I started this thread to talk about creative drink combinations at Starbucks and then decided it would be fun to do a totally open thread. Please feel free to talk about anything Starbucks related. If you want to talk about Flavored Via Ready Brew or favorite drinks or store experiences or anything else that is on your mind, this is the thread to do it in.
And now my contribution to the OPEN thread: All the best Starbucks drinks are thought up by partners. (Starbucks calls their employees “partners”). Two of my favorite creative beverages are as follows:
White Chocolate Vivanno (“Hunter’s special”)
- Order a banana chocolate smoothie.
- Add Java Chips.
- Substitute White Mocha for Mocha.
- Use soy milk.
This is a delicious Oreo-banana-like smoothie.
Another favorite of mine:
Black Tea with Orange Mango Juice (assuming the store uses Tazo Awake).
- Substitute Orange Mango instead of Lemonade.
- A tiny tiny tiny drizzle of mocha sauce on top. (It really has to be a tiny amount, otherwise it overpowers the drink.)
What’s your favorite creative beverage and who came up with it? What’s the story behind it?
This is an open thread. Feel free to talk about anything Starbucks related. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a wide open weekend thread, but it can’t hurt to try this one time!
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October 18th is when my whole district had to completely implement it. I’m hoping with time it becomes more flexible and usable. I also wish we had implemented this in April or May, so we had time to adjust before the holidays.
I hope you have a fabulous experience! We have some new partners and some very experienced partners(one of our shift supervisors just celebrated 10 years!). I truly love my store, the partners, and most importantly, our customers. =)
Melody,
thanks for the flavored via mocha (from a win on your blog) , I just tried it this a.m. at work, I think I prefer the regular via and if I want a mocha flavor I add chocolate milk instead of regular milk.
I love your blog, as I love Starbucks coffee and all things Starbucks, I will pass out your cards at my local Starbucks this week. People don’t know what they are missing and Starbucks should be paying you! Thanks for this great blog and source of info about all things Starbucks
I love open threads 😀 I made the drink in the picture today at work and was impressed by it 😀
My drug…erm….drink of choice is;
In a Venti Cold Cup
5 Pump Chai
1 Pump Vanilla
soy
ice
1 Pump Mocha on top
@Camspi I had thanksgiving blend today in a french press and wasn’t as dazzeled by it as I thought I would be. It’s hard to follow up Anniversary blend for me though
@Donna @Christopher @CamSpi
@Christopher & @CamSpi – Is Thanksgiving Blend a pre or post roast blend? I’m blanking out. What I am dying to try is the special Espresso Roast. I know it can be considered a bit pedestrian, but I genuinely like espresso roast. I was chatting with a very knowledgeable barista who was trying to get me to understand over extracted and under extracted shots, and she herself would prefer a nice single origin espresso, but when all is said and done, I’m happy with a doppio con panna. I’m definitely going to ask either 1912 Pike Place or 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea if I can get my doppio con panna with the new special Christmas Espresso Roast.
@Donna – Thank you so much for the kind words. This is still a small community here at StarbucksMelody but I’m glad to have been able to “connect over coffee” with so many. Maybe you would like Caramel flavor better? I think it might be my fave of the 4 flavors.
There’s going to be a special espresso roast? That has me very excited:)
Ah! Love threads like this. <3 I don't have anything in the way of Starbucks drinks… but at the old coffee shop I went to, the baristas would use the powdered mix they used for the frozen drinks (big train brand) mixed with a little hot water in place of syrup in a latte if you'd ask. Some flavors, like the white chocolate,(was a torani syrup, not a sauce) were richer that way. They also had fun flavors for their frozen drinks, like cookies and cream, which made a great latte!
Also, when they made me a vanilla chai latte, one girl accidentally put a little cayenne pepper on top, along with the cinnamon. Some of the baristas had started to drink them that way, it brought out the spices in the chai. Mmm. <3 Make it a breve chai, and it's even better!
Almond Joy Mochas are good too. Chocolate, coconut, and almond syrup. Never tried it with the Sbux mocha sauce though, only hersheys.
@Campspi…I feel so out of the loop :(. I haven’t really worked all month due to terrible sickness (we actually thought it might be really really serious) and I miss work so much!!
as to sampling odd drinks-we are not supposed to do this, really. customers can’t remember what they were, they tell us to only sample menu items. When people are ordering it’s a whole different thing. We suggest things all the time. I also love when someone asks me for something off the menu, or to make something up and surprise them. Our store is notorious for our partner beverages. It’s really funny actually.
I really hope i feel up to coffee drinking soon. I tried yesterday and it did not settle w/ the stomach :(.
On the subject of meeting Howard – I wonder if Howard would want to meet me. Most likely not however I suspect there are a few SBUX SSC types who’d like to get me in a room with no cameras or video evidence. Heh.
I haven’t tried the Starbucks VIA “iced” packets. I’ve tried the regular ones and I think they’re great for the person on the go (I’m just that person).
Now, do you recommend anything creative with Chai in it?
I just have to say that baristas may be moody and not responsive to customers, but I have found getting to know customers and becoming friends with them far outweighs the lack of attention or involvement the barista has with the customer. It only proves to me that SB should make a store feel more like a community.
I ordered the White Chocolate Vivanno (added a shot of espresso). It was very good, thank you! Didn’t tell my Fiancé what I ordered, he took a sip and said that it tasted like Oreos. I am looking forward to more creative drinks.
Tried the White Chocolate Vivanno today and LOVED it!! Thank you!!!
I’ll have to try that one when I get my free drink card which is overdue (I usually get them within a week) so I gotta call Starbucks tomorrow and gripe at them which is like talking to a brick wall.
I work at a Starbucks! And I love creating new and fun drink combinations and making all my coworkers try it =] My favorite drink right now is a Refresh tea latte with soy and mocha. It tastes like an Andes mint, absolutely delicious! =]
@Jenny! Hi welcome to the blog! How did you find this site? That drink sounds interesting. Actually, Refresh is one of my favorite Tazo teas, and I wish Starbucks had it permanently as an iced tea offering. Thank you for commenting on the blog and tell your friends about this site! I try to keep it uplifting. You can click on the “categories” tab and find some of the topics I’ve covered, like test products, store reviews, and there are even a few things related to Howard.
I might have to try that. How much mocha? What size does that work best as? Tall or Grande?
I’d also like to add, since I’ve read a few comments about it… The new way of making the espresso drinks is not efficient for fast paced stores. I think it’s great for stores who get rushes that consist of maybe 15 people at a time… but if you work at a store like mine, where the line is constant for sometimes 2 hours straight, it just does not work. When it is slow, I will do the new way. However, with the constant traffic inside the store, resorting to the old way is always a less frustrating and faster way to get the necessary drinks out in the allotted time frame we’re allowed.
@Melody, Hiya! I just stumbled upon the site while googling! I thought it would be good to add in my two cents since I’m a dedicated barista =] The drink works really well for a tall drink with two pumps of mocha.
@Jenny – I guess a lot of people find it that way. My analytics tell me that google is good to me! 😉 I’m a dedicated customer. I really do hope you’ll click around and look at some of the older articles. I live in Starbucks backyard (literally. I can walk to 1912 Pike Place from home, and my office is just north of the SSC in Pioneer Square) so I love sharing the fun of being a customer in this unique market!
http://www.starbucksmelody.com/2011/01/07/howard-schultz-the-future-of-starbucks-has-significant-promise/
^ That’s a good one too.
I’ll try that drink tomorrow and let you know how it turns out!
Hey thanks for the banana-oreo idea! The barista was set to make one for herself after I told her how delicious it is!
@Mike – I second that thanks! The banana-oreo is now my son’s favorite. Word of caution though – it’s horrible without the banana (a store made one w/o banana b/c they were out of bananas).
I like to try the “dalmation” chocolate vivanno without a banana. Sure, it shouldn’t be called a Vivanno without the banana, but still! A little bit of Java Chips with mocha and the sweet protein is one of the best combinations Starbucks has.
Hurray for Vivannos! They sohuld come up with a solid wheat grass vivanno!
I am in the bussiest store in the district in sarasota fl, howard came to our store as well as 2 others…epic much, :)?
Welcome Grace! Very cool that you’ve had Howard in your store. Please “like” the blog’s facebook page and/or subscribe! There is a place to put your email address underneath the cup image in the right-hand column. Thanks!
Last night at my local SB they hosted a middle school’s music program with a short music program and parents present. I came in as everyone was leaving but this is the first time (although the SM has said he has done this before) I have seen my local store reach out to the community. Very nice and all the people there seemed thrilled. Would love to see more outreach and I would think it would be nice if the store let customers know about it.