If you have never been to Starbucks or have only been there once or twice, ordering can be a lot since there are so many options and Starbucks has their own language! Here I will tell 10 things about Starbucks that you need to know before ordering!
1. Starbucks has 8 sizes!
Starbucks has four hot cup sizes and four cold cup sizes. The small and medium sizes on both hot and cold are the same ounces… 12oz for Tall (small) and 16oz for Grande (medium). The large size which goes by the name Venti is 20oz on the hot cup and 24oz on the cold cup.
The last two cup sizes are short and trenta! Short is a hot cup that is 8oz and trenta is a cold cup that is 31oz.
Note: The trenta size can only be used for iced coffee, cold brew, iced teas, iced tea lemonades, lemonade, and refreshers.
2. Starbucks only has two sugar-free options.
Starbucks used to have more than two sugar-free options! They had flavors like caramel, hazelnut, and a skinny mocha (it wasn’t sugar free but it had a lot less sugar than the original mocha!
Now they only have vanilla and cinnamon dolce.
3. Starbucks doesn’t have a secret menu!
Even though there are many secret menu drinks for Starbucks out there, there is not an official menu for the coffee shop. This means there is a good chance the barista taking your order will not know the recipe.
For tips on ordering a secret menu drink, check out my list of tips!
4. Refreshers have caffeine.
Strawberry Acai, Very Berry Hibiscus, Mango Dragonfruit, and Kiwi Starfruit all have caffeine. A venti refresher has 70mg of caffeine! That is because refreshers are made from a coffee bean! A green coffee bean, to be more exact! They add a green coffee extract
Note: if you love the refreshers but want to cut down on the caffeine, ask for extra water or extra lemonade! If you want to up the caffeine, ask for no water.
5. There will be an extra charge when adding ingredients to your drink
When you getting a secret menu drink or want to get an extra shot in your latte, remember that there is a charge for that. Things like an added shot of espresso, vanilla sweet cream cold foam, or even adding a banana to your frappuccino is $1! Adding syrups or sauces will range between 50 cents to 60 cents. Non dairy milks, breve (half and half), and heavy cream will be 70 cents.
Note: Ingredients that won’t cost anything are whipped cream, cinnamon powder, sugars (white sugar & raw sugar), sugar substitutes (splenda & stevia)
6. Starbucks has kid sizes!
Starbucks has cheap kid friendly drinks that are not on the menu! They have hot chocolate, caramel apple spice, apple juice, lemonade, chocolate milk, and syrup steamers! The prices range from $2 to $3.50! The hot drinks are steamed to 130* so your child can drink it without you worrying about them burning themselves. The steamed drinks are in a short hot cup and the cold drinks are in a tall iced cup.
Note: Frappuccinos don’t come in the kid sizes. The smallest size you can get in a tall and it will not be a reduced price.
7. Keto drinks are not on the menu
Keto friendly drinks are very popular at Starbucks, but they are not on the menu. Make sure you have the recipe for the keto drink you want when you head to Starbucks so you can make sure you stay in keto while drinking a yummy drink!
8. Frappuccinos can’t be sugar-free
Starbucks frappuccinos can’t be sugar-free because of an ingredient that they add to the drink. They call it base, which has a coffee and a cream version. The base holds the drink together. It will come out creamy like almost like a milkshake, but if it didn’t have the base, it would come out chunky.
9. Starbucks can plenty of caffeine-free drinks!
Almost every drink can be caffeine-free! Popular drinks like a Mocha Cookie Crumble frappuccino or a caramel macchiato can be made with decaf espresso or no coffee at all! Just ask your barista for a decaf version of your favorite drink. Here are some examples:
- Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino would be a Cookie Crumble Frappuccino
- Caramel Macchiato would be a Decaf Caramel Macchiato
- Iced Coffee or Cold Brew would be a Decaf Iced Americano
- Caramel Frappuccino would be a Caramel Creme Frappuccino
Note: Drinks like Refreshers, Iced green or Black tea, or Matcha Green tea lattes or frappuccinos can not be made caffeine-free.
10. Starbucks has a rewards program!
Even if you don’t go to Starbucks every day or every week, joining the Starbucks Reward Program will still save you money! You can save up stars to earn free drinks, food, and even a pound of coffee! You also get a free birthday drink or food item!
For more information about the rewards program, check out why I think it’s the best deal to join!
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