The Starbucks Language: A Translation of Common Words and Terms

Starbucks has a language of their own. What exactly does "skinny" and "triple" and "venti" mean? It can be quite confusing if you've never been stepped foot inside a Starbucks. Here's a little help translating the common terms and words.

1. Drinks on the Menu (not including holiday and special promo drinks)

Brewed Coffee is just what it says, freshly brewed coffee. Choices include, but limited to, the Bold Pick of the Day (Sumatra, Columbian, Kenya, etc) and Pike Place Roast. Also, during the holidays, you can order Starbucks' own Christmas Blend.

Caffé Misto or Caffé Au Lait is brewed coffee with steamed milk.

Iced Coffee is brewed Terazza coffee with ice. This can either be ordered black, with sugar and/or milk, or with a flavor shot. Flavors include vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, and hazelnut.

Caffé Mocha is a hot espresso drink, with bittersweet mocha syrup, espresso and steamed milk. It can also be topped with sweetened whipped cream, if desired. The caffé mocha can also be ordered iced, as an "Iced Mocha", which is my personal favorite!

Dark Cherry Mocha is the same as the regular mocha, but with the addition of the dark cherry syrup. It can also be ordered iced.

Caffé Americano is basically a very strong brewed coffee, or watered-down espresso. A true European drink.

Caffé Latte is a hot drink with espresso and steamed milk, topped with a thin layer of foam. The latte can also be ordered as an "Iced Latte", and with flavors added.

Cappuccino is basically a latte, but with much more foam on top and less milk. In my opinion, it has a stronger espresso flavor, and better texture than a latte. Cappuccinos cannot be ordered as iced.

Caramel Macchiato is a delicious blend of steamed milk, vanilla syrup, espresso and topped with a drizzle of caramel syrup. It can also be ordered iced, as an "Iced Caramel Macchiato", and I love how you can see the layers of each ingredient in the iced drink.

Cinnamon Dolce Latte is a hot drink made with espresso, cinnamon dolce syrup, steamed milk and topped with whipped cream and cinnamon topping. In Italian, Dolce means "sweet".

Frappuccino Blended Crème drinks are made with ice, and I think of them as smoothie or milkshake-like drinks. The flavors include Strawberries and Crème, Green Tea, Chai Crème, Vanilla Bean, White Chocolate and Cinnamon Dolce. There is no coffee in any of the blended crème frappuccino drinks. Most of the flavors can be ordered "light", for a sugar free option.

Frappuccino Blended Coffee is the same as the blended crème drinks, but coffee is added. Flavors include Coffee, Caramel, Java Chip, Mocha, Vanilla, Double Chocolaty Chip, Espresso and Cinnamon Dolce. Again, most of the flavors can be ordered light/sugar free. The Double Chocolatly Chip Frappuccino is quite delectable, and the Caramel is Starbucks' most popular choice.

Tazo Tea includes many different flavors and types of tea: Awake Brewed, Iced or Latte
Calm Brewed
Earl Grey Brewed or Latte
Iced Black Tea
Iced Black Tea Lemonade
Chai Tea Brewed, Latte or Iced
China Green Tea Brewed or Latte
Orange Blossom Brewed
Passion Brewed or Iced
Refresh Brewed
Iced Green Tea Lemonade
Iced Passion Tea Lemonade
Vanilla Rooibos Brewed or Latte
Zen Brewed

Vivanno is a smoothie drink, very delicious and satisfying. No coffee involved with these. They include whey protein and fiber, as well as a fresh banana in each one. Flavors include Chocolate, Orange Mango, and Strawberry. This drink can only be ordered in one size, and it's a little pricy. It's a great drink to get with your treat receipt in the summer (see definition below).

Signature Hot Chocolate is a delicious treat, especially in cold weather. Starbucks' hot chocolate is unlike any other, and it's no packet instant mix either. It includes steamed milk, vanilla and mocha syrup, topped with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. It's also available in White Hot Chocolate.

Espresso is just what is says, a cup of strong espresso. Great if you really need a pick me up in the morning. Also available is the Espresso Con Panna, which is a cup of espresso topped with whipped cream, and the Espresso Macchiato, which is espresso with steamed milk foam on top.

Kids drinks include the Caramel Apple Spice, Apple Juice (cold or steamed) and Milk (regular or flavored steamed milk).

2. Add-Ins & Substitutions

Shots - Meaning espresso shots. When ordering an espresso drink (such as a latte, mocha or macchiato), you could ask for additional shots. Tall drinks already include 1 shot, Grande drinks include 2, Venti 3. For example, if you would like to have an additional shot of espresso in a Grande iced mocha drink, you would ask for a "Triple Grande Iced Mocha". Shots are usually meant for the extra pick me up.

Soy Milk - For people who don't care for cow's milk, or perhaps have an intolerance.

Non-Fat - Any of the drinks made with milk can be substituted as "non-fat", or made with skim milk.

Skinny - This means that the drink will be made with skim milk, as well as sugar free syrup, if the drink includes syrup. For example, a Skinny Vanilla Latte would be made with sugar free vanilla syrup as well as non-fat milk.

Half-Caf means the drink will be half caffeinated and half de-caffeinated. Starbucks is known for their strong coffees, so if you are sensitive to caffeine, you may want to ask for "half-caf".

Decaf means the drink will not have any caffeine, or just a very small amount, depending on the coffee.

Flavor Shot is a shot of flavored syrup which can be added to a drink to give it a certain flavor. Flavors include vanilla, caramel, cinnamon dolce, mocha and hazelnut. There may be other flavors, but those are the ones I know about. The flavor shots can also be ordered "sugar free".

Whip is a nickname for whipped cream. When ordering a certain drink, such as the mocha, hot chocolate, or caramel frapping, the barista (person making the drinks) will ask you if you would like "whip" on your drink. If you order a non-fat or skinny drink, you probably won't get the whip. Personally I think the whip makes all the difference.

3. Sizes & Other

Short - 8 oz, usually for kids drinks
Tall - 12 oz
Grande - 16 oz
Venti - 24 oz

Treat Receipt is a special promotion that Starbucks does in the summertime (from June 29 to October 4 for 2010). When you make a purchase before 2:00 pm, you'll receive a treat receipt, which is good for any Grande (16 oz) cold drink after 2:00 on that same day. This means, you could get the most expensive Grande drink (usually the Vivanno or Triple-shot drink), for just $2! But don't forget to give them your treat receipt, or you won't get the deal.