‘How is This Possible’: $29 Custom Starbucks Drink Has Baristas in a Frenzy, Internet Confused

August 6, 2021 3 min read

Baristas are no strangers to customers coming in with over-the-top and, at times, annoying-to-make orders.

For Starbucks (SBUX) baristas, this is especially customary as many viral “secret menu” drinks and hacks on social media have made purchasing a seemingly out-of-the-box order somewhat commonplace.

But one customer might have taken it too far — to a level where two entire Venti cups needed to be used to fulfill a laundry-list-long order in a video that has since gone viral.

Starbucks barista @aadinaff posted a video, which has now been viewed over four million times, of an order with a receipt that spans the length of two iced Venti cups.

Related: ‘Criminal’ and ‘Absolutely Obscene’ Photo of $28 Beer on Menu at Airport Sparks Outrage

In the video, a barista attempts to pour what appears to be a blended Frappucino concoction into two cups, one cup that is standing upright and another that has been taped to the other upside down with the bottom cut off.

The cups begin to leak, and the drink pours out until the barista grabs a third Venti cup to put the other two in.

@aadinaff

what in the five minute crafts##starbuckssecretmenudrink ##starbucks ##HotwireHotelGoals ##starbucksfrappucino 

♬ Oh No – Kreepa

“Dude just give them the blender at this point,” one TikTok user joked.

“So this is why the line[s] re always so long at Starbucks,” another mused.

However, many in the comments were less than amused, questioning why the baristas working didn’t simply fill multiple cups with the customer’s order instead of duct taping two cups together.

Related: Starbucks Stock is Brewing a Breakout

“Why wouldn’t you just put it in a Trenta cup and the remainder in a venti,” one asked, alongside others who questioned whether or not it was “allowed” for Starbucks employees to put one drink into multiple cups.

Others accused @aadinaff of faking the order to try to get “15 minutes of fame” and warned that “Starbucks has been firing” employees for faking videos in an attempt to “go viral.”

However, the TikToker doubled down in a follow-up video showing the actual receipt of the drink order.

The label, which is longer than the length of the check-out screen at the cash register, includes add-ons of everything from Passion Tango and Berry Hibiscus, to both black and green tea, to foam and apple juice.

@aadinaff

Reply to @bout2b Lmaooooo

The total came to a whopping $29.32 for one drink.

Whether the drink was ordered in all seriousness or was someone laying a practical joke we might never know, but in the meantime we can probably all agree to not feel guilty about adding one extra shot of flavor or espresso to our coffee orders today.

Starbucks was up an impressive 56.44% year over year as of early Friday afternoon.