These Are The Menu Items Starbucks Baristas Hate To Make
Imagine this: It's a groggy 6:30 a.m., you're trudging into your local Starbucks, and you see a rhinoceros behind the counter. There are no employees insight. It glares at your fleshy exterior. Now, this would be bad for a number of reasons, one of them being that you're probably not about to get a morning cup of coffee. But fortunately, this scenario is hypothetical, and Starbucks doesn't employ rhinos. They instead hire human baristas that were born, wear clothes, and are as just complex as you are. These folks also make drinks that they might not like assembling.
Now, if you're curious about what orders cause a Starbucks worker anguish, then welcome to the party bus, for we're about to drive through a load of employee testimonies and anecdotes that can be found across the internet. It's worth quickly noting that the following items on trial are probably not universally disdained by every employee. But that said, many of these products have certainly done a number on someone.
Starbucks Frappuccinos can be time-consuming annoyances
If you've never walked into a Starbucks before, then you might not know what a Frappuccino is. Well, for those who are curious, the Starbucks website said that their Espresso Frappuccino consists of coffee, milk, and ice that's blended together. You can choose different flavored Frappuccinos, and some of these items have whipped cream on the top.
These items can also be frustrating to make, so much so that a Starbuck employee told Cosmopolitan that they disliked whipping up a ton of sample-sized versions. They said, "Don't tell me you don't know what a Frappuccino tastes like and you want to sample all of them. Every barista hates making Frappuccinos because it has the most steps out of every drink." This worker then went on to state that they'd make these testers for a customer, but doing so would be a shade irritating.
Furthermore, a Starbucks barista wrote a 2015 Delish article that outlined some other ways this drink can be troublesome. They stated, "Have you experienced a Frappuccino rush? It's not pretty ... Blending takes time, mixing up the Frappuccino base takes time, and the whole process is sticky and annoying. Please be patient — most stores only have two blenders."
Starbucks' banana smoothies weren't beloved by all
In 2018, Starbucks admitted that they had stopped serving up their smoothies, and this info disappointed a lot of folks on the internet. One Twitter user wrote, "So sad @Starbucks discontinued their smoothies." This account further emphasized how they felt by leaving three weeping emoji faces at the end of their tweet. A number of Change.org users even signed a petition asking this joint not to get rid of these beverages.
However, while these smoothies may have had their fans, they also had their critics. In 2017, a Reddit account asked the Starbucks page, "What drink do you hate making the most?" And a number of users, who claimed to employees of this chain, went hard after the banana drinks. A commenter stated that they didn't like creating smoothies because these fruit sticks were so far away from their work station. This poster wrote, "We don't defrost them every day because of how infrequently smoothies get ordered, so I have to call for one or rush back myself."
On another thread, a Redditor said that his store would buy its own bananas because the Starbucks products weren't good. They asserted, "If I won't consume something, I refuse to sell it."
As of October 2020, Starbucks has a new smoothie on their menu. This beverage doesn't contain any bananas. But if this company ever releases another potassium-blended concoction, then it'll potentially be wise to ask our baristas what they're like to create.
Starbucks' iced cappuccinos can create excess debris
Ice is a liquid that's become so cold that's frozen into a solid. And a cappuccino is a type of coffee that's hot. Therefore, when a Spoon University article questioned how these two opposing forces would work together, they were making a legitimate point. The writer of this piece worked at Starbucks when it was published, and they disliked when customers would ask for iced cappuccinos. "How does one put hot foam on top of an iced drink?" they hypothetically asked. "Very hesitantly."
This order doesn't just combine a couple of dissimilar elements — it can also be wasteful to make. "To get an appropriate amount of foam for your iced cappuccino, I must steam a pitcher of milk equivalent to a little less than a tall or small size," expressed the Spoon University writer. "After that, if I'm not lucky enough to have a hot latte as a next drink, we have to just throw the milk out. Yup, straight down the drain." It seems as if this coffee might not be worth the hassle and the conceivable scraps it could make.
Starbucks' espresso macchiatos may bamboozle buyers
If you're unsure of what an espresso macchiato is, then the Starbucks' website has got you covered. In a 2016 article, they outlined that this drink is predominately made of espresso, but it has a short layer of steamed milk and foam floating on top. This information is also available on their menu.
But despite the fact that this drink doesn't sound like it's as complicated as a Frappuccino to prepare, one Reddit user insisted that they hated making these beverages. This self-declared Starbucks worker said that a lot of customers who ordered this item actually wanted another coffee instead. They believed that these patrons were really after a short cappuccino or latte. The worker wrote, "The espresso macchiato is just shots of espresso with a dollop of foam. And yet I have everyone coming in asking for 'wet' or 'extra wet' or filled to the top. THATS NOT AN ESPRESSO MACCHIATO."
'Secret' menu items aren't real Starbucks menu items
Starbucks' secret menu items have been promoted by Huffpost, in this Buzzfeed clip, and across Instagram. However, according a former Frappuccino maker at Lifehacker, baristas don't want you to order them. And this is because these mysterious drinks don't actually exist in any official capacity. The piece's author then states that they're instead "finicky orders that customers have invented that usually require a lot of legwork on the part of a store's employees." If you request a made-up beverage during peak hour and then gawk at how much it costs, then Lifehacker said that your server will dislike you.
Another ex-Starbucks employee told Food Network about the woes of making secret menu items for their patrons. "It's usually a burden on the baristas when customers order a secret drink," they stated. "It's time-consuming and a recipe we don't know by heart like our on-menu drinks, so it takes time." However, if you're dead set on getting one of these unofficial orders, then this person strongly recommended that you bring along a set of instructions. They said, "Please, please, please have the recipe or else you aren't getting your drink."
Starbucks' honey packets can be awful to use
Across the Twittersphere, many accounts have complained about how Starbucks' honey packets are designed. "Starbucks honey packets are impossible to open," declared Dan Goldberg. "After ten minutes of trying and finally getting the honey, I sure do feel like a man!" Sally McRae asked if anybody else had difficultly getting into these sachets. They then stated that they've been difficult to use in Colorado all the way across to California.
It seems as if this condiment doesn't just bother Starbucks' customers and has irked some alleged employees on Reddit. One user complained about having to individually open these packets and asked why the company doesn't just supply its workers with pumps that are full of honey. Another exclaimed that they find cutting into these wrappers to be an unpleasant experience. They wrote, "I've stopped putting honey in the cup for drinks ... They don't only get my hands super sticky but the scissors too. So I just tell them we can't because our scissors aren't sanitized for food contact."
The Starbucks menu now stocks a toasted honey topping. We're guessing that this item probably doesn't come in a packet. So if you want to stop your barista or your fingers from potentially entering a world of pain, then you think about getting this instead.
A Starbucks drink with 20 customized ingredients sounds absurd
Starbucks isn't shy about the fact you can tailor a drink to your exact specifications. You can add syrups, whipped cream, and a ton of other stuff into a humble Caffè Latte before ordering it. Almost every other beverage on the menu can also be customized. However, just because one can add an unlimited amount of extras to their drink, it doesn't mean that they necessarily should.
For instance, let's take look at this Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew that Yahoo! News reported on. Back in 2018, an Indiana-based Starbucks customer ordered this drink to come with 20 extra ingredients. They asked for five pumps of caramel syrup, five pumps of white mocha, ten sugars, and a ton of additional stuff. The server who took this order said in a removed tweet, "You have to be trolling us right now."
Look, it's probably not that hard to imagine why making such a drink would be annoying. If whipping up a Frappuccino or a secret menu item is time-consuming, then this beverage would also take a while to get right. So yes, Starbucks allows a heap of its menu items to be modified. But please don't use this knowledge to make a complex drink made out of every single ingredient on the menu.
Starbucks' eggnog lattes can be noisy messes to create
According to Thrillist, Starbucks' eggnog lattes were first released in 1986. Yup, these seasonal drinks have certainly been around for a while. But what is in this product? Well, the Starbucks' website said that these coffees are made out of frothed eggnog and espresso that's been lightly sprinkled with nutmeg.
This beverage has also been the subject of a pile of Reddit comments where alleged Starbucks employees have complained about making them. Apparently, they're not too pleasant to make. This item has also been said to have an artificial aroma. One detractor wrote, "I always use my hand to prevent the spray from hitting me in the face. I also grimace because it's gross and smells like bubblegum."
Another reason this item gets slammed is because it's supposedly rather loud. In a thread discussing this subject, a user stated that this drink makes a continuous, unpleasant sound when it's being foamed. In a different post, a Redditor said that they were spooked the first time they streamed some eggnog. They exclaimed, "It sounded like I got sucked into a void with all the rattling and the piercing sound."
So, if you're craving some eggnog during the winter, maybe don't get your fix from a Starbucks. No drink is worth your regular barista being attacked by pipping hot screaming liquid. Moreover, if you ignore this advice, at least leave a nice tip.
Starbucks' no foam lattes are capable of being loathed
In the previously mentioned 2015 Delish article, the author lambasted their least favorite coffee to make. And this item was a non-fat, extra-foamy cappuccino. They said, "Non-fat milk makes horrible foam. You're better off ordering a latte." However, this writer immediately reneges on their decision and decides that a no-foam latte is worse to whip up. Their article then exclaims, "We have to scoop the foam off your drink by hand, which slows everything down. On behalf of all the baristas in the world, let me say, foam is a good thing."
If you are someone who really wants a hot, milky coffee without anything frothing on top, Latte Art Guide discussed a drink that naturally meets these specifications. It's called a flat white, and this beverage is basically a foamless cappuccino. This drink is also served at Starbucks, and your barista might have an easier time making one of these than scraping the foam off of a latte.
Starbucks' medicine balls aren't always easy to assemble
In 2017, Insider reported that a Starbucks' secret menu item had become an official product. That's right, a hot tea drink called a "Medicine Ball" or a "Cold Buster" was so popular across social media that it got added to the pantheon. On the Starbucks' website, this beverage is called a Honey Citrus Mint Tea. These concoctions consist of green tea, peach herbal tea, hot water, lemonade, and a bit of honey.
Now, these drinks may sound rather wholesome, but they can apparently be rather annoying to make. A user on Reddit stated that they're not only popular, but their recipe has an aggravating number of instructions. Another outlined that these teas take a considerable amount of time to get correct. They said, "It requires the barista to go all over the place – to multiple stations – to craft it. Tea from the tea station, hot water from the brewing station, lemonade from the cold bar, etc."
Furthermore, a different Reddit post claimed that Starbucks' Honey Citrus Mint Teas aren't officially referred to as Medicine Balls for a reason. This comment remarked, "I cannot legally call it medicine." So, in an unsurprising turn of events, a barista doesn't serve pharmaceutical drugs that require a prescription. But if you're unwell and really want this drink anyway, don't go out — you can easily make it at home.
Starbucks' cold foam might cause barista woes
If you've ever pined for an iced coffee that had a thick layer of cooled froth on its top, then, Elite Daily says that Starbucks might have the right condiment to ease your heartache. This product is called "cold foam," and it was rolled out across the U.S. in 2018 In an article published on Yahoo Life!, Ellie Conley noted that this foamy product is created in a unique blender that whisks up non-fat milk. They also said that this stuff can be added to every single one of this joint's beverages.
Now, this ingredient may sound like it was tailored for taste buds, but a few Redditors have expressed that your barista may not like making it. One self-described worker said that he hated creating any drink that had a cold foam component. Another attested that there's a sweetened vanilla version of this froth, and they felt like this item is basically whipped cream but harder to serve. In a different comment, this user wrote, "I do like how the foam looks with the whip for the white mocha TikTok drink but it's not worth the stress."
The limited-time Starbucks Frappuccinos seem taxing to make
Every so often, Starbucks will release a Frappuccino that won't be a mainstay on their menu. A great example of this type of product is their 2017 Unicorn Frappuccino. Their website said that this beverage consisted of two pink, mango-like Frappuccino layers, and it had a squiggly stripe of sour blue drizzle in between. It was then topped with whip cream and garnished with colored topping. It was also only available for five days.
Teen Vogue reported that this drink was a hit with the internet but not with baristas everywhere. In a now-deleted Twitter video, one employee complained, "I have never made so many Frappuccinos in my entire life." This worker also said that constructing them was sticky, messy, and overwhelming. "If you love us as baristas," they stated. "Don't order it. It is so difficult to make it, and people were coming in left and right."
Moreover, the Unicorn Frappuccino isn't the only novelty drink that has upset a Starbucks employee. Two years after its release, Starbucks came out with a tropical, multi-colored beverage called the Tie-Dye Frappuccino. A barista told New York Post that these items were "tedious" to create. They said that constructing one was a ten-step process that involved using a number of pigmented powders. New York Post additionally noted that this Frappuccino sometimes took ten minutes to get to its customer. Plus, they claimed it didn't even taste that good anyway.