The Easy Request For Better-Tasting Iced Drinks At Starbucks

On a warm day, heading to your local Starbucks and ordering an iced brew can be a refreshing way to cool down. Now, most of the time when people place their order, they'll just pick one of the standard drinks, such as an iced mocha. Or, if they're mixing things up, they'll order something off the Starbucks secret menu that plays around with different ingredients and add-ins to enhance the flavor. However, there's actually an even simpler way to enhance your favorite cold beverages, and it doesn't involve any extra additions that will cost you more. All you have to do is ask the barista to shake your cold drink.

While some beverages, such as iced teas, are already shaken, others, such as iced green tea lattes and iced coffees, aren't. When you order these beverages shaken, you'll get a drink that's got a more consistent flavor and temperature, and that has added texture, all of which makes your brew taste just a little bit better.

One of the main reasons for shaking iced drinks at Starbucks is to incorporate the ingredients better. In many Starbucks iced drinks, the powders and other mix-ins that are used are heavier than the water or other liquid in them.

When you stir the drink rather than shake it, this runs the risk of the add-ins sinking to the bottom or floating on the top of your beverage. What that means is that some sips could contain just milk or coffee, or have too much of the powder, syrup, or other add-ins, leading to an inconsistent drink. On the other hand, by shaking the drink, although it's just for a few seconds, the ingredients will be incorporated more consistently. This leads to every sip being delicious.

Another way to get consistent beverages is to ask your barista to blend the drink, too. However, make sure you specify to add the ice after blending, or you'll wind up with something more like a frappuccino as opposed to a smooth, liquid beverage.

Shaking iced drinks is also important for getting a consistent temperature. That's because it moves the ice through the liquid, helping to cool the beverage down. With drinks that aren't shaken, baristas don't even always stir them, leading to a drink that may be warmer or cooler in certain pockets of the beverage.

When your drink is consistently cooler, this can also affect the taste. This is because cold temperatures suppress our taste of sweetness. When you're drinking iced coffee and other cold brews at Starbucks, that can help avoid your drink tasting overly sweet and can lead to a more balanced, refreshing flavor.

At the same time, shaking introduces air bubbles to your beverage. This gives it a frothy texture on top, adding a slightly velvety texture when you sip on the drink, particularly when you're ordering something with milk or cream in it. Although these disappear fairly quickly, it's still a nice touch that enhances the consistency of your drink. So, next time you're ordering your usual venti iced white mocha or other brew at Starbucks, ask your barista to shake your drink and get ready for an upgraded treat.