FILE - A girl is seen drinking ice coffee in a Starbucks coffee shop. (Photo by Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images) There is a growing debate over Starbucks' most recent change: its ice cubes.
The Seattle-based coffee giant is introducing new machines to select locations this year that make nugget ice instead of cubed ice, and Reddit users felt inclined to weigh in.
The change — albeit very small — is apparently infuriating some customers who claim the new nugget ice melts faster and can even dilute drinks, according to a Reddit thread.
Others are ecstatic over the nugget ice, which is less dense than cubed ice.STARBUCKS PROFITS BEAT ESTIMATES, SHARES DIVE ON OUTLOOKA spokesperson for Starbucks told FOX Business that its machines — which are part of the company's plans to cut its water footprint in half by 2030 — allow "partners to focus on delivering the Starbucks Experience while hand-crafting the same delicious, high-quality iced beverages our customers have come to expect from Starbucks." Starbucks opened its first coffee shop in 1971.Customers who have tried the nugget ice during testing "had a resoundingly positive response," the spokesperson continued.