The Espresso Drink Starbucks Baristas Are Sick Of Making

As the biggest name in coffee, Starbucks tends to play by its own rules when making beverages. I guess the company gets some leeway as the inventors of the pumpkin spice latte, after all. But, as a barista who typically works in independent coffee shops, I can always tell when someone usually gets their coffee from Starbucks.

Not that there is anything wrong with that — I love a matcha latte or a splash of chestnut praline syrup during the holiday season like anyone else. But, I have also had to deal with my fair share of irate customers who order a macchiato expecting a Starbucks version (which is basically a caramel vanilla latte), only to be served a tiny shot of espresso topped with a dollop of milk foam. It seems that I'm not alone. Even Starbucks baristas are a little bit fed up with clueless coffee orders. There's even a whole thread on Reddit about baristas getting into arguments with customers over how they want their Starbucks cappuccinos made.

I guess the customer is not always right. Taking to Reddit, several Starbucks baristas have complained that there is a consistent pattern of customers ordering cappuccinos despite not knowing what a cappuccino really is. When the barista serves it, the customers then claim the beverage has been made wrong.

As opposed to a latte, which is a shot of espresso poured into steamed milk with a shallow head of foam, a cappuccino contains less steamed milk and more foam. Since a latte has more milk in it, these drinks are creamier and the espresso flavor is more diluted. A cappuccino has a stronger coffee flavor, doesn't come with flavored syrups, and typically is a smaller beverage. The large amount of milk foam insulates the coffee, keeping it hot.

Since cappuccinos are lighter than lattes, this seems to make people angry as they believe are getting less beverage for the price. (They are because that is what a cappuccino is.) According to Reddit, some customers try to work around this by asking for a "wet" cappuccino — which means adding more milk — or asking for no foam (it's basically impossible to make a cappuccino without foam).

Many specialty cafes will only sell cappuccinos in one size, traditionally in 8-ounce cups. The common response in my cafe when someone asks for a large cappuccino would be, "What, you want 20 ounces of foam?" It is also difficult to foam alternative milk without the fat that is in dairy, so I would steer clear of making modifications when ordering a cappuccino.