What Does It Mean For A Starbucks Drink To Be 'Handcrafted'?

If you've been the target of Starbucks ads before, you might have noticed them touting the handcrafted drinks on the menu. Starbucks, officially the second-largest restaurant chain in the world behind McDonald's, is known for its tasty snacks. But it's the cafe's often-decadent beverages that accounted for 74% of its revenue in 2023, many of which were (and continue to be) the handcrafted variety. All this begs the question: What does handcrafted mean at Starbucks?

Handcrafted, simply put, means the barista made the beverage by hand. It's Starbucks' way of telling its customers that its drinks are both personalized and made-to-order — not pre-assembled and left sitting around waiting for someone to buy them. That's why Starbucks can offer so many customizations to its beverages; whether you order your vanilla latte skinny or your Frappuccino with coconut milk, someone is making your drink to order.

Baristas are specially trained in creating the drinks, and it can take them up to two months or more to really hone their drink-making skills. They have to learn the composition of each handcrafted beverage, as well as the proper techniques, and they typically receive a lot of their training on the job.

Since handcrafted drinks account for the majority of beverages on Starbucks' menu, you might be wondering what isn't considered one. The two main non-handcrafted drinks are black coffee and hot tea. For black coffee, the baristas simply pour the coffee into a cup, pop a lid on it and hand it to you; for tea, they pour hot water into a cup and put the tea bag in to steep. Since these are basic one-step and two-step processes, with no add-ins, stirring, or shaking — in short, no artistry involved — they're not considered handcrafted.

Starbucks also sells bottled beverages like juice, water (sparkling and still), protein drinks, and even kombucha. Because these are premade and served in bottles, with no barista's touch or customization, they are also not considered handcrafted drinks (though they can certainly be convenient). Also, the bottled Frappuccinos sold in grocery and convenience stores — while sharing a name with the blended beverages you can purchase at Starbucks locations — are not considered handcrafted, for similar reasons as the bottled beverages sold on-site.