How To Order At Starbucks: The Ultimate Guide For Beginners

Starbucks Card

The Starbucks Card is a prepaid Visa card that comes pre-loaded with a few dollars. It is used to buy drinks at Starbucks with a purchase amount up to $2.95 in value. You can use it to buy drinks for friends or family, or shopping trips. 

Money App Subscriptions: If you have more than $50 in Starbucks purchases on your Starbucks card, you can subscribe to the Starbucks Mobile Money App, which lets you make purchases with your mobile device, even without a Starbucks card. 

And, of course, you can add the Starbucks mobile app to the “thank you” list on the back of your Starbucks card for future purchases.

Ordering with a Friend

Talking in a group is always fun. Just bring out that group therapy session. We have a very successful episode where people are allowed to go to Starbucks to order something. They even have fun while they talk, and watch, wait, and order. 

This is the ultimate guide for the newly introduced Starbucks. So grab your friend, sit, drink, chat, enjoy, and laugh. Look, we have coffee! 

Now for the intros. We will be going over different ordering practices at Starbucks, the things to remember, and we also have a few exciting one-of-a-kind ideas. Please note that we have also tried to put this guide as brief as possible.

Ordering in a Group

Your order at Starbucks will vary based on who you are with. Some people prefer to keep it simple, while others prefer the satisfaction of building their customized drink. 

When in a group, always remember that no matter who orders first and order first and order first, ordering an extra shot of espresso will most definitely beat the whole pile of shot mugs! 

Using a regular or grande cup Your regular and grande coffees are always one size. At Starbucks, you cannot order one of each size and expect it to work. You can order a tall for a grande and vice versa. But you cannot order a grande for a regular and vice versa. 

Although some people prefer to order one espresso shot and one latte shot, others prefer a mixture of different flavors.

What to Order for your Mood

I find it helpful to sort the menu into categories to select what I would like to order, making ordering and paying much more effortless. 

Order the basic menu or another menu, but with an extra-large iced mocha. Next, order a latte or espresso. Finally, order a caffe latte with a shot of espresso and steamed milk. 

All extra shots are called mocha shots. Extra shots for this Starbucks order are 18 ounces of hot mocha or iced mocha.

Feeling Tired?

We get it. You could drink a super-sized latte and go to bed. You could grab a bottled water, head to your room, and sit on the couch staring at Instagram for the next half-hour. 

What should you NOT do? Order a Venti frappuccino with soy milk, add whipped cream, and a shot of espresso (with room). You’ll end up with a hot, liquid version of the inside of a styrofoam cup. Of course, you’ll pay $9.95 to get your money’s worth, but it’ll get you through the rest of your time in New York. At least, that’s how this is supposed to go down. 

These ridiculous, life-threatening situations are not the only ones you’ll encounter in the land of coffee. These absurd, life-threatening situations are not the only ones you’ll encounter in the land of coffee, or even the most ridiculous.

In the Mood for Food?

You may be a regular Starbucks customer, but don’t ask for anything you can get at home. Starbucks food items vary widely from location to location, but a simple ordering guide is all you need. 

If you’re looking for a latte (espresso and milk), try asking for a “cuppa” (English: “to drink”). Do you want a cappuccino? You’ll need to specify that you want milk. 

Conclusion

Whenever I go to Starbucks, I always go through a similar process. Sometimes, I end up ordering the wrong drink (sorry, Toby) or making two mistakes (that is a rarity) when I’m in a rush and what I’m trying to get is coffee from behind the counter. 

Now that you know how to order at Starbucks make sure you never end up with a sad mess of a short stack in the brown paper bag again.