Mocha Coffee Origin and the Starbucks Secret Menu Firing

A U.S. Starbucks barista was fired after posting a customer's thirteen-item order on social media, then apologized in person and settled the matter. The drink began as an ordinary Frappuccino and gained additions such as banana milk, caramel sauce, cinnamon sauce, dark caramel syrup, mocha sauce, honey, espresso pumps, and heavy cream, double blended.

Starbucks once credited the secret menu for pushing baristas to learn more than 170,000 customized recipes, and some of those drinks reached the official menu. TikTok-driven ordering has since made requests more extreme, slowing service at peak hours. The mocha coffee beans and syrups behind such builds trace to the drink's original mocha coffee origin in Yemen.

The Starbucks secret menu once led baristas to learn how to make over 170,000 customized drinks, but the extreme personalization of orders is now sparking controversy. A U.S. barista was fired after exposing a customer's 13-item order on social media, then apologized in person and reconciled. The incident reflects the complex ordering trend fueled by TikTok, where customers pay extra but reduce baristas to "drink-making robots," slowing down service during peak hours. This article takes you through the full story and highlights the privacy and respect issues between baristas and customers.

As one of the earliest to gain fame from the secret menu, Starbucks once gave this unofficial way of ordering formal recognition. International Finance News reported that Starbucks spokeswoman Maggie Jantzen mentioned in a CNBC interview that due to the popularity of the secret menu, Starbucks baristas can master over 170,000 customized drink recipes. But precisely because these personalized drinks are so appealing, some eventually made it onto Starbucks' official menu.

That sounds nice, but as customers' creativity keeps flowing, many Starbucks baristas have started complaining on social media: some requests can truly drive a person crazy. Some baristas were even fired by their stores for publicly venting.

A U.S. Starbucks barista posted a photo of an order on social media with the caption "Why I'm quitting today" to express dissatisfaction with a customer's ordering demands:

"5 portions of banana milk, caramel sauce on top, add light cream, add ice, add cinnamon sauce, 7 pumps of dark caramel syrup, add caramel bits, 1 pump of honey blended into the drink, add salted dark mocha sauce, 5 pumps of Frappuccino espresso, 7 pumps of Starbucks-exclusive syrup, add heavy cream, double blended"

What was originally an ordinary Frappuccino had a full 13 extra requests added. After reading this, it's unclear whether readers will break down, but the barista who posted it surely went crazy—even the sticker had to bear more words than it should.

After posting, the barista was ready to quit, because he felt the company not only didn't limit such customer requests but also required baristas to make them as ordered, which was enough to drive anyone insane. He also mentioned that other baristas complained orders were getting more and more complex, with one saying he felt treated as a "coffee-making robot."

However, before he could quit himself, the store fired him first. The reason was that the post sparked heated discussion, and the customer who placed the order said the barista had publicly revealed their name and order without consent, which was very rude. The customer also stressed that they had tipped $5 on this order, equivalent to 30% of the price of a Frappuccino. The store also believed the post damaged the brand's reputation, so it decided to fire the barista.

After being fired, the barista realized his approach was inappropriate, contacted the customer to apologize in person, and with the customer's consent posted a video of it online recorded by a third party. From the video screenshots, although the incident left both parties unhappy, they ultimately reconciled with a hug.

This incident resonated with many Starbucks employees, who also shared unreasonable orders they had encountered on social media (though some baristas still lack awareness of respecting customer privacy...)

"1 pump of hazelnut syrup, 1 pump of toasted white chocolate sauce, add milk cap, no caramel syrup, 2 pumps of Irish cream syrup, add cocoa powder, add honey, a little less, add 4 shots of espresso, add 1 pump of mocha, then add mocha sauce on top, a little skim milk, a little heavy cream, add 3 pumps of crème brûlée sauce, add a caramel pudding topping, add light cream, add chocolate shavings..."

Did your jaw drop after reading that? It's not over yet—keep looking at the next order:

"2 portions of banana milk, use golden roasted espresso, add 2 shots of espresso specifically for affogato ice cream, add cascara tea, two pumps of honey, add cocoa powder, add pineapple syrup, add chocolate powder (different from cocoa powder), 1 pump of caramel syrup, 1 pump of sugar-free vanilla syrup, 2 pumps of Frappuccino-exclusive syrup, switch to skim milk, 1 pump of classic syrup, 1 pump of toffee nut syrup, 1 pump of pumpkin sauce, 1 pump of white mocha, 2 scoops of matcha powder, 1 pump of raspberry syrup, 1 pump of cinnamon syrup, add vanilla powder, add cinnamon powder, 1 pump of hazelnut syrup, add nutmeg powder, add two shots of regular espresso, add ice, add light cream, finally double blended and then, drizzle some caramel sauce, mocha sauce, pumpkin caramel sauce, cinnamon sauce on top..."

Goodness, they used half of Starbucks' ingredients! And this isn't even the most exaggerated one—no need to translate, just typing it out would wear your hands out. Even if you're not a Starbucks employee, an ordinary person reading this can feel that suffocating sensation.

Can't they just use two stickers?! Sure! It's just a bit head(e)-banging when drinking...

Even if the variety of added ingredients isn't many, crazy adding the same ingredient can make you feel sweet to the point of scalp numbness just by looking at it!

Many baristas who posted said all this is TikTok's fault, and much of it was started by Starbucks employees themselves. So many people, out of curiosity, wanted to see if they could really order it, and then they actually did. Although these ingredients require customers to pay extra and baristas should make them as requested, this is extremely inefficient. During peak hours, one such drink appearing is enough to make the customers behind wait a long time.

Regarding the baristas' shares, onlooking netizens could hardly resist complaining: this is the rhythm of needing an insulin shot after one sip. Some netizens also thought these customers were very selfish, because Starbucks itself is a brand that can produce quickly, and one order made the customers behind wait longer.

Although this drink is the consumer's own choice and they need to pay the corresponding fee, some things should stop at the right point... wasting money and wasting food, why bother

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.