January 14th... 55 degree
weather! And that's not even the warmest it has been this winter. Sadly as I
write this it's currently 8 degrees and UNL is having a snow day; oh how the
weather changes. Anyway, Derek and I were headed to a baby shower in Franklin
and of course anytime we are driving toward western Nebraska it is a necessity
to stop at the Starbucks right off I-80 in York, NE. It was perfect Frappuccino weather! We were in a hurry to make
it to dinner so we went through the drive through.
After my sister, Jessica heard I
created a blog dedicated to my love for Starbucks she suggested I try new
things that aren’t necessarily on the menu. But because I knew better I
wouldn’t dare call it ordering off the “secret menu” (which makes baristas
cringe and roll their eyes). If you read here on Reddit, it’s not that baristas hate making custom drinks; they hate the
13-year-old girl who barges in and begs for a Grande “OMG Brownie” Frappuccino
that her BFF Brittney snapchatted her to try. The reality is that the barista
doesn’t know what’s in the OMG Brownie Frappuccino because it doesn’t exist as
a real drink. But if Brittney would have told her to order:
- Coffee based Frappuccino
- Double Chocolate Chunk Brownie from the bakery
- Add 1.5 pumps of white mocha syrup
- Add 1.5 pumps of toffee nut syrup
- Top with whip (regular or chocolate) and cookie crumble
Then no questions asked from the barista. However a custom
drink like this is going to cost you $6 plus dollars for a Grande.
Jessica saw a
recipe for a White Chocolate Mocha with Java Chips Frappuccino. This sounded
amazing to me because the White Chocolate Mocha is my favorite hot drink. So I
decided to try her recommendation. I did enjoy it; it was very sweet, creamy
and had a bold vanilla taste. I asked Derek to weigh in on what he thought and he said: “It
tastes like a vanilla milkshake with no coffee. No wait! It tastes like the
bottled vanilla Frappuccino you buy at the store.” I chucked at this because
after hearing that, that’s all I could think it tasted like.
Derek’s
favorite drink is the Salted Caramel Frappuccino, which of course is a seasonal
drink to his dismay. But because we were on a customizing kick I told him to
ask the barista if they could still make a version of it. Interesting enough
the base mix is a mocha Frappuccino instead of a caramel. And then they add
toffee nut syrup and caramel drizzle on top. Basically what is missing is the
key ingredient of salt flakes on top. However I don’t even think having the
salt flakes on top would of helped this drink. It tasted burnt and extremely
flavorless. Derek has ordered this drink before and it has been just fine but
for some reason this drink didn’t make the cut. It's possible the espresso shot
had gone bitter or this was just punishment for being in a hurry and having to go
through the drive thru but by any means this drink was not up to par.
What do you guys think? Should I continue to try "secret menu drinks" or should I keep to the regular menu to avoid having a barista spit in my drink?Comment below!
xcxc (Hugs and Coffee)
-Kristy
