Frappuccinos – The Frozen Nightmare
If there’s one drink that makes baristas groan in unison, it’s the Frappuccino. Former Starbucks employee Kaleigh French tells us she literally hated making any Frappuccino, calling them “just so annoying to make.” The process is incredibly time-consuming, especially during peak hours when everyone wants their caffeine fix quickly.
Many Starbucks locations only have one blender for making Frappuccinos, and with most stores being understaffed, this creates a serious bottleneck. What makes it worse is when customers add multiple customizations or ask for secret menu variations. One barista explained their frustration: “Because the types of things asked of me when I make them are outrageous. Layered whipped cream? Come on now. That’s extra time that I have no button to account for.”
Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccinos – The Ultimate Annoyance
In a viral Reddit thread, one drink order stood out with 500 upvotes – the Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino with extra caramel. This particular drink drives baristas absolutely crazy, not because it’s difficult to make, but because of customer complaints about the caramel amount.
One barista described their experience: “They’re actually kinda fun to make ngl, but the reason I hate it so much is because I will dress that bitch up, help her with her make up, get her the sugar covered mani she deserves, only to hand it out and have the customer go ‘ummm theres not enough extra.'” The technical challenges don’t help either – the caramel slides off the whipped cream and makes lid placement a nightmare.
Matcha Drinks with Cold Foam
Don’t let the trendy green color fool you – matcha drinks are a barista’s secret nightmare. While customers think their classic matcha order is simple, baristas disagree. “It’s soooo annoying,” French explains. “It’s a powder that gets everywhere and then you have to shake it and it foams up so like half the drink is foam.”
The problem gets worse when customers request cold foam on top. One barista wrote on Reddit: “For me, [the worst drink] is iced matcha with cold foam. Not even Fraps make me sigh like that drink idk why.” The powder gets everywhere, creating a messy workspace, and the shaking process creates excessive foam that customers often complain about.
Pumpkin Spice Lattes – The Overrated Fall Icon
Despite the massive hype, many people believe pumpkin spice lattes are completely overrated, tasting only vaguely like actual pumpkin pie rather than delivering the promised fall flavors. The reality behind this seasonal favorite is pretty disappointing.
The drink contains no actual pumpkin – Starbucks uses a flavored syrup that consists of high fructose corn syrup and tons of artificial flavoring. With 470 calories in a venti size, your beloved latte has twice the calories of a 16-ounce Coca Cola. Even baristas who’ve tried making their own versions report disappointing results, with one describing the taste as “burnt caramel corn.”
Overly Customized Drinks
The real nightmare scenario for baristas isn’t a specific drink – it’s customers who go completely overboard with customizations. One infamous order measured up to have around 1040 to 1100 calories, 26 grams of fat, and 208 grams of sugar. We’re talking about drinks with 13 different customizations that take forever to prepare.
When drinks with this many modifications come through during the morning rush, it’s downright frustrating for baristas who know the customer orders this same complicated drink every single morning. The amount of syrup some people request is astounding – one order was literally half the cup filled with syrup. These excessive requests slow down service for everyone else.
Macchiatos (The Misunderstood Classic)
Here’s where things get tricky – many customers don’t actually know what they’re ordering when they ask for a macchiato. The Starbucks version is like a caramel latte with caramel drizzle, but an actual macchiato is Italian – just a tiny drop of milk with espresso. When people order expecting the Starbucks version at independent shops, it creates problems and complaints.
Unfortunately, macchiatos have become associated with difficult customers. Many baristas report that customers who order espresso macchiatos are often rude and condescending, frequently giving patronizing explanations about what the drink should be. This negative association has made many baristas dread these orders, even though the drinks themselves can be delicious.
Pink Drinks and Overly Sweet Refreshers
Former Starbucks baristas consider the Pink Drink overrated, suggesting customers try a Refresher with dragonfruit instead. The issue isn’t necessarily the drink itself, but the way customers often modify it to ridiculous extremes.
One barista shared an example of a regular customer who orders “a no ice, venti pink drink made with sweet cream, 4 vanilla powder scoops, 9 vanilla syrup pumps, and vanilla bean cold foam,” then sends it back because it isn’t sweet enough. These excessive modifications turn what should be a refreshing beverage into a sugar bomb that barely resembles the original drink.
Extra Hot Drinks with No Foam
This order might sound simple, but it’s physically impossible to execute properly. Baristas hate when customers order anything extra hot with no foam because “it’s gonna be foamy if you steam it to hell and back.” The steaming process naturally creates foam – you can’t avoid it.
What makes this order particularly frustrating is that customers often get angry when their drink inevitably has foam, despite the laws of physics working against their request. The process of heating milk to extremely high temperatures while avoiding foam creates an impossible situation that leaves both the barista and customer unsatisfied.
Iced Cappuccinos – The Time Waster
An iced cappuccino is tough to make because baristas start with an iced latte and add extra steamed milk on top to achieve the foaminess cappuccinos are known for. The problem is the steamed milk is hot and needs to cool down first, or the entire iced drink becomes warm – this is extremely time consuming.
The process involves making an iced latte, steaming milk intensely, putting it in the fridge for several minutes so the foam can separate, then dolloping it on top. Many customers try to take their drink before the foam is added, showing they don’t understand what they’ve ordered. It’s a lot of work for some extra foam that most people don’t even wait for.
