Got My Frappucino Free Today...

[NightAngel]

So, I was having a really crappy day and decided that a Venti Mocha Frappucino was just the thing to make me happy again (which didn't actually work).

I go into Starbucks- that one where everyone knows my name. Okay, not really but they know my face. There are 2 girls standing at the counter. They have each ordered a Carmel Machiatto.

Barista puts their drinks on counter.

From here forward they will be known as Dumbass 1 (DA1) Dumbass 2 (DA2).

DA1: "Uhm... that, you know, doesn't look right."
DA2: "Yeah, that's not the kind of cup we got them in before."
DA1: *picks up cup* "Is this HOT coffee?"

Me thinking: "DUH!"

DA2: "We didn't want it hot."

Barista: "You wanted Iced Carmel Machiattos?"
DA2: "Well, yeah."
Barista: "Then you need to specify iced when you order."

She makes 2 new ICED coffee drinks and places them on the counter.

DA1 and DA2 look at the drinks, confused, and then at eachother.
DA2: "Uhm, you know that doesn't look right either."

DA1: "Yeah, you know like at Dunkin' Donuts where the ice is crushed up?"

Barista: *obviously at the end of her rope now* "So now you want crushed ice? Meaning you want Frappucinos?"

DA2: "Yeah, you know like at Dunking Donuts." Yes, she said "dunking".


The two start whispering while the barista is blending the new drinks. I couldn't hear them- I WANTED to because I was in a REALLY pissy mood and would have LOVED to rip them new assholes today. I know they were whispering about the barista- I just know it.

Anyway, they get new drinks. Again. Finally they're happy- ish.

As they turned from the counter I LOUDLY and with dripping sarcasm said to the barista, "DAMN! It's a good thing they knew what they wanted BEFORE they ordered, huh?"

She laughed and said, "I take it you noticed they were getting on my last nerve?"

The lady in line behind me says, "They were absolutely ridiculous."

She and I got free drinks because we had to wait so long.

I said, "I don't mind paying. It's not your fault they were idiots."

She would not let me pay.

[Mr. Rude]

And the karmic wheel slowly turns

[symposes]

Ahhh.... Coffee....
By Denis Leary.


Cappicino, Frapicino, Al Pachino, Wtf?! I just want some coffee flavored coffee.

[NightAngel]

Ok I really have to claim coffee ignorance at some point..I'll do it now..

Yes, but I think it's pretty standard that if you order a coffee of any flavor you should expect it to come to you hot unless you have specified otherwise.

To be totally honest I have never had a Carmel Macchiato and I don't know exactly what all it entails either. I still would assume that if I haven't specified iced or frozen I'm going to get it hot.

Since they are in the same plaza where I work I do specialty requests there for my co- workers regularly. I have been served by this lady many, many times and I know that if they had said, "We want that frozen carmel thingy." she'd have translated that fine- no problem.

[air914]

If you aren't sure - ask! It's okay to ask! It's better to ask then to assume the barista is an idiot.... or can magically read your mind...

When I was there I got pretty good at "reading" people - like if a 10 year old came up and ordered a caramel macchiato - I'd probably ask if he meant frappuchino knowing that most young children aren't drinking hot coffee drinks w/ espresso, vanilla, and caramel in them...... though it could happen....

Or if someone asked for "Iced Coffee" even I would sometimes ask if they wanted coffee poured over ice or a frappuchino - b/c it's true some people don't know - although some other people are just stupid - like if you don't even TELL me you want it cold.... then I'm going to assume you want it hot......

Though then in the summer I would always ask if they wanted it cold if they ordered hot b/c sometimes it would be 90 degrees outside and I wondered about people who ordered hot drinks

Not everyone wants to try to "figure out" their customers though - and if you want it "like dunkin donuts" - then go to dunkin donuts for goodness sake....

[ladylabyrinth]

Ok, here we go:

Specialty coffee houses have been springing up all over the place, from indie places where the baristas are allowed to talk back to SCs to corporate places like Starbucks where the baristas have to take what the SCs dish out.

HOWEVER, regardless of the coffeehouse, there is generally some kind of blended beverage involving coffee. The names differ all over the place. At "Dunking Donuts" I believe (although I admit my ignorance of DD beverages) that their blended, frozen beverages are known as Macchiatos. At Starbucks, the same drink is called a Frappuccino. For all I know, some other shop does in fact call them Mochalattachinos. I've heard frozen coffee beverages called everything under the sun, Mochachino, Maccacino, Frappe, Frappacini, Mochalatte, Mecha-lecka-high-mecha-hiney-ho, you name it, I've heard it.

This being said, if you are NOT a frequenter of coffeehouses (indie, corp or otherwise) the SMART thing to do is to ask your barista what their frozen beverage is, what flavors are available, then say, "I'll have one of those, large, caramel flavored." DO NOT TREAT YOUR BARISTA LIKE A 'TARD. Especially if you walk in there and order a drink with name X, which happens to be drink X at Store X, but is drink Y at store Y. If you are not totally familiar with the bajillion and one names out there for a frozen blended coffee beverage, don't assume everyone else knows what you're talking about when you place your order. If you're too embarrassed to ask your server, here's a novel idea: RTFM (in this case, Read The Freakin' Menu)! If you don't know what you're talking about, and you get the wrong drink, guess whose fault it is? YOURS, YA FREAKIN' MAROON!

I hope they choke on their Venti Caramel Frappucinos. [ /rant ]

And yes, I had that exact couple of girls in my store many, many times. Sometimes they multiplied into a giggling gaggle of airheaded bimbos-in-training, but it was always, always a Caramel Frappucino they wanted, and always, ALWAYS a Caramel Macchiato they ordered.

Incidentally, for those curious, a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato is vanilla syrup, steamed milk, and foam with the shot(s) of espresso poured through the foam afterwards (macchiato is to mark in Italian, or approximately so), then drizzled with caramel syrup. And Iced Caramel Macchiato is the same thing, but the espresso "floats" on top of the ice and milk, being that the espresso is hot, and the milk is cold, and hot liquids being less dense than cold liquids, you get a layered drink that's sweet at the bottom and bittersweet (caramel syrup and espresso) at the top. A Caramel Frappuccino, as mentioned throughout this entire threadjack (sorry!) is a milk and coffee base, caramel flavor syrup added, blended with ice, topped with whipped cream, and drizzled with caramel syrup.

Sorry this got so long. Pet peeve and all. Going back to my corner now.

[NightAngel]

Okay, so the plaza I work in is lined up like this respectively:

Albertsons w/ Starbucks inside, series of small businesses, Hollywood Video, a few more small businesses, Dunkin' Donuts.
It's kind of a rectangle.

Honestly, they easily could have gone to Dunkin' Donuts instead if they wanted.
I think they call their frozen drink a Coolatta?

[Skandranon]

I'm afraid I've missed out on the coffee culture. In my life, I've had one cup of coffee; I'm a soda drinker. So when a coworker jabbers to me about how the coffeehouse messed up his order of a mocha frappe choco something and gave him a mocha frappe cacao something, I find it hard not to stare and blink. It's like a second language, I swear.

[Primer]

I've heard frozen coffee beverages called everything under the sun, Mochachino, Maccacino, Frappe, Frappacini, Mochalatte, Mecha-lecka-high-mecha-hiney-ho, you name it, I've heard it.

That's the secret word!



(that's the closest to "scream real loud" I can find!)

hehehe!

[ladylabyrinth]

So when a coworker jabbers to me about how the coffeehouse messed up his order of a mocha frappe choco something and gave him a mocha frappe cacao something, I find it hard not to stare and blink. It's like a second language, I swear.

It is a second language, and it's different for each coffee shop. I wouldn't sweat it unless you suddenly get the urge to drink specialty coffee drinks. And when your co-irker starts rambling about how they made him a tall skinny no whip mochaccino with 4 splendas when he specifically asked for a tall soy vanilla latte with a side of extra coffee snottery, go ahead and stare and blink, and send him my way. I'll out coffee-talk him any day of the week. He'll come back to you crying and swearing he'll only drink black coffee from now on.

[BookstoreEscapee]

air914 - I will order a hot chocolate when it is 90 degrees outside. Though generally I am planning to be inside the store while I'm drinking it (either on my break when I was working there, or now, when I just stop in to visit and browse. I can never stay there for less than an hour at least!). Yes, I get strange looks and comments from my friends. Though I will also have a strawberry frapp on occasion when it's hot outside (I almost never get frapps unless it's hot, for some reason..and it's almost always strawberry...).

[Food Lady]

Jeez, when I need coffee, it's because I'm too tired to think that hard. I don't want to have to learn a second language to order a cup of coffee. That's why I alwyas order a mocha, hot or iced. At least I know what I'm getting.

[NightAngel]

I'm kind of sorry I even mentioned the flavor they ordered because it really doesn't matter.

The flavor really wasn't the point at all... *sigh*

Next time I'll just say "coffee".

[Melxb]

Um *Melxb raises her hand slowly*, I had to ask 2 weeks ago about a coffee in Starbucks. I usually only order a vanilla latte, and I know what's in those. I had never ever ordered a Frapuccino and I had no idea if it was coffee or expresso based or even what is in it or how it was blended. The guy at Starbucks was SUPER nice and explained everything to me.

I ended getting an iced vanilla latte. The Starbucks guy never laughed at me, outwardly at least. He was totally nice the whole time.

[Rahmota]

Well all I can say after having visited the land of coffee (aka washignton state, I swear you have more coffee places there than we do bars in the entire state of Ohio. ) is that I didnt know you could have that many different kinds of cofffe. I grew up used to just a handful of coffee types :Black, Creamed, sugared and creamed with sugar and all of the above in decaf so a total of 8 types of coffee. The one little coffeee shack we went to had 27 different combos I think of just cold coffee and it wasnt even a starbucks! I basically trusted my friend or went back to the point at menu and hope it is good method. But then again keeping an open mind is helpful in that situation.

Oh and whatever you call it I foudn a favorite out there. Some kind of coffee/ chocolate shake with caramel and whipped cream. Very nice. Now if only there was a starbucks within 50 miles of me.