Kids I’ll be the first to admit I’m a sucker for Starbucks. I usually get excited as we approach the holidays and I go crazy for the pumpkin flavor caffe latte. That said it seems I’ve been selling myself short. Selling myself short cause there is a whole world out there of goodies I could be trying if only I knew about them, which in essence is the conundrum of the Starbucks secret recipe- for not even most baristas even know some of the secret recipes. Unless of course you explain it to them…
As your eyes roll down the list (below) you can see there are some amazing treats in store for the avid Starbucks connousier . There is of course one caveat about enjoying a Starbucks creation, not being aloud to light up a cigarette and really let the caffeine hit take you for a nice langurous rise…and of course all those wonderful calories you’re so desperate to avoid.
But of course like every yummy in the world there is a downside or to be precise the real world view of what’s actually going down.
Reader’s comment via buzzfeed: Okay, so! I too, am a former barista of 3 years. The issue with this “secret menu” is that people like to order this stuff when the store is busy. If someone comes in around 11am or noon when the work rush is over, but before kids get out of school…then hell yea! I loved making those crazy concoctions. However, when you have the crazy lady who orders a venti caramel macchiato, upside down, extra hot, whole milk, and only 2 lines of caramel on top, then the kids hot chocolate, the guy who wants 6 shots of espresso, and then YOU WANT SOME CRAZY CAPTAIN CRUNCH CRAP I”VE NEVER EVEN HEARD OF? Yeeeea. Not to mention, unless you are a manager or a shift leader, baristas make roughly! minimum wage and only get about 25 hours a week. AND the tips are split every week between all the employees based on hours. After 6 months, they get an evaluation where they get a raise…it’s usually around 15 – 25 cents extra an hour= 8/hr= roughly $800/month vs 8.20/hr= $820/month….oh man! Rollin in the dough after that evaluation! AND! The worst part of it all! Is that everyone has been brainwashed to think that baristas get treated so well. Oh wait…they do get a free pound of coffee each week, discounts on merchandise, and if you have a closing shift you can take home some of the old pastries. I did enjoy that part. Also, for like a quarter to half of your paycheck you can get pretty decent health insurance.=) SO! How about that secret menu huh?
Starbucks would like you to now start buying their new and improved bucket size coffee.
finally some truth on S&V, u are a sucker scally lol
I once had a lady get viciously irate with me because I couldn’t provide her with a menu.
There is no “secret menu”. In fact.. these drinks actually ARE on the menu, it’s just that there are literally thousands of drink combinations that can be made and they don’t FIT on a printed menu. Plus, Starbucks can’t put these names (ie: Oreo) onto a menu since they’re copy written.
The “Chocolate Turtle Flavor” actually is on the menu. It’s a seasonal item known as Salted Caramel Mocha and it’s topped with a candied salt when available during it’s season (just like the Pumpkin Spice Latte). The Blended Strawberry Lemonade isn’t a “secret” either. There’s actually a button for it on the Register to ring in when ordered.
Just don’t be surprised when you order one of these drinks and it costs you $9.00 – especially if you’re adding a $4 biscotti to your venti sized drink.
Ordering from the menu is very simple.
All you need to know are the basics:
A Latte is espresso, steamed milk and topped with foam.
A Cappuccino is espresso with half steamed milk and half foam. It tastes like a cloud. It feels like a cloud, and it’s nothing like the drink you get from pushing a button on a machine at the gas station.
Once you add a flavor to a latte, it becomes a “new” drink.
A Mocha is just a latte with mocha (bittersweet chocolate) flavoring. (Topped with whip cream instead of foam)
The only thing you REALLY NEED to know is: Saying “I hate you” to your Barista is nicer than ordering 6 different Frappuccinos on one order.
Instead: order a hand crafted Refresher. They’re kind of amazing and they’re effortless to make. Plus they come with real fruit pieces, 40-60 calories (in a tall) with less caffeine than an energy drink but more than a Soda.
The secret menu is fake. Almost all of them are customer imagined fantasies. Stop pretending that there’s a secret menu.