Guide To The Starbucks Menu (part 4)

Now that you know what drink you want, you’re still not ready to order. There’s many more choices: size, what kind of milk, temperature and more.

Starbucks Sizes

You have to choose a size and Starbucks couldn’t just go with small, medium or large.

Their small is called tall, which is a 12 ounce cup.

Then there’s grande, which is 16 ouches.

Yes, I know they all sound like they could be large size, but their large is called venti, which is twenty oucnes. The name venti comes from the word for twenty in italian.

Milk Choices

Nonfat – All the normal bar drinks can be made with nonfat milk instead of whole if you’re looking for something more healthy. However, the blended drinks like the frappuccinos are made with a premixed concentrate, so they can’t change the milk.

Low Fat AKA Percent – This is a mixture of fifty percent whole milk and fifty percent non-fat. It can make your drink take longer to prepare because the barista may have to steamy two separate pitchers of milk.

Breve – Half and half instead of regular milk. It makes your drink thicker, sweeter, more expensive and a lot more fattening.

Soy – Milk made form soy beans and it does cost extra.

Organic – Available in some stores and it also costs extra.

Other Customizations

Foam – Lattes and caramel macchiatos have a certain amount of foam on top, so you can ask for more, less or none at all.

Wet Or Dry – Cappuccinos are made half milk, half foam. You can get a dry cappuccino which has more foam, but less milk or a wet cappuccino which has less foam.

Whipped Cream – They make the whipped cream every day in their stores. Many of the drinks come with whipped cream, but you can ask for just about any drink with whipped cream.

Extra Hot – You can get your hotter than normal, so if you like hotter drinks, or if your saving it for later, this is an option for you. Of course, just don’t drink it right away, because it’s hot enough to burn your tongue. Extra hot is around 170 degrees, you an order up to 180.

140 Degrees – If you want a cooler drink, but still hot drink, you can ask for this temperature.

Sugar, Sweet ‘n’ Low, Equal and Splenda – You can ask the barista to add these to your drinks as they make it. It saves you time and because the drink is hot when the sugar is added, it blends better.

Caramel Sauce – Certain drinks come with caramel sauce, but you can try it on other drinks too. Just make sure you get the sauce, which is real caramel, versus the syrup which is just sugar, water and caramel flavor.

Extra Ice/Less Ice – Really does this need an explanation?

Upside Down – Caramel macchiatos are made with shots and caramel dropped on top. You can get it upside down with the drink mixed and the caramel melted.

Double Blended – You can get a Frappuccino double blended, which makes it smoother and more liquid.

Any customizations that you like? Any that I’m missing?