What is “orange”? It’s a fruit with a peel with a stipple feel to it. It’s a county and a city in California. It’s a county and a city in Florida. It was a syrup at Starbucks, once upon a time. It was a cupcake flavor at Starbucks, once upon a time. It is one of the few words in the English language with no true perfect rhyme to it. It is a football stadium in Miami, Florida. It is a noun. It was a syrup at Starbucks, several years ago … Oh yes we said that already.
Well, it’s a well-missed syrup. On My Starbucks Idea, on a regular basis, participants come online just to lament the loss of an orange syrup. Here’s an example of what I mean:
I remember when there was an orange syrup in the stores, and I loved it though I never once ordered it in an espresso beverage. I would buy a San Pelligrino and ask for an Italian Soda, with whip cream and then there was an orange drizzle on top of the whip cream. I loved it. One hot summer, I’d say about four years ago, I drank a lot of orange Italian Sodas. Thank you Oak Tree store for always taking the time to make them perfectly.
The photo in this picture comes from twitterer @RachelGab. It’s not actually her photo. Eons ago, I was chatting with her and I think the topic was generally cupcakes. She mentioned that Starbucks once had an orange cupcake, which I did not remember. Through the magic of Google, Rachel pointed me in the direction of an exact photo of the orange cupcake that was previously available at Starbucks. All I know is that I want one. Yes, cupcakes are so wonderful! Unfortunately, not really sure who has the copyright for this lovely pic of this orange Starbucks cupcake, but it’s such an enticing looking treat, that I want to show it off.
If you want to read about the most recent vanilla cupcakes sold in a Starbucks, here’s a previous blog post on that topic:
Vanilla Cupcakes return to Starbucks
The current seasonal syrup at Starbucks is dark cherry – You can read about that here:
And back on the topic of orange. I like the orange flavor. It’s not just because Disneyland sits in Orange County, California. I like oranges. A small part of me is a little jealous that some international markets currently have an orange syrup. According to the Starbucks Malaysia website, a Honey Orange Latte is a current promo beverage in Malaysia.
Any other orange syrup fans here? Discuss this or any other Starbucks topic! As always, I love your comments, and I’m immensely thankful to all of you who leave a comment now and then. Here’s the other cupcake photo of the amazing orange cupcakes at Starbucks:
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You’re not the only one who misses orange. I bring it up on a semi-frequent basis when chatting with the other baristas. The other day someone was talking about tossing a mini-sparkle donut in a frappuccino, and it brought to mind the valencia brownie mocha frappucinos from way back when.
Same goes for almond. I really miss almond syrup. It was great. It didn’t sell, which is probably the reason they got rid of it…but I’m pretty sure it didn’t sell because no one knew about it. If Starbucks did a promotion with Almond Mochas, I’m sure they’d sell quite readily.
Bring back valencia! And bring back almond! And while they’re at it, they can trade out the raspberry for the blackberry syrup we had about 4 years back! That stuff was good, too!
Yes, I miss orange as well.
Oh yeeeees!!
I had it once a few years ago in Florida…I can remember exactly how it tasted…sooo yummy!
I for one do not miss Orange. I do however, miss Valencia, the precursor to orange. IMHO, Orange was developed for the frappuccino crowd. It had a very (unnatural) bright orange color that perked up the visual appeal of the clear frappuccino cups. It also had a much more powerful (again, unnatural) flavor that covered up instead of complementing the flavor of the espresso shots. Probably perfect for a frappuccino, but not so much for espresso-based beverages.
Mocha Valencia’s were my first real introduction to flavoring my drinks at Starbucks. Because the recipe called for both mocha and valencia syrup, Starbucks included an extra shot. Valencia was also the original syrup in the passion tea lemonades too (prior to classic and melon) and was a great addition to many drinks.
I have to admit that I really don’t go for flavored drinks, but back when mocha valencias were around, I had them quite regularly.
I agree. We sold so little of the orange syrup that they twice sent notices extended the expiration date three months at a time. We called it Atomic Orange because it NEVER expired. Valencia was amazing. It was standard to sweeten Passion Teas, and the Mocha Valencia was amazing. Orange syrup did not pair well with Mocha or Espresso at all.
I should have entitled this blog post “Valencia or Orange” – I thought they were both good. I remember sweetening a passion tea with some kind of orange syrup and thought it was heaven.
Yes! Bring back Valencia! It just made so much sense when put into tea-based drinks. Passion Tea? Valencia. Wild Sweet Orange? Valencia. Green tea? Valencia. Quad Americano? Valencia. Wait….
But seriously, between that and melon, I’m not sure why they got rid of either of them.
Great opening paragraph Melody.
Your website is such a relief. SG open forum has turned into some in-compassionate SMs talking about how it is not in their job to find coverage if an employee is too ill to do it, else they will fire the barista.
Back to Valencia. I once actually wrote on MSI about how my parents used to feed me Valencia oranges as a child. They died in a crash when I was 8 and the only thing that brings me back to that place is when I enjoyed my Mocha Valencia. It was a total load of crap, but I am sorry to say if that does not work then nothing will Melody.
I had a distaste for the orange syrup, though the orange cream coffee cake was good even if one slice could kill you.
I worked when Mocha Valencia’s were featured beverages on the menu board. I also remember when it was added as the sweetener to the iced teas. Neither of those things actually sold much of the syrup, it’s a real pain and a detriment to fast customer service to have an excessive number of syrups at the bar. Having a flavor that less than one in a hundred customers is even interested in tasting is the definition of a waste of space.
In full disclosure, I actually liked the Valencia flavor (but not the Orange), so I was one of those few customers, but I also understand that just because a few people squeal about their requests, that shouldn’t put an undue burden on the store partners.
Oh, I loved the orange syrup and would be delighted if they brought it back! When it was around, my favorite thing to get (which I got, oh, every day?) was a orange mocha, without whipped cream. I’ve always loved chocolate + orange, and the orange mocha was bliss for me. I really do miss it!
And on the topic of syrups I’d like to see back in stores, I actually really enjoyed the tangerine syrup when it was here. Summer days paired great with a strawberry tangerine frappuccino! In my (mostly humble) opinion, it was quite delicious!
I too have heard customer lamentations on the lack of orange syrup. Although, more frequently, it’s the lack of almond that’s disappointing. I’ve also had requests for a pre-mixed french vanilla, rather than the 2v/1h combo.
(@Alex& Darth Sidamo & Chris & Ryan) @Alex – Hi welcome to this site! I always have to swing by and say a big ‘welcome’ to new faces here. Hope to see ya’ as a regular. @DarthSidamo – I saw the conversation about calling in sick, and I thought yeah, that’s just not a productive conversation at all with the road it is traveling down. I can name specific reasons why my site simply has a different tone of voice than Jim’s but I don’t want to write a book.
@Chris – It’s hard to believe that it sold so little. I still vote for it to come back! Welcome back to the site. It’s been too long.
@Ryan – Thank you! LOL! I thought that was a pretty good first paragraph too!
I don’t remember seeing the orange cupcake. Was it as good as the original vanilla cupcake? This year’s cupcakes are just awful. Why do they have to mess with a good recipe? I vote for the return of the original vanilla cupcake and would sure like to try the orange one. Was it distributed at all stores or just in Seattle?
I am so sad that I never got to try this luscious orange valencia cupcake from Starbucks. I must say, why would they remove such a wonderful syrup from Starbucks stores? I might be because it’s success decreased throughout the years, or simply because store partners were not promoting is as it should have been. I remember when I first started working for Starbucks that I was told Orange Valencia was a syrup that was not going away, so I indulged occasionally, if I would have known that a few months later it was going to be vanished from the stores, I would have indulged quite frequently, perhaps even purchase a few bottles of this delicious very-missed syrup. Maybe then, by purchasing it, we could have experimented on our own by baking these delicious-looking cupcakes at home and got to experience the magic! I sure hope that the days of Mocha Valencia’s and Orange Valencia Italian sodas come back to Starbucks. Trust me, I will be the first one in line eagerly waiting for my first sip! Starbucks, please bring it back and we will run to your stores in the masses!
Smalrus: I know why they got rid of melon. It was only ever used in the green tea drinks, and those aren’t really big sellers. No one ever got a Melon Latte or Melon Mocha or Melon Coffee Frappuccino.
I miss the stuff, though. It was great in iced teas and the like.
I have mixed feelings about orange syrup. I tried an orange mocha once, and it had a cloying taste inside my mouth—not great. It seemed to work better in cold beverages. I do miss the Valencia syrup, though! I can’t remember the exact taste, but I remember really liking it.
And my goodness, the blackberry syrup that Starbucks had a few years ago? Perfect in an iced green tea.
One of the first drinks I learned to make was a five shot venti mocha valencia…I was working as a barista in a Licensed stand inside of a grocery store nine years ago – it was the store directors favorite drink. He would stop by several times a day and expect it to be ready and waiting at the hand off plane. He never paid…
On another note, I do know several people who still have an ample supply of valencia stashed away for the apocalypse. There was a lot of hoarding that went on when that syrup was discontinued!
Just the other day I was jonesing for a slice of Orange Creme Coffee Cake — so good! The neon orange was gross and Valencia was before my time…. wish I could try the Valencia, though.
I really miss the salted caramel hot chocolate! Not technically a coffee syrup.. but nonetheless!
The dark mocha is amazing though! And I’m not a super fan of Sbux either. Esp not their mochas, so I was very happy I liked it!
Tina, if you happen by a licensed store which is situated in a grocery, you can still get something like a salted caramel hot chocolate — provided, of course, that they have a cafeteria-esque situation which has sea salt.
I also miss the salted caramel hot chocolate, and the valencia passionfruit iced tea, and am sad at all the flavors I have missed! i really wish there were a list of the available syrups on the board or to the side, i’d try them all!
@AmazonV –
I was thinking the same thing while sitting at a Starbucks the other day – all of the syrups need to be displayed so that customers are aware of their availability. It’s sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy: If you only display the top 4, you’ll primarily sell the top 4.
Thanks for changing the title Melody – by the comments, it’s obvious that orange flavor (“orange” or “valencia”) is a flavor that is missed at Starbucks. Orange is something that pairs well with chocolate, especially Starbucks’ darker flavored mocha.
i LOVED the orange! chocolate and orange together is a GREAT combination. i love fruit with chocolate, which is why i’m currently obsessed with the iced dark cherry mocha.
i don’t remember the orange cupcake tho’ but i remember the Valencia and i remember delicious orange syrup. i wish that Starbucks would mainstream certain flavors year-round and not just have them be limited time or seasonal flavors. yum.
I don’t think the disappearance of any syrup should be blamed on baristas. Every time a new one comes out, it’s on the menu board and has the life promoted out of it. I know that even after that we list every syrup we have over and over again throughout the day to customers. Everyone tends to push their favorite of course, but all of them are talked up. Some syrups just loose their umph after a while. People loved gingerbread when it first came out. We just threw out four or five BOXES of the stuff b/c it didn’t sell this year.
btw, the Valencia sounds amazing-I love orange and white mocha and/or vanilla…but I can see how it wouldn’t do well to be honest w/ you. I used to work at a coffee shop w/ quite a number of flavors and orange was not in the top. had someone ask for this in their shaken iced tea today actually…
MMM mmmm MMMM! Orange is definitely the best flavor… Have you ever had one of those orange pushups ice cream? That is some delicious stuff!
I know this is in reference to StarBucks orange syrup, but I just love everything orange. After reading this post, I think I might just go out and try one.
Thanks Melody
-bryan
My wife loved Mocha Valencia and to this day I cannot understand why it would be discontinued. It had a higher price because of the extra syrup and the extra shot and yet it was replaced by other flavors that could not match the uniqueness of the valencia. I liked the Cinnamon Spice Mocha and to my chagrin they also eliminated the Cinnamon syrup in favor of Cinnamon Dolce which is no comparison. I wish they would bring back both of these and eliminate the Raspberry and other “lite” but tasteless syrups that replaced them.
I was not as big of a fan of the orange syrup that Starbucks had but I loved the valencia that they used to have a few years ago. They are two different syrups. It was not as sweet as the orange syrup and the valencia made awesome Mocha Valencias and Passion Teas with Valencia. I believe if they brought back valencia as a summer promotion it would do really well. I am a employee of Starbucks and have not heard anything about it coming back anytime soon but who knows.
I would love Valencia return this summer and eventually be a core syrup! I no longer drink passion tea lemonade as they do not taste the same!
I actually have a bottle of Valencia syrup stashed in my cupboard. It’s from way back in 2006 when my friend (a Starbucks employee at the time), gave it to me as a gift. He warned me of the impending discontinuation of the only flavor that enticed me to Starbucks, and to this day I still reserve pumps of that sweet Valencia for only the most special beverage occasions.
Just curious- is that syrup still good after all these years?
i just wish they bring it back. i keep asking for valencia syrup in all the starbucks stores from manila to OR to NY. i’ve started looking for recipes to create a similar tasting mocha w/ orange just so i can experience that particular taste again. i really wish they’ll bring it back.
Yes, I loved the mocha valencia. It’s a great flavor combination. Jelly belly just released a chcolate and orange combination. Maybe that profile will become trendy again. I love caramel, but we need variety!
I also loved the mocha valencia. Found this blog while searching for a barista who remembered the “recipe” and wouldn’t mind sharing it.
I totally can relate and still mourn the demise of this much-loved syrup I have loved many moons ago. What does it take for Starbucks to hear our laments? I miss its aroma in my cup of tea and the mild sensation as you take a sip and let it run inside your mouth to your tongue. It has its calming and soothing effect no matter what tea you are having.
My absolute favorite drink from Starbucks yet was the Orange Passion Iced Tea. What a shame they got rid of it. 🙁
BRING THE VALENCIA SYRUP TO COFFEE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When they did away with these wonderful drinks, I stopped buying all the Starbuck’s products! They were the best drinks, I enjoyed them and used to look forward to treating myself to them… Oh well Starbucks, it’s obvious you don’t listen to your customers… Sad really, very, very SAD!
I miss the orange! I actually don’t remember which it was I miss, the valencia or the orange, but since they haven’t had any orange flavor since last time I had my drink, I assume it was orange, not valencia.
I remember I was on vacation with family, and we went to Starbucks in Kemah, TX. They had a promotion (I think to get rid of leftover stock as they were discontinuing the flavor) and were giving free samples of Orange Creme Frappuccinos. I instantly fell in love. It was made with a Creme Frap base, 2 pumps orange, 2 pumps vanilla, and a splash of Odwalla orange juice. (This was when they still carried Odwalla orange juice and they would go around to the display case and grab a bottle and pour some in the drink)
It was to die for. I ordered a Venti as soon as I finished the free sample. Sadly, that was the only time I have ever been able to order it as every other Starbucks I have been to doesn’t have to ingredients. I miss it dearly. If they would bring it back that would be my number one drink to order every time I go. This was at least 3 or 4 years ago. I have been craving on ever since. 🙂
I miss the Valencia orange syrup in the shaken passion tea — sooo amazing!
I do miss starbucks valencia orange syrup can we ask Starbucks resell that flavor?
I realize your post is 5 years old, but YES I miss Valencia, and was googling to see WHY it ever was removed from the menu. 🙁
Starbucks Mocha Valencia – 2001-???? R.I.P