Your Guide To Ordering The TikTok Viral Carrot Cake Latte At Starbucks
If you consider yourself a Starbucks coffee connoisseur, chances are you're familiar with the concept of the unofficial "Secret Menu." The coffee chain allows almost endless customization of its drinks, which has led to customers creating some pretty elaborate (and highly caffeinated) beverages. Many of these creations are meant to mimic the taste of other foods and drinks. One TikTok user, Megan, shared a video showing off her go-to drink order.
The drink, which is meant to taste similar to a carrot cake, starts off with two pumps each of chai and toffee nut syrups, followed by one pump of brown sugar syrup. The caffeine comes in with three blonde espresso shots, and the drink is topped off with oat milk and ice.
In the caption of the video, Megan praised the drink, saying "I drink this almost daily." And thanks to her video instructions, it's easy to request the drink at your local Starbucks.
You can order this drink for yourself
In a comment on the video, Megan even gave instructions on the best way to order the carrot cake-inspired drink (which actually has medieval origins). She recommends asking your barista for an "iced grande blonde oat milk latte with an extra shot," and then providing the amounts of syrups. For an extra sweet flavor addition, she recommends ordering the drink with some cinnamon sprinkled on top. While quite a few commenters on the video shared that they had tried and loved the drink, others weren't so impressed.
@megan..brooke carot cake DUPEEE i drink this almost daily #starbucksbarista #starbuckspartner #starbucksrecipe #fyp
Some commenters suggested that the drink would be too sweet, and that Megan should have ordered it with only a half pump of the brown sugar syrup — and we have to say, brown sugar sure can elevate desserts, so why not drinks? Others claimed the drink should have a different name since there wasn't actually any carrot flavor present in the beverage. One comment suggested that "spice cake" might be a better name. Likewise, another commenter noted that the chai flavoring featured two spices similar to those found in carrot cakes — cinnamon and cloves.
The customization comes at a cost
One other concern that several commenters shared was the steep cost of the drink. While Starbucks does allow its customers to add or alter many aspects of its beverages, it comes at a cost to offset the extra effort and ingredients the baristas will need to use. The more you change in a drink, the more it the price will spike.
For example, the swap from dairy to oat milk (which is surprisingly easy to make at home) costs 70 cents on average while the added syrups will tack an extra 80 cents on top of that. And, if you want an added shot of espresso in your drink like Megan recommends, you can count on an extra dollar being added to your receipt. These additions may cost even more, depending on the Starbucks location and mood of the barista (some may charge that 80 cents per syrup).
Overall, at around $9 pre-tax and tip for this sweet drink recommendation, this coffee may not be practical as an everyday order. However, if you're craving a sweet drink featuring some fun, sweet-and-spiced flavors, go ahead and treat yourself.