A Starbucks barista revealed a customer’s bizarre Starbuck order: a steamed Nitro Cold Brew.
The Nitro Cold Brew is a delicate drink—so much so that Starbucks baristas aren’t even supposed to serve it in anything larger than a grande cup (it would lose the “cascading, frothy texture” the nitrogen gives it). According to the brand, its cold brew is slow-steeped for 20 hours and infused with nitrogen to create the drink, which has 215-280 milligrams of caffeine in it. Needless to say, creating this drink is an art. So when TikToker and Starbucks barista Ashton (@ashtoncharlebois) was asked by a customer to steam her Nitro Cold Brew, he was understandably taken aback.
“Someone just asked us to steam her nitro cold brew and claimed other stores do it for her all the time after we told her that this is very much against standard?? I just wanna know who is out here steaming cold nitro brew for this lady,” Ashton wrote in the text overlay of his video, which was viewed 344,000 times.
“Ive bever been so baffled,” the barista, who often makes videos about his time at Starbucks and has over 20,000 followers, added in the caption.
@ashtoncharlebois Ive bever been so baffled #barista #fyp #starbucks #baristatok #starbies #coffee ♬ original sound – 🧛🏾♀️
Ashton told the Daily Dot that the workers in the store did not make the steamed Nitro Cold Brew. “We asked our store manager and she agreed that no, we cannot steam cold brew at Starbucks,” Ashton said.
He said the customer “wasn’t exactly rude about it.” “She was for the most part pretty calm about it but was kinda firm on ‘Well other locations do this for me,’” Ashton said.
Ashton clarified he is “in no way shape or form making fun of the woman.”
“The request was just simply so unique that it caught me off guard and felt like I needed to share it with my following,” he added.
Viewers put themselves in the worker’s shoes, revealing what they would’ve done had they received that ask. “I would’ve been like ‘that’s great that another location has accommodated you but that is against standard so our location will not. Have a nice day,’” one said.
Another apparent barista claimed they just assume the customer is lying when they argue another store accommodated them.
However, many also resonated with receiving such requests, with one admitting they’ve obliged the customer in the past. “I’ve never steamed cold brew but I’ve steamed an americano for a customer before. Lol,” they said.
Of course, most baristas, at some point, have probably received an odd request from a customer. And if you are a customer who has an unusual order, don’t be surprised if a barista decides to put it on blast on TikTok. We’ve seen workers roast customer’s sandwich orders and even turn their customization-heavy drink orders into slam poems.
The Daily Dot reached out to Starbucks via email.
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