What Does It Mean To Have A Handcrafted Drink At Starbucks?

Whether it's something hot to warm you up from the cold outside or an iced coffee drink to refresh you on a warm summer day, Starbucks is known for offering a wide variety of beverages. And its menu is always changing, ever so slightly. Every season, the coffee conglomerate comes out with a new line of handcrafted drinks for customers to enjoy, but what exactly is a handcrafted drink from Starbucks?

Most of the beverages you'll see in the hands of happy customers are known to the brand as handcrafted beverages. Short of going bold and ordering a tall, dark black drip coffee or relaxing with a soothing cup of hot tea, every beverage ordered from the barista at your local Starbucks is a handcrafted drink. These concoctions take more expert knowledge to create and utilize the best ingredients the store has on hand. 

All the lattes created by adding steamed milk to a shot of espresso with sweeter before being topped with a layer of foam are handcrafted beverages that baristas are well-educated to make just right. Today, handcrafted drinks at Starbucks make up 87% of its total drink sales. But the caffe chain didn't start by selling its alluring handcrafted drinks at first. In fact, they didn't serve any brewed coffee in the beginning.

The original owners of Starbucks had a particular vision for what they wanted the business to be, and it didn't include selling hot java. Originally, they sold coffee-making equipment along with coffee beans, teas, and spices from around the globe to consumers accustomed to brewing modestly priced roasts in a can from the grocery store. Starbucks was a place where people could purchase specialty coffee to brew at home.

After returning from a trip to Italy and experiencing the impressive espresso bars in the country, the newly appointed Director of Operations and Marketing, Howard Schultz, implored the original owners to start setting up espresso bars inside its shops. While they had begun to sell hot brew to customers, they rebuffed the idea of focusing on that aspect of the business. When the last two original owners decided to sell their stakes in the company, Shultz pounced on the opportunity to buy Starbucks and focused on making them more like cafes.

The idea was wildly successful, as the company quickly expanded to over 100 locations throughout the U.S. They leaned into the concept of becoming a specialty cafe by adding new handcrafted drinks to the menu over time. In 1995, the Green Mermaid put the now famous Frappuccino on the menu, which was available in just two flavors at the time. The chain supplements its menu with contemporary beverages every year, often in the form of limited-time offers.

Throughout the year, Starbucks releases fresh limited-time offers in the form of handcrafted beverages. The drinking public is the test market and the level of hype a drink does or doesn't receive gives Starbucks a sense of its potential staying power. Occasionally, one of those beverages gains a following, and Starbucks puts the item on the menu for good. The iconic Caramel Macchiato was initially released as an LTO celebrating Starbucks' 25th anniversary in 1996 before being included in the menu as a staple handcrafted drink, made by expert baristas by frothing milk and pouring it over vanilla syrup before adding in a shot of espresso. The finishing touch is the inviting drizzle of caramel sauce the barista arranges on top before you enjoy.

Though most aren't destined to become permanent menu items, Starbucks continues to release exciting new drinks seasonally. In the winter, they tend to offer comforting beverages like their Peppermint Mocha and Chestnut Praline Latte. As warmer months approach, they change it up and often put out more thirst-quenching drinks such as their Chocolate Java Mint Frappuccino, or their ever-changing line of Refreshers. Generally, limited-time offers are one-and-done menu items, and only available while supplies last. If you see Starbucks coming out with a handcrafted drink that sparks your interest, it's best to act fast if you want to give it a taste, or a few if you want to see it up on the blackboard all the time.