starbucks nutellaSo you've heard about Starbuck's "secret menu," right? The one with the Dirty Chai and the Green Eye? Well, here's the thing we're hearing from everyone, especially Starbucks employees. Don't ask for these secret menu drinks by name. They're not on the stores' recipe cards so baristas are not going to know what the hell you're asking for if you just sidle up to the bar and ask for a Captain Crunch. Don't do that.

In fact there are multiple "secret" menus. Like this Starbucks secret menu. And this Starbucks secret menu.

Instead, just order by ingredients and ask for exactly what you want in your drink. No fancy code names.

I tried this today with The Nutella: Cafe Misto with a pump of chocolate, a pump of hazelnut, and a drizzle of caramel. That didn't seem so complicated that it would cause a traffic jam behind the bar. I mean, it's not like that most expensive Starbucks drink I ordered a few months ago. (Never again, I promise Starbucks employees. Never again!)

I'd never even heard of the Cafe Misto before. It's basically just a cafe au lait -- brewed coffee with lots of steamed milk. A Latte is the same thing but with espresso, and a Cappuccino is a Latte with less milk. Capiche? Any of those three drinks would probably work just fine for a Nutella.

No one appeared put out by my order, but here's the funny thing: The woman who took my order made it even more complicated by adding a request for soy milk. (OMG, no! She sent a correction right away.)

Anyway, the most important question: How did it taste? Not exactly like Nutella, actually. But still pretty sweet, chocolatey, and hazelnutty. If you don't drink it quickly enough, the syrups settle down to the bottom of the cup and turn into a chocolate sediment. This is not something I would drink all the time, but I might order another version of it sometime for a special treat.

Would you ever order any of the "secret menu" drinks?

 

Image via Adriana Velez