Starbucks® Sammie- Nosh or Never Mind?

There has been quite a stir lately about the new Starbucks® Gluten-Free Breakfast Sandwich. Just for the record, I am not allergic to gluten nor do I have Celiac Disease. I find keeping to a gluten free diet resolves many of my strange symptoms. I have, in the past, admitted that I do not care for their food items. Not that I expect a five star meal when I go there but honestly, most of their meals are a bit on the rubbery, microwave-blah side and not worth the money. Now, here I am, joining the others and venturing outside of my mindset to try their gluten free sandwich. I went in doubtful but did I come out the same way?

Order Up The first thing I noticed was that it was very well labeled on the outside of the package. The words "gluten free" are plastered all over the paper. Is this necessary? Absolutely! Because people can make mistakes and those mistakes can cause bad things to happen. Especially when it comes to food allergies and ingredients, there is no such thing as overdoing it. In my opinion, I believe this is all about food safety and less about the marketing factor. Looking at the package, it would be pretty darn difficult to mix this up with a different breakfast sandwich. So Starbucks® you get an A from the starting gate.

Easy on the Eyes As I said, I do not care for their other food items and I was not expecting anything wonderful. Growing up in New Jersey, breakfast sandwiches were a way of life. This one consists of a gluten free roll, egg, reduced-fat cheese and Canadian bacon. I was reluctant as many gluten free rolls can be, well, awful. I am picky about my foods but why shouldn't I be? And you should be too. Food is meant to be delicious, even with food allergies and intolerances. And regardless of others who may promote some of those other less than yummy gluten free products, I do not. There is no reason too. Life is too short to eat bad foods. You will note that these sandwiches come to you in a completely sealed package- nobody touches it, nobody arranges it and nobody else can contaminate it. It goes from storage area to microwave to you, period. It literally has to be ripped open. Please see their ingredient and allergen statement here to ensure that your health is not compromised, safety first and label reading always!

Taste? Plain and simple, it is very good. The gluten free roll is very good- it's not dry or crumbly or spongy (as can sometimes happen when you microwave foods). The roll tastes just like any other roll, gluten free or not- I'd LOVE to know which brand it is! I venture to say that if you put this sandwich in front of someone and don't tell them it's gluten free, they would never know it. The Canadian bacon is good- also not chewy or dry. The size of the sandwich is more than adequate. The egg and cheese are also good (I am also picky about microwaved eggs...yup, I am just picky period). Good ratio on bun vs. cheese, egg and breakfast meat as well.

Regrets? None. At. All. I do admit Starbucks®- you have made me eat my words, literally. This is a delicious meal item and I am one happy camper. Some additional thoughts:

- Consider offering a cheese-free option as well (or) dairy-free cheese

- Expand to other breakfast meats (chicken sausage patty, bacon?) Al Fresco is our favorite

- Would love an egg-free option as well

Waste Nothing My teeny, tiny pet peeve, as I mention regularly (since allergy-friendly foods tend to be a bit more pricey) waste nothing! I know this is such a minute thing but do you see the portion of the sandwich that gets left behind here? Now some of us love to scrape it off, lick it off, whatever but that is still food waste. There's like an entire bite stuck in there. I know it happens, I know it's from the heating process and probably can't be helped but (maybe) can you work on it? Yeah, it's probably fun watching people hold the paper up to their face, licking and scraping but if you are in a business meeting...so not lady-like. 

All in all, what I am trying to say is- thank you Starbucks® for introducing this and for opening up your eyes about your food allergic customers. I look forward to (possible) future additions in the works ~

Who else has tried the Gluten-Free Breakfast Sandwich? 

Tell me your honest thoughts!

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this post, I am just a hungry blogger. I was not asked to write this review, I was not paid for it and I was not compensated for my meal.