During my trip to Singapore last year, I ended up buying their Starbucks planner. The PH version isn’t released yet and SG’s version ended up cheaper because I can just pay for it outright instead of collecting stickers like back home.
I really like Starbucks Singapore’s planner and have been looking forward to their 2021 version. I found a Singapore based personal shopper and when it was released in early October (or late September) I ordered my copy. It finally arrived today!
The Starbucks x Moleskine planner comes in three colors: black, blue, and red. There is no difference in the content regardless of the color.
The back of the planner is just plain color with the Moleskine logo at the center bottom. The spine has the word “Starbucks” written, about the same color as the Moleskine logo. It comes with a wraparound paper cover, which you can remove.
The cover is made of a fabric resembling denim. It’s soft and sturdy. Personally I’m not a fan because I prefer leather, but I think this is more stain resistant. I’m pretty careful with notebooks, but leather notebooks do get random marks/stains that can be difficult to remove. I don’t think it will be the case with this one.
I tried to take a picture that will accurately capture its color as much as my phone’s camera can. This is the closest I can get, and I absolutely love the bright red color!
The most important part of every planner for me is the interior. This year’s layout is exactly the same as last year’s planner.
The core use of my planner to take not of all my weekly meetings. I don’t like having to note the exact time so weekly vertical layouts are not my style. I prefer a quick weekly overview with space for notes — for to do or quick reminders.
Something unique with Starbucks planners is their monthly page features. This is always on brand and related to Starbucks. Last year it was a list of unique Starbucks locations to visit. This year, it seems to feature coffee beans/flavors. I’m not a coffee drinker so this isn’t interesting to me compared to last year’s feature.
The horizontal weekly layout is perfect for me. I can quickly see all the meetings, appointments, or deadlines due for the day. I have tiny handwriting so this is ample space. Then the right side is perfect for those random notes or doodles.
Every end of the month the last few pages are just lined possibly for more notes. I personally don’t really use it, however I have been in long meetings wherein I use this portion to write down everything.
In terms of paper thickness, the paper feels thin. I usually write with a 0.5 mm fountain or gel pen, and I have not experienced any bleeding issues despite using heavier inks than a regular ballpoint pen. I don’t have a heavy hand so my writing marks don’t mark the next page. But in my use of Moleskine notebooks throughout the years, this has never been an issue.
One major difference with the PH planner is that they don’t have special Starbucks coupons for free drinks or discounts. Another difference is that this seems to be more on brand with Moleskine. The 2016 PH Starbucks planner was Moleskine (I absolutely loved it), but I’m not sure if the succeeding years follow suit.
That’s the planner! I have never owned a regular Moleskine planner so I’m not sure if their weekly layout is the same with their non-brand partnership planner.
I’m really excited to start writing on my new planner! It’s always satisfying to start a new page, and luckily the first month is December.
I really hope 2021 will see more events apart from work meetings. I don’t think travel holidays will already be possible, but let’s hope we can start planning and move towards the new normal.
The Starbucks x Moleskine 2021 planner is available in all Starbucks stores or their Lazada flagship store for SGD 38.90.
Hedda Damasco 