Customize your Drink Order with these Terms!

Below you will find a list and description of special terms you can use to customize your drink to just the way you want it!

Decaf:
Decaf Espresso shots substituting regular espresso shots in your drink! (Less Caffeine in your drink this way)

Half Caf:
If your drink requires 2 shots of espresso then one of the shots will be decaf espresso and the other will be regular strength espresso. It just means half regular shots and half decaf shots

Ristretto:
This is so rarely requested that even many baristas don't recognize it. A normal shot of espresso takes about twenty seconds to pull; a ristretto shot is stopped at fifteen seconds, making a slightly smaller, less bold shot.

Nonfat Milk:
All normal bar drinks can be made with nonfat milk instead of whole. Blended drinks are made from pre-mixed concentrate, so the milk can't be changed, but most are fairly low in fat anyway, especially if you skip the whipped cream.

Low fat Milk:
Drinks can also be made with lowfat milk, which is actually a 50-50 mixture of whole and nonfat. Be aware, this may require the barista to steam two separate pitchers of milk if it's a hot drink, so it may take a bit longer.

Breve:
Made with half and half instead of regular milk. This makes it a bit thicker, a bit sweeter, a bit more expensive and a lot more fattening.

Soy:
Depending on your location, you may be able to order a drink with soy milk rather than regular milk. It's pretty good, even if you don't have dietary/religious reasons for avoiding cow milk. It does cost extra, though. 99% of All Vancouver Starbucks locations and almost all other Coffee shops do carry Soy! Vancouver does see a need to have this made available!

Extra Hot:
Some people like their drinks extra extra piping hot. Others just want it to still be drinkable an hour later. In any case, if you order something extra hot, don't drink it too fast, because it could be up to or possibly over 170 degrees. Anything over that is technically scalding the milk, but if you want it at 180, go ahead and specify that.

140 degrees:
No, this is not the newest boy band. If you find normal drinks too hot to drink, and want to save your taste buds from a fiery death, order your drink at a hundred and forty degrees -- this is still quite warm, but not tongue-roasting. Many of the new espresso machines have pre-programed or Automated temperatures. This will allow the milk stop steaming once it has reached the automated temperature. Many are programed for 140 and extra hot at 160 or 170!

Light Ice/Easy Ice:
Depending on your iced beverage preferences, you can always ask for more or less ice than usual. Usually when ordering Light Ice in an Iced Beverage the Barista would go one size down. So For a Large or Venti sized Iced Drink the Medium or Grande sized Ice Amount would be used unless otherwise specified! You can always order Extra Ice and which case the ice amount would go up one size from Medium/Grande cup to Large/Venti Ice amount!

Upside Down:
This pertains to caramel macchiatos -- normally these are made with the shots and caramel dropped on top. Making one upside down means that it'll be more thoroughly mixed, and the caramel melted a bit.

Double Blended:
Double-blending a Frappuccino makes it smoother and more liquid.

Affogato:
Another Customization, though rarely ordered, is to order the Blended Drinks and Frappaccinos "affogato style". The Italian word "affogato" translates to "drowned" in English. An affogato Frappuccino has a shot of espresso on top rather than blended into the rest of the drink. The most common versions of this variation are known as "caramel affogato" and "mocha affogato" style, in which the espresso shot is poured on top of a crosshatch pattern of either caramel or mocha sauce in place of whipped cream.