You Should Think Twice Before Ordering Starbucks Cold Foam Ahead

Sipping on a Starbucks before work and beating the line at a restaurant by ordering ahead are arguably two of the best things in life. So when Starbucks started allowing customers to mobile order their frappes in 2015 (per The Verge,) it was only a matter of time before ordering ahead at the beverage giant became a part of many avid coffee drinkers' daily routines. However, if you're a major fan of having your coffee hot and ready for you by the time you walk into your local Starbucks you should know that there is actually one type of drink that is not suited for ordering ahead.

Cold brew enthusiasts commonly enjoy savoring the iced drink topped with Starbucks' signature cold foam. Unfortunately, as Insider reports, you should probably order your favorite cold foam drink in-store, because you may be sacrificing your drink's taste for the sake of convenience — here's why.

As Eater reports, while both cold foam and regular foam are made from frothing milk, unlike the topping suited for hot coffee, cold foam is created without using heat. That's why it's such a decadently thick mix-in for your cold brew. However, one barista who worked for Starbucks told Insider that cold foam's airy texture doesn't stay intact for long.

According to the former Starbucks employee, a cold foam drink is best enjoyed freshly made. Because, as the barista explained, if you were to order a cold brew 30 minutes before you stepped into Starbucks, you'd find that the cold foam would no longer be sitting on top of your drink. Instead, it would have long melted into it. So by ordering ahead you'll be drinking an iced coffee that has a liquid-like cold foam instead of a pleasantly thick topping — which is a sad enough thought to make a cold brew lover cry. However, while you should be wary about mobile ordering a cold foam drink, the Starbucks employee reports there is a way you can still buy your favorite caffeine fix ahead of time without ruining its flavor.

If you're on the run and have no choice but to mobile order your drink, the former barista reported to Insider that there is a trick to having a tasty cold foam drink waiting for you when you walk into Starbucks. Because you want to ensure your cold foam-infused coffee doesn't sit out for 20 minutes, the Starbucks employee suggested that you mobile order your drink when you pull into the store's parking lot. This will make certain the cold foam in your coffee hasn't wasted away by the time you pick it up from the counter.

However, cold foam coffee isn't the only specialty drink you shouldn't mobile order until you're within walking distance of Starbucks. Because they will lose their flavor, drinks with shaken expresso will also suffer from being abandoned in the pickup section. And in one Reddit thread, another barista reported that mobile ordering also puts the flavor of cappuccinos, nitro cold brews, and frappuccinos at risk if you can't grab them quickly enough. So, in general, it seems that if your coffee involves ingredients that can melt, it's better that you only mobile order it moments before you step into the store — or, better yet, skip mobile ordering your drink altogether and buy your brew the old-fashioned way.