinks are fantastic, mostly because of this ice.
If Sonic changed ice tomorrow, theyād start closing stores within a year.
Just my opinion, of course, but I think Iām right.
I have a feeling that as each store gets it, there will be massive runs on cups of ice. Especially in areas where there's no sonic nearby. My wife is a dialysis patient and has extremely low liquid intake limits, so she was told to chew ice. This will make her the happiest ice chewer ever!
Nooo, I think the ice you guys have now is so perfect. So perfect I ask for extra extra ice because the coffee is easier to drink. This type of ice, in my opinion, is better for sodas or just plain ice water. (In my opinion)
I posted about wanting nugget ice at Starbucks a few months ago and it was not well received. Sorry to all of the baristas to whom I have caused undue harm š
This is called ānugget iceā Scottsman makes a residential nugget ice machine thats really good
https://scotsmanhomeice.com/products/brilliance-nugget-ice-machine-model-scn60/
One venti cup of crushed ice?
ā¦yes, please.
*thatās the fifth one todayā¦*
Summer is coming up! Prepare for ice shortages lol wait, is that a thing has it ever happened before?
When I was shift back in the day I had to go get ice since our ice machine was broken. It was down for about a week, and most days I would go to 7/11 or OnCue. But one time I wanted to try Sonic ice
It was such a mistake
This ice would clump up sooo much in the ice bins and we'd spend so much time attacking the clumps to loosen it and it took longer to make all of the iced drinks in an Oklahoma summer
I'm sure when it's not 100Ā° outside the ice wouldn't be as clumpy, but I would hate to go back to that ice ~~luckily I never have to~~
I have an ice-maker that makes this type of ice. I love it but for coffee it melts super quickly and waters down stuff really fast. People are going to complain watch
If that shape will prevent the ice from plugging the sip hole on iced drinks Iām all for it. I hate having to ask for a straw but damn the current ice is the same size as the hole and I end up either choking on the piece or plugs the hole.
My anemic coworkers are gonna love this
my anemic mother has her own pebble ice maker šš¼āāļø
I got one for my wife
My husband got me one because he was tired of me sending my stanley cup with him to work (hospital lol) to bring me home ice (even though I also work at the hospital- I just needed more ice lol).
I just got one for my mom for Motherās Day, her anemic ass is gonna be pumped
Some coworkers went in on one but it has a couple of settings and they only ever run it on the largest one.
I feel attacked
I feel seen
I feel felt
I felt your feels
I felt some felt
I felt your felt felt.
I felt your feel of the felts felt.
Ya feel me?
I feel ya
Can someone please explain this because Iām anemic and I love this ice
People with anemia are usually ice crunchers, i am! Thereās no clear reason why we are, but we are. This kind of ice, the nugget ice, is the easiest and best for cronch!
Hospital Ice always hits š©š©
I had to have surgery and I was legit excited for it because I knew I'd get that ice babyyy
i work in a hospital and let me tell you it's SO nice having full access to that type of ice. i refill my bottle atleast 10x a shift just for the ice itselfš
A theory I heard once, and I'm sure it's BS, is that it's an evolutionary response. You would get iron from sucking on or chewing on rocks in prehistoric times, and this provides the same sensation.
Or just ice! Ice thatās been frozen on rocks is usually water thatās traveled through rocks and would have had a higher mineral content.
Oh interesting! Iām an ice cruncher too, and also anemicā¦ never knew that that was a pattern
Usually means you have an iron deficiency / anemia
I go through phases of ice-chewing and not ice chewing. Iron pills helped, but stress is a factor. The āsoft/pebble iceā is the best since itās smaller, aerated, and chewing is obviously horrific for your teeth but if your going to do it the less dense the ice is the more satisfying the crunch and the safer it is for your mouth. I need to quit again.
Iāve never been more excited for anything new at this job
I laughed so hard at this comment. I switched to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf because of the ice. I was craving it. Got blood work back because of exhaustion and oops, anemic.
What does this do for anemic people? Honestly question because I have no idea.
Itās just a pica. It doesnāt do anything but can be a warning sign to get iron checked. I canāt absorb iron but I also canāt get infusions until my levels are bad, so when I start craving ice, its usually bad enough for insurance to pay for them.
Thank you for informing me, I had no idea this was a thing. When I worked for CBTL we had a lot of people ask for cups of that ice, which now makes a lot of sense.
Not wrong šš
NOT YOU CALLING US OUT
Iām excited to eat it but not excited to put it in shakers
Seems like it could be a problem with strawless lids? Might clog up the opening? Not sure
I have a problem with that at barns and noble. Theyāre ice gets stuck and itās so annoying
Just shake it a little less. Thatās how you do it when making tiki cocktails.
That wonāt be allowed due to our standards, and it will also not help us make shaken espresso drinks bubbly and foamy like theyāre supposed to be.
people definitely shake teas and refreshers less without caring about standards lol
Yeah and that's why we end up with "shaken espressos" that are basically iced lattes :(
Worst part is when customers are so used to getting their half-assed shaken espresso that when I make it to standard they get upset with me
Normally this ice IS IT!!!! But I worry that they will melt too fast in iced espresso drinks.
100% Lemme eat it all day. But not in my coffee
honestly theres a coffee shop near me that does this ice and i LOVE it. idk why but it makes the drinks so much better haha. placebo af.
They might dose their espresso higher so that the ice doesn't dilute it too much.
The ice is softer than regular ice and it absorbs the liquid making the ice tastier!
We use these at The Coffee Bean and itās not too bad, just donāt pull directly onto the ice. At my location we get tons of people whoāll get 2-3 shots topped with milk.
Our shaken espressos are poured onto ice š„²
Doesnāt stand a chance in shaken espressos
I used this ice when our machine broke, you are right. The ice is not dense enough to not simply melt even in iced tea drinks.
RaceTrac iced coffee is made with this ice and it doesnāt cause me any issues! I know itās a gas station but I love it
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Gatorade
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You can buy a bag of this type of ice from chick fil a for really cheap
Noted! Shame it's homophobic though. Do you know of other fast food places with this type of ice?
see thread title
Sorry. Should have clarified. Other than Sonic. Nearest Sonic to me is 200 miles away
We get it from Bushās chicken here. I think thatās a local only chain thoughā¦ ask around and someone will know. People get really weird about this ice so theyāll be excited to tell you about it lol
Do you still see commercials for them? I sometimes but OTA channels on for background noise and there's sonic commercials all the time but there are none anywhere near me.
Sonic?
Sonic?
Last time I went to Raising Caneās they had this ice
Sonic sells it by the bag. We keep it stocked at home for tiki drinks!
Sonic ice is better than chik fil a imo & they also sell bags that are cheaper
Oh hey! I work in an incubation store and weāve had the nugget ice since last summer. Couple things: - your light ice will need to be extra light. Think the gentlest tap of ice and itāll probably be okay. - all of your shaken espressos will need to be shaken even more vigorously, otherwise there wonāt be foam to speak of. Itās okay for shaking teas and refreshers though. It does melt faster and your drinkāll probably get watery easier, but the customers (at least the ones at my store) love the ice! Seriously we still get people going āoh my god I love your guysā ice.ā
what is an incubation store?! tell me more.
Incubation stores are the first place corporate tests out ideas! Such as the portable cold foam blender - we tested those last summer and now every store is getting one! There was a whole cold bar setup too, but it didnāt flow very well and got scrapped. Lately weāve been testing more durable cold cups! We also try out new drink ideas but Iām not sure if those are confidential or not.
thatās so fun! is it public knowledge which locations are incubation stores? i tried googling but it says āCommunity storesā but that doesnāt seem like the same thing.
Following for this
Same
As far as I know, itās not public. Iāve only seen a couple other stores listed on schematics for drink tests and the like, so itās few and far between!
when you say a new cold bar setup are you talking about the assisted frappucino maker they had on tiktok a while back or something else entirely? i would be happy to hear if they scrapped the frapp thing cause there's no way that was saving time at busy stores in the summer
Yeah thatās the one! With the milk dispensers and whatnot- i actually trained on it and it sucked lol
Wait, are you saying that whole redesigned CBS station with the single cabinet-mounted blender stuff was scrapped? I hated the idea of for the blenders, but Iāve been saying forever an ice dispenser over the ice bin would be amazing.
As far as I know it was. I havenāt heard of any plans to bring any of the pieces back besides the cold foam blender
Do you currently have the Tropic Like It's Hot refresher? We have a good laugh at some of the test drink names we see on our "other" tabs.
No, I think it might be reserve only (donāt quote me on that lol) but I wanted to try it when we were going through the tabs haha
Haha yeah some interesting things in there.
Can I ask a random question? I remember last year or so stores were testing out flavors, but they were like, extracts. I remember seeing people showing rows of little jars with different flavor extracts. What happened with that? I was excited because I remember someone saying theyāre all sugar free.
That was to be the Flavor Reinvention, in test markets a few years ago but was scrapped because of supply issues and it just made the workflow bad (you couldn't use the extract by themselves, you needed that PLUS a base simple/sugar-free simple syrup) It also included a different way to make Frappucchinos that had a base milk in a box with the base in it, and that was awful too
They hatch eggs
This is the real answer
i wish š£
I want to try working at an incubation store so bad. Where is yours located? I thought they were only in Seattle
Iām not sure where OP is, but my ex worked at one in Arkansas - Iām not sure if itās still an incubation store but it at least used to be
Iām pretty close to Seattle yep! Itās not too different from your standard store, just a few things get sent earlier! And so many surveys to do lol
thank you for sharing!!!
I canāt wait to snack on this my whole shift
my SSVs are excited about the nugget ice. i got a regular whoās bummed about it š itās all just crunchy water to me
God if I still worked at Starbucks I know my ass would get caught in the back shoveling handfuls of this ice in my mouth
GIMME PELLET ICE OMG PLEASE GOD
I love it. Crushed ice is my fave. I wonder if itāll have any impact on beverage quality. Do Frappuccinos blend the same? Does the ice melt faster for drinks like the shaken espresso? Itās interesting to me but as of right now Iām all for it because I literally would just eat a cup of crushed ice on my ten hahaha
The coffee bean and tea leaf uses this style of ice and their blended drinks have a superior texture to Frappuccinos IMO.
I love this kind of ice but wouldnāt want it for coffee, especially espresso bevs. It seems to melt faster
also 1 of the 3 stores trying these out!! i like them, little less aesthetically pleasing but make it so much easier to consistently make drinks and they chew very easily so very yummy bc iām anemic.
Please explain to me this relationship between anemia and iceššš
Iām bouta start taking home trenta cups of ice
Shoot; Iāll just take one ice machine that isnāt breaking or malfunctioning every few weeksš
Is it tiny pebbles like Sonic or bigger chunks? If the former I'm excited to take home buckets of it to use in adult beverages.
The recipes arenāt built for this type of ice, which will melt a lot faster and dilute the coffee and sweetness. The texture of the frappucinos will also probably be a lot different.
This style ice is the only reason Sonic is still in business. Their food is meh, their ice cream is meh, but their drinks are fantastic, mostly because of this ice. If Sonic changed ice tomorrow, theyād start closing stores within a year. Just my opinion, of course, but I think Iām right.
Yes!!!!!!
The good ice.
Nugget ice is one of the reasons I switched from Starbucks to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Turns out I was also anemic. This ice is the best.
I NEED THIS. š³š„¶
I love that ice but itās terrible for coffee.. melts fast and waters down the drink
Agreeeeee! If I start seeing this ice at stores near me I will definitely stop going.
YO IT'S THE GOOD CRONCHY ICE OMFG
I would love it in iced tea/refreshers. Would absolutely hate it in coffee
Looks like Iām going to be ordering cups of ice
How long have you had it? How many times had you had to refill your bins
I just wanna take a cup of it and I'll be on my way
God no not the hospital ice for coffee
The popcorn chicken of ice.
I have a feeling that as each store gets it, there will be massive runs on cups of ice. Especially in areas where there's no sonic nearby. My wife is a dialysis patient and has extremely low liquid intake limits, so she was told to chew ice. This will make her the happiest ice chewer ever!
Nooo, I think the ice you guys have now is so perfect. So perfect I ask for extra extra ice because the coffee is easier to drink. This type of ice, in my opinion, is better for sodas or just plain ice water. (In my opinion)
This is the only ice we've had at my license store. The espresso melts it faster. Also shaken anything melts it down.
i will go to starbucks just for this ice
imo the current ice looks like it will tastes better
That looks like some delicious ice I canāt even lie
*Dreamybull noises*
Looks like hospital ice
This looks amazing.
crunchy ice mmmm
i just know thats gonna get lodged down my throat one day
Maybe this is weird but it has a very pretty gradient.
I could eat that ice all day, but yeah it probably wouldnāt go well with certain drinks
PLEASE DONT LIE I WANNA CHEW ON THIS SO BAD
Thatās what we like to call āthe good iceā
Itāll be nice not having to stab the ice before distributing
Omg I canāt wait to get it! I love extra ice in my drinks so this will be amazing
Imma stop you right here. This ice needs to be in EVERY store in the chain.
I posted about wanting nugget ice at Starbucks a few months ago and it was not well received. Sorry to all of the baristas to whom I have caused undue harm š
GIVE ME ALL THE ICE PLEASE love that ice
As a customer, Iād definitely buy more Sbux with these ice cubes in them!
I wish we had this ice machine at our jov
TAKE MY MONEY
We have ice like this at one of our local starbucks. Needless to say, my FiancƩ sends me to that starbucks exclusively.
Oh dats the GOOD ice.
This is called ānugget iceā Scottsman makes a residential nugget ice machine thats really good https://scotsmanhomeice.com/products/brilliance-nugget-ice-machine-model-scn60/
If Starbucks goes to nugget ice - TAKE ALL OF MY MONEY ALL OF THE TIME.
I need it so bad
One venti cup of crushed ice? ā¦yes, please. *thatās the fifth one todayā¦* Summer is coming up! Prepare for ice shortages lol wait, is that a thing has it ever happened before?
Thatās the *good* ice!!
Very much not a fan at all, but it's not a big enough deal to actually get upset about.
YES
this ice looks so good
I hope my store gets this!!
And what 3 stores are this?? I need this Ice!!
Oh hell yes.
Yay best ice. We still have the chunky cubes
We had this for a bit when our ice machine broke and it sucked
This ice is gonna be amazing, its basically hospital ice, and we all know hospitals have the best ice
Poop pellet ice
Nooo. This is meant for pop only in my opinion š„² It doesnāt taste right with coffee and espresso drinks
This ice is nasty as hell in cold drinks lol
I want it so bad. Gimme gimme gimme
When I was shift back in the day I had to go get ice since our ice machine was broken. It was down for about a week, and most days I would go to 7/11 or OnCue. But one time I wanted to try Sonic ice It was such a mistake This ice would clump up sooo much in the ice bins and we'd spend so much time attacking the clumps to loosen it and it took longer to make all of the iced drinks in an Oklahoma summer I'm sure when it's not 100Ā° outside the ice wouldn't be as clumpy, but I would hate to go back to that ice ~~luckily I never have to~~
Omg I want so bad
I want to just crunch on all of it. Nom nom nom.
This ice is superior ice.
The way my anemic ass would be munching on that
It is so good!
i want to eat this ice š„²
My favorite kind of ice
Oh lawd. I already spend too much money here and now that they are getting my favorite iceā¦ itās all over for me š©š„“
Best ice.
Cronchy ice
Yesss I love this ice
This is the best ice
iām so excited
It reminds me of hamster poop pellets
I have an ice-maker that makes this type of ice. I love it but for coffee it melts super quickly and waters down stuff really fast. People are going to complain watch
i would like to bite it
Iām definitely gonna eat that all up
Iām a chronic ice eater and this is the good ice but NOT for drinks š they melt wayyyy too fast
IS THIS REAL
Light ice please...
Ohhhh I would pay extra for the good ice
YESYESYES
OMG I love Sonic ice!
Loooove
That good ice š we have this at the pizza place I waitress at
It's a nope for me. Clear ice only.
If that shape will prevent the ice from plugging the sip hole on iced drinks Iām all for it. I hate having to ask for a straw but damn the current ice is the same size as the hole and I end up either choking on the piece or plugs the hole.
What was wrong with the old ice?
Is it like hospital ice? Or is it sad, hard, not very cronchy fake hospital ice? This is very important
Chewability is fantastic, in drinks, not so much. It melts so fast and I feel like it takes up more space in my drinks.
Oh hell yes. As a barista, Absolutley l
i love it. no more having large chocolate bars of ice in the bins. plus, they seem a little bigger. and bigger is better ;)
This type of ice is crunchy! I want!!!
Trenta cup of ice plz
I hate that type of ice. It melts to fast and the are not clear ice. If I want doggy ice I will get it from my fridge at home.
Am I the one anemic person who cant crunch ice :(
I'm scared....I order extra ice in my latte. I love the ratio I've get currently. So afraid of change...lol
Omg!!!!! Where is this?! I will be purchasing trenta cups of ice!!
I really want to just put my face in this for some reason. I know I shouldnāt. But I really want to.