Baristas Reveal What Your Starbucks Drink Order Really Says About You

Despite their knack for misspelling names on cups, Starbucks baristas may know their customers better than you think. Mashed spoke to three former Starbucks baristas who had quite a lot to say about the trends they noticed in the people coming through their queues and drive-thrus.

Megan Burton's blog details quite a bit about her time working for a Starbucks in Waukesha, Wisconsin; she has written a number of first hand accounts as both a barista and customer. Emily Hassett is a real Starbucks vet, having worked at various locations in Washington state in positions from barista to shift leader. Dani Zoeller is another former coffee slinger turned writer. She has written many opinion and expert pieces about Starbucks for our sister site Tasting Table. Between the three of them, these Starbucks experts have fulfilled thousands of coffee orders and can confidently speak on coffee and the people who love it.

Don't fret if your coffee cup says Don instead of John, because your drink order may tell your barista a little something special about yourself. According to our Starbucks experts, these drink orders tend to speak loudly about what kind of person you may be. Take these observations with a coarse grain of salt, though, because stereotypes are generalizations and don't speak to the whole.

Being a regular at your local coffee shop may be enough to leave an impression on the baristas. Coming in everyday, treating the baristas you see behind the counter regularly with kindness, or simply having a certain shine about you are all things your baristas will notice. If you tend to order the same thing every time you come in, they'll get used to making you your usual. Your level of memorability increases if your signature drink is something not many people think to order.

Many baristas have at least one fond memory related to a regular with a drink order that sticks out. One of coffee writer Dani Zoeller's favorite regulars during her time at Starbucks was a man who took his cappuccinos in a particular way. Though getting the ratio just perfect for his dry cappuccino took some trial and error, Zoeller took pride in being the only barista who could get it right for him.

For Megan Burton, it's a woman who always ordered a nighttime zebra hot chocolate from the drive-thru who holds a special place in her Starbucks memories. She and her coworkers knew to start making the mocha and white mocha hot chocolate just by hearing the woman's voice. It goes to show that something as simple as a nightly drive-thru run is enough to make you a recurring character in someone else's story.

Starbucks is known for its frozen coffee drinks and specialized beverages with plenty of ingredients. The famous coffee company does offer some simple and straightforward coffee too though. A pour over is simply black coffee with more painstaking steps. Hot water is slowly poured by hand over coffee grounds, which results in a stronger and deeper cup of coffee. The people who order this kind of drink at a place like Starbucks love coffee and don't need anything added to feel fulfilled in their caffeine needs.

According to our Starbucks expert Megan Burton, those that order the pour over have a "more sophisticated coffee palate." The drink takes more effort from the barista to make and requires a special cone or dripper, but the pour over method is arguably the best way to brew coffee. This effort can hold up what is likely an already long queue of uncaffeinated customers, but the result is a cup of coffee worth its beans. Those who order a pour over likely enjoy the many flavors that can come along with different roasts. This way of experiencing coffee is akin to those who delve into a complex glass of wine or a craft beer.

Every time your barista hands you a finished drink, there's likely a ticket stuck to the side with your (possibly misspelled) name and an explanation of your order. If you order directly off the menu with little to-do, your ticket is likely pretty straightforward. Those who order off the cuff or make modifications may have a longer, more complicated ticket hanging off their coveted coffee. A list of exact modifiers may just mean you know what you like. Starbucks vet Dani Zoeller reveals that it's those who are or have been baristas themselves that tend to order their drinks this expertly.

According to Zoeller, baristas like to play around with coffee combinations and invent new drinks in their downtime behind the bar. This, combined with crafting hundreds of drinks a shift, makes them experts at knowing just what to put in a drink to make it to their tastes. "Most of the drinks with modifications actually came from fellow baristas," Zoeller reveals of her time in a green Starbucks apron. While this may not be true of everyone who orders a very specific drink, your barista may suspect a history behind the coffee bar if you do.

Starbucks caters to every type of coffee drinker, whether you enjoy a simple cup of coffee or a sugary treat with a dash of caffeine. Those who like the perks of coffee without its signature bitter taste can opt for one of Starbucks' many Frappuccino flavors. Though some believe you should never order a Starbucks Frappuccino due to the increased sugar content, there are plenty of people who do. Former baristas agree that the group most likely to order these sweet drinkable treats are teenagers.

"I always seemed to find that large orders of Frappuccinos followed large groups of teenagers," stated Dani Zoeller. Seeing as there are quite a few steps involved in creating these frozen drinks, Emily Hassett confirms that teenagers usually required a bit of extra effort, saying, "they usually ordered extra caramel or extra whipped cream." Of course, it's not just teenagers that tend to order these involved frozen drinks. If you're of an older generation and enjoy a Frappuccino, your barista may just chalk it up to you being young at heart or that you're channeling your inner teen.

The menu at Starbucks may not change overnight, but trends do. Social media and pop culture has a lot of influence on people's buying habits. For those who like to stay on top of trends and share in the fun of temporary hype, celebrity inspired Starbucks drinks are an easy way to stay relevant.

A number of celebrities have emerged as Starbucks influencers, whether by accident or as a campaign. When Pedro Pascal was videoed holding his daily dose of caffeine, fans naturally noticed his unhinged order on the ticket attached to his cup. This prompted people to challenge themselves by ordering and attempting to consume the iced quad espresso with a shocking six shots of espresso.

Though fans were impressed by Pedro Pascal's Starbucks order and respected those who would follow in his footsteps, not all pop culture inspired drink orders were received with a nod of approval. Kim Kardashian and those who mimicked her Starbucks order were vilified as wasteful. The reality TV personality orders a tall white mocha latte with whipped cream, which sounds like a relatively normal order. However, Kardashian admits to only drinking a few sips before chucking it, which is not only wasteful, but kind of a dig at all the everyday people who consider Starbucks akin to a luxury. Depending on the origin of a trending drink, your barista could perceive you differently.

If you frequent Starbucks, there's a good chance you're already a fan of Taylor Swift. According to a survey conducted by Morning Consult, over half of Americas say they are Taylor Swift fans. With around 14 million people grabbing coffee at Starbucks each day, there is bound to be some major overlap on the Taylor Swift/Starbucks Venn diagram.

There have actually been a few Starbucks drinks associated with the music icon over the years. Apparently the connection was strong enough to warrant a "Taylor's Latte" button in Starbucks' computer system. Emily Hassett informed us that this button signified Taylor Swift's go-to Starbucks drink order, which has changed a few times over the years. When the button existed, though, it translated to a Skinny Vanilla Latte. While this is not an outlandish drink order, the chances of someone ordering it in their Swiftie era is elevated.

A Skinny Vanilla Latte used to be on the Starbucks menu, and those who still order it have been going to the coffee shop giant long enough to remember. That, or they once ripped a page from Swift's sheet music and liked her drink so much that it stuck.

It's only common courtesy to stay home as much as possible when you're sick. If the pandemic and many flu seasons have taught us anything, it's that the world doesn't run very well when everyone is sick or at great risk of getting sick. While you may not be able to get out of running certain errands, a trip to Starbucks can certainly be skipped if you're contagious. That's why long time Starbucks barista Emily Hassett looks unfavorable on some of those who order a "Medicine Ball."

As the name suggests, a Medicine Ball is typically used as a sort of remedy to sickness. "Customers who order the 'Medicine Ball' and are visibly sick just suck, flat out," Hassett says. According to former baristas on Reddit, this is a commonly held opinion about an unfortunately overused practice.

While the hot tea drink is no longer typically referred to as a Medicine Ball, healthy Starbucks goers who want the drink can order a Honey Citrus Mint Tea. While it can soothe a sore throat and help alleviate a cough, please try to make a cup of herbal tea at home if you're sick — you can try our copycat recipe of the Starbucks Medicine Ball. Starbucks workers feed your need for caffeine with a kind word and smile, so it's incredibly inconsiderate to repay them with exposure to whatever bug your body is fighting off.

If you're someone who struggles with new experiences, you've probably felt that awkward, anxiety-inducing tension of walking into an establishment for the very first time. Being faced with a new menu and an expectant barista can put on some pressure. For some, the safest option is to piggyback off of the person who ordered before you. Dani Zoeller confirms this, saying, "I have found that if someone is unfamiliar with Starbucks, they will often order what someone else is just by sheer uncertainty with the menu."

This, of course, means that the most anxious among us may end up with something on the opposite end of their taste preferences. Imagine craving the rich bitterness of an espresso and instead panic ordering an Iced Caramel Macchiato. It's enough to ruin a first impression of a coffee shop and start your day off on the wrong foot.

Luckily, those with this issue can order ahead on the Starbucks app or at least browse the menu beforehand. It also helps to have a safe, default coffee order to avoid any fear-driven orders that end up in the trash.

Stereotypes when it comes to Starbucks drinks aren't one-fits-all and you can't completely judge someone for what they enjoy drinking. There is one order, though, that Emily Hassett was wary of when she donned the Starbucks apron. "Customers who request 'no foam' are usually really rude and impatient people," she revealed to Mashed. So, what makes this one order modifier so testy?

There are a couple of reasons why someone who would order no foam on their latte would be seen as not the most reasonable customer. First, it's all about the tone. Hassett emphasizes that it's the customers who put great stress on the request that seem to be the rudest. This may have something to do with the second reason, which is that it's a near impossible request. Asking for a latte without foam is kind of like asking for an iced coffee without the ice — the foam is part of what makes a latte a latte.

If you are dead set on having your latte sans foam, try ordering a flat white. It gives off a whole different vibe to your barista, and it'll actually get you a latte with a very minimal amount of foam.

It's not exactly groundbreaking news that parents live busy, sleep deprived lives. A trip to Starbucks is almost a necessity for a lot of moms and dads whose nights are ruled by dreaded sleep regressions. Unsurprisingly, a cup of coffee isn't nearly enough to perk up the ones plagued with mandatory all-nighters and early mornings. Lattes with an extra shot of espresso are popular choices. The desperate ones may just opt for a couple espresso shots to down before continuing on with their kid-filled days.

"Mothers (or parents) would usually order highly caffeinated drinks, whether it was a quad shot of espresso over ice with white mocha and cold foam or a Pink Drink Refresher," Emily Hassett says. According to a poll done by C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, over 65% of parents claim they consume caffeine most days of the week, which makes coffee a big part of the parental day and tracks with baristas' observations. "The common thread amongst parents," Hassett continues, "was making sure it was full of caffeine."

A lot of the time a barista isn't going to be able to tell a drink order just by the appearance of the person ordering, but there are other signs. Ordering a menu item by a totally different but entirely adorable title is one of them. Pet names may be a bit cringe when thinking back to your old high school flame, but they're kind of cute when we're talking about Starbucks drinks. Internet personality and makeup pro James Charles is responsible for one of the cutest drink nicknames ever: the Pinkity Drinkity.

Charles rose to fame on YouTube and TikTok for his creative talent in the art of makeup, and those who follow him tend to love makeup as well. He claims that talking up the Starbucks drink to his massive following brought the pink drink to its place of royalty on the Starbucks menu.

If you don't follow Charles and his love for Starbucks' pink drink, then you have likely never heard of the popular refresher called the Pinkity Drinkity. Starbucks baristas, on the other hand, certainly have. Two of our Starbucks experts specifically called out this cutesy nickname, saying they find customers who order using it to be young and a lot of fun. Pro tip: order the Pinkity Drinkity and add cold foam.

There are die-hard Starbucks fanatics who like to try all of the frilly drinks that are scattered throughout the menu, but the opposite kind of coffee lover patronizes the coffee giant as well. The Lorelai Gilmores of the world (the fictional character of "Gilmore Girls"), who just want a strong cup of coffee, brave the Starbucks line for just that. These are the coffee purists, and they wouldn't be caught dead ordering a Frappuccino or an iced coffee with two pumps of anything.

All baristas have likely come across these no-nonsense customers, and Emily Hassett is well versed in interacting with them. "The people who ordered black coffees were usually regulars who believed anything else besides what they ordered was 'froo froo fancy drinks,'" she relayed. The way she puts it makes the black coffee drinkers sound like the kind of person who would ask you to name three songs of the band featured on your vintage T-shirt. Of course, this isn't always the case, but don't be surprised if the person walking around your local coffee shop with a judgmental glint in their eye isn't sipping on a plain black coffee straight from the pot.