Starbucks mislabels Oregon-themed travel mug

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Starbucks could be in for a new coffee cup-related brouhaha after mislabeling a landmark on an Oregon-themed travel mug.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (http://bit.ly/2gMGS6u ) that the Seattle-based coffee chain has introduced a travel mug covered in sketches of notable Oregon landmarks, including Crater Lake National Park, food carts in Portland and Ashland’s Shakespeare Festival. But there was also a waterfall design identified as “Klamath Falls” — and no such waterfall exists.

The simple line drawing of a falls topped by an arched bridge was likely meant to depict the majestic Multnomah Falls, a popular spot in the Columbia River Gorge. Klamath Falls is a town in southern Oregon.

Starbucks owned up to the mistake in an email and apologized to the people of Oregon.

“The ceramic mug honoring Oregon was designed to feature a topographical map of the state’s famous sites,” the company said. “One of the landmarks on this mug was mislabeled and unfortunately, that was not caught prior to production. We apologize for the error.”

The coffee chain also sparked controversy last winter by choosing a simple red ombre for its holiday cup design.

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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com