What are Starbucks’ handcrafted drinks? (Everything is known!)
Starbucks coffee and Frappuccino have taken the world by storm. It seems like there is a Starbucks on every corner.
But have you noticed how some Starbucks drinks are considered “handcrafted”? What exactly does this mean? We looked into it and here’s what we found…
What are Starbucks’ handcrafted drinks?
Starbucks’ artisanal drinks are a collection of drinks that Starbucks baristas “put together” behind the counter when you order. At Starbucks, the “handcrafted range” is huge and represents some of their most expensive drinks.
This article looks at the artisanal beverages Starbucks offers and takes a closer look at the definition of “artisanal beverages,” including the ingredients and methods required to produce them.
What does “handcrafted” drink mean?
Handcrafted beverages are prepared immediately after ordering, which involves taking the base coffee and blending it with other ingredients.
The preparation of artisanal beverages may involve a series of cooling, mixing, stirring, foaming and decoration processes, and always Including adding other ingredients.
Some barristers refer to this process as “making” the drink because the drink is made from the bottom up.
A base drink or simply poured into a cup is a “brewed drink” or “poured drink”, not handcrafted.
What is an artisanal drink?
The artisanal or artisanal beverage line refers to certain hot coffee and tea beverages and most cold or iced beverages, including tea, coffee and juice blends.
- If your drink is “made” on espresso, it is handcrafted.This includes lattes and iced lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos and americanos
- All blends are handcrafted, including hot mochas and iced mochas, to which milk, chocolate, ice, chocolate powder and milk froth can be added.
- All shakes and thick shakes
- All tea beverages “built” on regular tea brews
- All iced tea drinks
- Cream Drinks and Frappuccinos
- All iced coffee and other specialty milk beverages
- cold brew
- Certain juice mixes and refreshing beverages and juice and soda mixes
Any bottled or cartoned beverages you buy (such as juices, teas or flavored milks) are considered “handcrafted”.
Is iced coffee considered an artisanal drink from Starbucks?
All of Starbucks’ iced coffee is handcrafted. They’re prepared when you order, and they’re made on an espresso base with a range of ingredients added. They vary in size, caffeine content and composition because they are “made” to your specifications.
A typical iced coffee at Starbucks will be made from the following materials:
- coffee base
- Any milk from Starbucks dairy and dairy-free
- ice or ice cream or both
- Cream or non-dairy creamer
- Flavors, syrups and/or sugar
- a range of dusting or toppings
- Tea (yes, there’s an “Iced Coffee and Matcha Fusion” that’s definitely a handcrafted drink!)
What are the handcrafted drinks at Starbucks?
Starbucks offers an extensive selection of handcrafted beverages, including tea drinks, fruit juice cocktails (non-alcoholic), coffee drinks and seasonal beverages. The following beverages represent some of Starbucks’ most complex and popular beverages:
- From the coffee and espresso menu
- Caramel/Salted Caramel Cloud Macchiato
- White Chocolate Mocha
- from the tea and chocolate menu
- Ruby Grapefruit Honey Black Tea
- Signature Hot Chocolate
- Espresso and Matcha Fusion
- From the iced drink menu
- Iced White Chocolate Mocha
- Raspberry Blackcurrant Frappuccino® Juice Blend (Frappuccino is a trademarked drink that actually (and historically) belongs to Starbucks)
- ice cappuccino
- Frappuccino® Blended Coffee Collection
- Chocolate Hazelnut Mocha Frappuccino®
- Java Chip Frappuccino®
- Frappuccino® Blended Cream Collection
- Strawberry and Cream Frappuccino®
- Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino®
- from the cold brew menu
- Nitro Cold Brew with Vanilla Sweet Cream
- Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
- Choose from iced tea
- Ruby Grapefruit Honey Ice Shake Black Tea
- Ice Shake Strawberry Green Tea Lemonade
- Iced Chai Tea Latte
There is also a range of seasonal drinks designed to reflect the traditions and customs of each season and the location of each store:
- Choose from holidays
- Caramel Waffle Latte
- Golden Wish Latte
- Fudge Brownie Hot Chocolate
- Toffee Nut Crisp Latte and Cold Brew Coffee
- Chocolate Gingerbread Latte
Which Starbucks beverages are not handcrafted?
The following Starbucks drinks are not considered handcrafted because they are fell Drinks that require no further preparation.
- regular regular tea and coffee
- Plain juice and soda
- Any bottled and refrigerated beverages – coffee, tea, milk, water, juice, soda
Are Starbucks handcrafted drinks available in different sizes?
Starbucks offers most of their drinks in three different sizes, which means your drink is handcrafted.Not only can you change the amount of caffeine, dairy and sugar in your beverages but You can also choose the serving size.
Starbucks offers the following size options:
- High (345ml)
- Large (473ml)
- Venti hot (591ml)
- Venti Cold (709 ml)
- Trenta (920ml)
When you order drinks, you should also see the number of kJs in each drink.
What’s the cheapest craft drink at Starbucks?
The cheapest craft drinks Starbucks offers are those with the fewest added ingredients and the shortest preparation time.
So while espresso is a simple black coffee, it’s not really handcrafted because it’s just poured and that’s it.
However, iced lattes are handmade. It’s made with a shot (or two) of espresso poured over ice (lots of ice) and a little milk. You can choose your size, strength and milk: it’s handmade but simple.
So a small, single-serve iced latte would be one of Starbucks’ cheapest options.
As your drink gets more complex (and therefore more options), it will naturally get more expensive. This applies to Starbucks’ tea line, juice and all coffee selections.
Want to learn more about Starbucks?Check out these posts to find out if Starbucks sells boba tea, if the Stella Buck kiwi tea is recalled, and if Starbucks chai tea contains caffeine
in conclusion..
Knowing what the term “handcrafted beverage” means can be a helpful way to choose (and budget) your favorite coffee at Starbucks. It’s also a great way to get familiar with your mixes so you can try making your own!
