Coffee Knowledge

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 Basic Drinks
Plain black coffee, brewed less than an hour ago. If you want the barista to
Coffee leave room for you to add milk or half and half, let him know. Also available
in decaf and mild.
Plain coffee, usually House blend, brewed double-strength so the ice won't
Iced Coffee
dilute it and kept in the fridge. This is not just regular coffee poured over ice.
Starbucks has a lot of varieties of tea: black, green, herbal, blends,
Tea decaffeinated, you name it. It's generally priced by the number of tea bags
rather than the size of the cup, since hot water doesn't cost much of anything.
Plain tea brewed at several points during the day and kept in the fridge.
Iced Tea Usually available in black and passion (herbal), sweetened or unsweetened
(with basic sugar syrup), with or without lemonade added.
A drink consisting of half coffee, half steamed milk and a bit of foam. It can be
Misto / Cafe au Lait made decaf, nonfat, etc. "Misto" is the Starbucks name, cafe au lait is a more
generic term.

Espresso Bar Drinks

Espresso, steamed milk, and foam, not sweetened in any way unless you ask for syrup
Latte
or sugar in it.
Like a latte, only much more foam; normally half milk half foam, unless "wet" or "dry"
is specified (see below). This is also not sweetened, and an "iced cappuccino" doesn't
Cappuccino
really exist at Starbucks. Since iced drinks are made without foam, an iced cappuccino
is the same as an iced latte.
Basically, a vanilla latte with a bit less vanilla and extra foam, and with gooey, yummy
caramel sauce drizzled on top. If it doesn't taste sweet enough when you first try it, mix
it up a bit. If it's still not sweet enough, ask for more vanilla -- caramel sauce doesn't
Caramel
really dissolve well, so by the time it strongly flavors the drink there's way too much.
Macchiato
Iced caramel macchiatos, like hot ones, have the shots and caramel poured on top, so
when you get it it won't look mixed at all. Just make sure you stir it before you drink.
Macchiato, by the way, is pronounced "mah-kee-YAH-toe."
Espresso diluted with hot water until it's roughly the strength of regular coffee. An
Americano will usually have one more shot than a latte of the same size. Sometimes if
Americano
the regular coffee you ordered hasn't finished brewing and you don't want to wait for it,
the barista may offer you an Americano instead.
Espresso and steamed milk mixed with chocolate and served with whipped cream on
top. Despite being chocolatey, these are not terribly sweet; if you don't want to taste the
Mocha espresso, ask for flavor syrup or sugar to be added, or try one of the other mocha drinks
instead. Also, these are not blended. If you're looking for one of those milkshake-
looking things, you want a mocha Frappuccino.
Espresso and steamed milk mixed with white chocolate syrup and served with whipped
White Mocha
cream. These are a lot sweeter than regular mochas, but also a bit less healthy.
Mocha A mocha with Valencia (orange) syrup and an extra espresso shot added, with whipped
Valencia cream and orangey sprinkles on top. These taste like the chocolate oranges you can buy

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 in various stores. This doesn't appear on the menu as often as it used to, so newer
baristas may not be familiar with the exact recipe.
A mocha with cinnamon syrup added, served with foam and cinnamon on top rather
than whipped cream. They have less chocolate than regular mochas, to keep them from
Cinnamon
being like Mocha Valencias (i.e., so sweet that an extra shot has to be added to balance
Spice Mocha
it). This has also been off the menu for some time, so newer baristas may give you a
blank look if you order it.
A latte flavored with the new Toffee Nut syrup, which tastes, well, toffee-like. Similar to a combination
Toffee Nut
whipped cream and crunchy toffee sprinkles. While originally introduced as a winter seasonal drink, it s
Latte
menu.
Just espresso. A solo espresso is a single shot, which is a bit less than an ounce. A
Espresso doppio espresso is two shots. A triple espresso is three, and a quad shot is four (and
only for the brave).
Espresso Espresso dropped into a cup of milk foam, and only foam. Like a small, extremely dry
Macchiato cappuccino. These are ordered not by cup size, but by the number of shots.
Espresso Con Espresso in a big squirt of whipped cream. Ordered by the number of shots, rather than
Panna cup size.

Non-Espresso Bar Drinks

Chocolate and steamed milk, with a little vanilla added because the mocha
Hot Chocolate
syrup is not very sweet, and served with whipped cream.
Just steamed milk, usually with a dollop of foam on top. Usually these are
Steamed Milk ordered with flavor syrup added, which used to be called a "steamer" but is
now a "creme".
Steamed milk with vanilla syrup and whipped cream. Not to be confused with
Vanilla Creme
the Vanilla Creme Frappuccino, which is a cold, blended drink.
Sweetened Chai syrup (tea and spices) added to steamed milk. If you don't
want it so sweet or so milky, you can also get Chai made with a tea bag --
Chai Latte black tea and spices, none of that sweetened syrup stuff. There is caffeine in
both versions, since it's made with black tea. These taste really good with
chocolate (surprisingly enough) or just one pump of gingerbread syrup.
Apple juice / cider (not sure what the distinction is) steamed to a nice hot
Steamed Cider
temperature. You can also get just plain, cold, apple juice.
Steamed cider with cinnamon syrup, whipped cream, and caramel sauce.
Caramel Apple Cider
Sweeter (and pricier) than plain steamed cider.

Coffee-Based Blended Drinks

A pre-made coffee / sweetener base blended with ice, resulting in kind of a
Coffee Frappuccino milkshake looking concoction. Normally served without whipped cream unless
it's requested.
A coffee Frappuccino with chocolate syrup mixed in, normally served without
Mocha Frappuccino
whipped cream unless it's requested.
A coffee Frappuccino with caramel syrup added, served with whipped cream
Caramel
and caramel sauce drizzled on top. One of the sweetest coffee-based
Frappuccino
Frappuccinos, and also one of the most popular.

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Java Chip A mocha Frappuccino with chocolate chip-like things blended in, served with
Frappuccino whipped cream and chocolate drizzled on top.
White Mocha
A coffee Frappuccino with white mocha syrup mixed in.
Frappuccino
A coffee Frappuccino with a shot of espresso added. Actually, any
Frappuccino can have shots added (it costs extra, just like adding a shot to any
Espresso
other drink). A more recent (and tastier, in my opinion) way to add caffeine is
Frappuccino
to order a Frappuccino 'affogato style' -- meaning, with an espresso shot and
mocha or caramel on top.

Creme-Based Blended Drinks

Basically, a vanilla milkshake. This is a base of nonfat milk and soy (to thicken
Vanilla Creme it) blended with vanilla syrup and ice, with whipped cream on top. No coffee,
Frappuccino no caffeine. Other syrup flavors can be used instead of vanilla; mint works
well, as does Valencia (orange).
Chocolate Creme A creme Frappuccino made with chocolate instead of vanilla. Like a chocolate
Frappuccino milkshake, or a mocha Frappuccino without the coffee.
Green Tea A creme Frappuccino made with green tea flakes. Tasty, very green, and
Frappuccino probably seasonal. The green tea may add some caffeine.
A creme Frappuccino made with the same Chai syrup used to make the Chai
Chai Creme
latte, with whipped cream on top. These have caffeine, since there's black tea
Frappuccino
in the syrup.

Sizes
8 oz. The smallest size Starbucks offers, but you'll probably only get this size
if you ask for it by name; anyone asking for a "small" will get a Tall, which is
Short
the smallest size for which the prices are actually on the menu. Only hot
drinks can be served in the Short size.
Tall 12 oz. This is what you'll get if you ask for a "small" drink.
Grande 16 oz. This is the "medium" size. Pronounced "GRAWN-day."
20 oz. hot, 24 oz. cold. For some reason the iced Venti cups hold four more
ounces; for this reason, Venti espresso drinks have an extra shot of espresso in
Venti
them, and cost a few cents more than their hot equivalents. Pronounced
"VENN-tee," and reportedly means twenty in Italian.

Caffeination
Made with decaffeinated espresso, pulled from decaffeinated espresso beans.
Decaf This doesn't mean caffeine free, but there's very very little caffeine in a decaf
drink.
Half-Caf Made with half regular, half decaf espresso.

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 Espresso Shots
Made with just one shot of espresso. This is the normal amount for all Tall-
Single
sized drinks except Mocha Valencias and Americanos.
Made with two shots. This is the normal amount for all Grande- and hot Venti-
Double sized drinks except Mocha Valencias and Americanos. Also the normal
amount for Tall-sized Mocha Valencias and Americanos.
Made with three shots. This is the normal amount for Grande- and Venti-sized
Triple Mocha Valencias and Americanos. Also the normal amount for most iced
Venti-sized drinks.
Quad Made with four shots. Hope you weren't planning on sleeping anytime soon.
This is so rarely requested that even many baristas don't recognize it. A normal
Ristretto shot of espresso takes about twenty seconds to pull; a ristretto shot is stopped
at fifteen seconds, making a slightly smaller, less bold shot.

Flavor Syrup
Flavor syrup can be added to any drink, including regular coffee, frappuccinos,
iced tea and Chai. The syrup is basically sugar water with some kind of
flavoring, and is usually mixed in the following amounts: 3 pumps in a Tall, 4
in a Grande, 5 in a hot Venti, 6 in an Iced Venti. Caramel macchiatos have one
Syrup pump less in each size. Coffee-based Frappuccinos get one pump in a Tall or
Grande, two in a Venti. The famed Gingerbread Latte, a latte flavored with
gingerbread syrup, is only available during the holidays. Year-round syrups
include vanilla, sugar-free vanilla, hazelnut, sugar-free hazelnut, Irish creme,
almond, mint, Valencia (orange), raspberry, caramel, and toffee nut.

Milk
All normal bar drinks can be made with nonfat milk instead of whole. Blended
Nonfat drinks are made from pre-mixed concentrate, so the milk can't be changed, but
most are fairly low in fat anyway, especially if you skip the whipped cream.
Drinks can also be made with lowfat milk, which is actually a 50-50 mixture of
Lowfat / "Percent" whole and nonfat. Be aware, this may require the barista to steam two separate
pitchers of milk if it's a hot drink, so it may take a bit longer.
Made with half and half instead of regular milk. This makes it a bit thicker, a
Breve
bit sweeter, a bit more expensive and a lot more fattening.
Depending on your location, you may be able to order a drink with soy milk
Soy rather than regular milk. It's pretty good, even if you don't have
dietary/religious reasons for avoiding cow milk. It does cost extra, though.
Some stores also have organic milk available. It'll cost extra, and they may
Organic
have to go looking for it, since almost no one orders it (in my area at least).
Eggnog This is the vital component of the much-anticipated holiday drink, the eggnog
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 latte. It's only available during the winter; see Seasonal and Discontinued
Drinks for details.

Extra
Lattes and caramel macchiatos are served with a certain amount of fluffy
Foam
foamed milk on top. You can always ask for more or less, or no foam at all.
Cappuccinos are made with much more foam than lattes; Starbucks standards
dictate half milk, half foam. A dry cappuccino has more foam, a wet
Wet / Dry
cappuccino has less. There's a fine line between a very wet cappuccino and an
extra-foam latte.
Whipped cream is made fresh in the store every day, and it's yummy. Mochas,
white mochas, and vanilla cremes automatically come with whip; most other
things don't. If you really want whip, or really don't, make sure to tell the
barista when you order, because it's a lot easier to write it on the cup than it is
Whipped Cream
to take it off or add it once the drink has been made. And also realize that
whipped cream is quite laden with calories; getting your mocha made with
non-fat milk doesn't do you much good when you triple the amount of calories
with a dollop of whip.
Some people like their drinks extra extra piping hot. Others just want it to still
be drinkable an hour later. In any case, if you order something extra hot, don't
Extra Hot drink it too fast, because it could be up to or possibly over 170 degrees.
Anything over that is technically scalding the milk, but if you want it at 180,
go ahead and specify that.
No, this is not the newest boy band. If you find normal drinks too hot to drink,
140 degrees and want to save your tastebuds from a fiery death, order your drink at a
hundred and forty degrees -- this is still quite warm, but not tongue-roasting.
By Starbucks rules, any drink that's going to be served to a child must be no
Kid's hotter than 130 degrees. Keep this in mind when you go cheap and order the
$1.00 kid's hot chocolate.
Baristas are prohibited from adding anything you hand them to your drinks, but
the various sweeteners available on the condiment bar are also stocked near the
Sugar / Sweet 'n' Low
espresso bar, so you can ask to have two Equals, or three sugar packets, or
/ Equal / Splenda
whatever, added to your drink while it's being made. This mixes it in better and
saves you time, plus it doesn't cost extra.
There's two forms of caramel flavoring: caramel syrup, which is the sugar
water stuff used to flavor caramel Frappuccinos, and caramel sauce, which is
gooey, genuine caramel. This is drizzled on top of caramel Frappuccinos,
Caramel Sauce
caramel macchiatos, caramel mochas and caramel apple ciders. You can ask
for it on other stuff, but be sure to specify sauce rather than syrup, and it may
cost you extra.
Just about all drinks can be served over ice rather than steamed. Iced
and blended is a whole different thing -- those are Frappuccinos. Taking a
Iced regular iced mocha, for example, and blending it, does not work. Also, iced
Venti-sized drinks cost a bit more and have an extra shot, because iced Venti
cups contain four more ounces than hot Venti cups.
Extra Ice / Light Ice Depending on your iced beverage preferences, you can always ask for more or

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 less ice than usual. You know. Just because.
This pertains to caramel macchiatos -- normally these are made with the shots
Upside Down and caramel dropped on top. Making one upside down means that it'll be more
thorougly mixed, and the caramel melted a bit.
Double Blended Double-blending a Frappuccino makes it smoother and more liquid.

Seasonal Drinks
Probably the most widely-anticipated winter holiday drink. People start
asking about it in September, but on average these aren't sold until mid-
November sometime. The drink is real eggnog, mixed with a tiny bit of milk
Eggnog Latte to help it steam (Don't bother asking for non-fat. Trust me on this.), espresso,
and nutmeg on top. Eggnog makes a hell of a racket when it's steamed --
sounds like an F-16 taking off, so be ready to plug your ears if you're lurking
near the espresso bar.
Almost never ordered, since most people don't know it exists, but this is
available whenever the 'nog latte is. It's basically a coffee Frappuccino made
Eggnog Frappuccino
with more eggnog than Frap base, and served with whipped cream and
nutmeg.
Another classic Christmas drink, which if ordered nonfat and without
Gingerbread Latte whipped cream is much healthier than the eggnog latte. A basic latte flavored
with Gingerbread syrup, and topped with whipped cream and nutmeg.
Introduced during the 2002-2003 holiday season, this is a mocha with
Peppermint Mocha peppermint flavoring syrup, served with whipped cream and little red
sprinkles. May be available year-round, depending on the store.
Peppermint Hot
Hot chocolate with peppermint syrup, whipped cream, and red sprinkles.
Chocolate
Peppermint Mocha A mocha Frappuccino with peppermint syrup blended in, whipped cream, and
Frappuccino those ubiquitous red sprinkles.

Graveyard of Discontinued Drinks - these are no longer available

These blended, fruit-flavored, Italian ice-style drinks were available at some
Tiazzi point before my time. Rumors vary as to why they're not carried anymore, but
if you were hoping for one of these, you're several years too late.
A berry / tea concentrate blended with ice, usually served without whipped
cream. It tastes kind of like a berry Slurpee would, if there were real berries
Tazoberry
and a hint of tea in it. All of the Tazo blended drinks contained caffeine from
the tea, and were not available in decaffeinated form.
Tazoberry and A Tazoberry with, well, cream added. These were sweeter and lighter in color
Cream than regular Tazoberries, and served with whipped cream.
A orange / lime / green tea concentrate blended with ice, usually served
Tazo Citrus
without whipped cream.
Tazo Citrus and A Tazo Citrus with cream added. These were sweeter and lighter in color than
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 regular Tazo Citruses, served with whipped cream, and tasted kinda like an
Cream
Orange Julius would taste if it were made with real oranges.
This was available durring the summer of 2001, but was discontinued in the
following months. It was like a Java Chip Frappuccino, only instead of the
Raspberry Mocha
usual chocolate chunks blended in, there were special raspberry-flavored
Chip Frappuccino
chocolate chunks. Served with whipped cream and such. A lot of people,
including your truly, are still annoyed at Starbucks for getting rid of this drink.
A Mocha Frappuccino with chocolate chunks blended in, served with whipped
Chocolate Brownie
cream and a drizzle of chocolate on top. These have been replaced with the
Frappuccino
very-similar Java Chip Frappuccino.
A deeply missed beverage. A Chantico was a very concentrated hot chocolate
-- it has been compared to drinking brownie batter. Special 6-ounce cups were
made for it, since few people could drink any more than that. Extremely rich,
Chantico very sugary, and loaded with calories. Introduced during late Winter 2005,
when Starbucks was making a push to get more people in during dessert hours,
the Chantico's failure may be due in part to its low sales during the summer
months.