From the Pumpkin Spiced Latte to the Unicorn Frappuccino, Starbucks is arguably just as well known for its novelty seasonal drinks than its regular coffee.
But when it comes to limited edition releases, it is the company’s Christmas cups that tend to generate the most debate – and this year’s designs are no different, prompting a furious online debate among customers after an image of the alleged cup was leaked online.
Posted on Reddit by user Darth Snoopy, who is believed to work for the coffee chain, this year’s festive themed takeaway cup features illustrations of a Christmas tree, stack of gifts, starts and two turtle doves in black and red ink.
Dreaming of a red, white and green Christmas: The Starbucks holiday cup for 2017 has been revealed on Reddit
Reaction: Not everyone is happy with the design
Disappointment: Last year’s cup is already proving to be more popular
Miniature red coffee cups can also be spotted along with love hearts and holding hands.
But not everyone is happy with this year’s design primarily because the cup is not red and is too festive for their liking.
Twitter user @nicole_bee took to the social media site to say she’s ‘not a fan’.
While another @JustinOpinion4U posted a meme that said ‘Starbucks has a new holiday puke cup’ and wrote in his own caption ‘Avoid at all costs’.
@Shoebox6 wrote: ‘The funny part is these cups look exactly like Starbucks execs went “THEY WANT MORE CHRISTMAS?! OH, WE’LL GIVE THEM CHRISTMAS! MUAHAHAA!”‘
Early review: Twitter has not been kind to the cups so far
Trigger happy: The cups always spark debate online
Happy medium: Some people feel the cups are too festive this year
And that’s not the only thing people are angry about – many believe the Reddit user who exposed the cup works for the coffee chain shouldn’t have spoiled the surprise and comments on the post have now been deleted and closed.
Last year, Starbucks released its range of holiday cups on November 10.
However, this year’s design is sure to please customers who expressed their outrage in 2015 when the brand opted for a more minimalist approach, releasing a red ombre design that simply had the green and white logo as its only decoration.
A former Arizona pastor accused the company of ‘hating Jesus’ for the lack of Christian symbolism, while others said they would boycott the brand.
But Starbucks responded by saying it was inclusive of all religions and wanted to create a ‘culture of belonging, inclusion, and diversity.
DIY winners: Some of last year’s winning designs
Diamond and pearls: Would you embellish your coffee cup for Christmas?
Shine on: One customer attached crystals to her cup
Speaking to E!, it added: ‘Our core values as a company is to create a culture of belonging, inclusion, and diversity.
‘Each year during the holidays we aim to bring our customers an experience that inspires the spirit of the season and we will continue to embrace and welcome customers from all backgrounds and religions in our stores around the world.’
In 2016, Starbucks decided to change things up by inviting customers from 13 countries to submit their designs in a DIY style competition.
In the end, thirteen designs from 6 countries were selected and the designs were places in 25,000 stores in 75 countries.