!44: How to Order a Drink From Starbucks

!±8± How to Order a Drink From Starbucks

One of my many current jobs includes being a Starbucks Barista. I always get a lot of questions about the Starbucks lingo so I decided to write a little article about how one would order a Starbucks beverage. I know of some people who have personally told me they would not go into a Starbucks because they were afraid they would order the drink incorrectly. So my first suggestion is, don't be intimidated. Even if you get everything wrong, the Barista should be well enough trainined to ask you the right questions so you get a perfect drink every time.

Ordering a drink is as easy as 1, 2, 3...

Number 1: Order

If you notice on any hot or iced Starbucks cup there are square boxes that go down the side of the cup. These boxes are for modifications to the drink. You read the boxes top to bottom.

Decaf
Shots
Syrup
Milk
Custom
Drink

Number 2: Hot or Iced

Hot is implied and anything over Ice gets Iced before it. This does not include the iced blended beverages which are frapaccinos.

Number 3: Cup size

Cup size goes after the shots box. There are currently the following sizes (available in my area, some may vary depending upon local):

Short (hot drinks) 8 oz.
Tall (hot and cold) 12 oz.
Grande (hot and cold) 16 oz.
Venti hot - 20 oz.
Venti cold - 24 oz.
Trenta Iced coffee or Iced Tea cold - 30 oz.

Now that's everything you need to know... well basically lol. There is a lot more to it but those are the extreme basics. Now examples...

Examples:

Example 1

Let's say I go in and want a White Mocha because it sounds yummy but I don't want all the calories so the Barista suggests I order it nonfat and no whip. I also love raspberry and want to add that and add an extra shot of espresso. I also want the largest size.

Correct drink call:

Triple - Shots, this drink wasn't decaf so we skipped that step and went right to shots
Venti - Size
Raspberry - Syrup modification (also syrups are not Shots, many people say shot of raspberry nope Shots are only for espresso)
Nonfat - milk type not that the drink is totally nonfat
No Whip - a custom modification from the original recipe
White Mocha - what drink I ordered

Example 2:

It's hot out and I decide I want something cold and delicious. What do I do? Ahh ha go to Starbucks and order something cold. The first thing I want to ask myself is do I want a drink over ice cubs or blended? I decided ice cubs. I want a Iced Chai Tea Latte.

So how do I order it?

Iced - always first
Tall - Size
Nonfat - want to save some calories
Chai - the type of drink I want