There's a relatively large number of people who are proud of hacking Starbucks. Not its Web site but its drinks. Slate wrote the definitive piece on these hacks; they basically all revolve around ordering a cheap drink and then fixing it into a more expensive drink through the copious amounts of free cream and sugar available at the straw counter.
Starbucks' new drink push is towards its tea lattes, such as the London Fog Tea latte. It's been an underground drink at Starbucks for years but is now officially on the menu.
Starbucks describes it as a "full
leaf black tea with citrusy Italian Bergamot and a hint of lavender.
Sweetened with vanilla syrup and topped with steamed milk and velvety
foam."
Sounds pretty good but at $4 a cup it should be. Serious Eats noticed
that you can get nearly the same thing at Starbucks for around $2.50,
provided you're fine with tinkering at the straw counter for a couple
of moments and switching to a normal Earl Grey tea bag instead of the
loose-leaf mesh one. They're not calling it a Starbucks hack but it's
the same thing.
Here's the recipe for a Ghetto London Fog Tea Latte:
1 medium (grande or whatever the 16 oz is) hot cup Earl Grey tea
3 packs sugar
3-6 ounces two-percent milk.
Order a cup of Earl Grey tea. Tell the barista you'll steep it
yourself. Drink or pour out the top fourth of the drink. Add the sugar
and two-percent milk and presto! a London Fog.
The only thing the ghetto London Fog is missing is that the milk is not
steamed but if you can live without the foam, they should taste the
same. Making it yourself also gives you control over the sweetness. As
our sister blog in Denver points out, the regular London Fog can be very sweet.
-- Owen Morris
Showing 1-31 of 31
Ok.. Here is my order, in order of how I say it.... I never have probs.
Grande
2 pump Suger Free Vanilla
Extra 1% Milk
Tazo Earl Grey Brewed Tea
Extra hot
This is also Sugar Free and Fat Free. It might not be as TASTY as the original.. But I will take my cheap 0cal impression anytime.
I was doing this at Starbucks 10 years ago when I was working as a barista. I was inspired by the people who made the frappucino, who consequently made a nice bonus for their "discovery". For everyone who thinks they've stumbled on something new, yer all just poseurs. See everyone else in the civilized world (ie the Brits, GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!) has been drinking extra bergamot Earl Grey tea with milk and sugar for YEARS. All of a sudden because McStarbucks popularized it and all the suburban soccer moms and emo kids are loving it, its the new "in" drink. I think I need to sue for royalties.
But.... but... b... tea is serious business. Just look at the Boston Tea Party -- those people weren't joking around!
Damn cat jumped on the enter button. Ok, we are talking about tea... so this is cause for all of this nonsense banter? And it came about to be anti-semitic? Please, calm down. Take a breather. Realize that this is tea you are talking about and that you let it get your knickers in such a twist.
@Reply to Shirley
Shirly you're an idiot, stop being so damn sensative, if ghetto offends you then don't read the article. It's sick how damn sensative people are getting now a days.
Ok, if you're going to go around calling people idiots, maybe you should check your spelling and grammar first.
The word you're looking for is "Sensitive", not "SensAtive". And "nowadays" is one word, not three.
Its a terrible thing when ppl are so damn ignorant and so damn cheap @ the same time! IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD THE F+CKING BEVERAGE, SELECT SOMETHING ELSE. YOUR DUMBASSES ARE STEALING. GREAT WAY TO SET AN EXAMPLE. ASSHOLES.
So yeah there are a number of issues to address here
1) Saying "hacking" a drink sounds stupid
2) "Hacking" a drink is a waste of time, if you are looking for an economical way to drink coffe or tea its called lipton or folgers, don't even bother fixing up your McGuyverized version of real drinks from the condiment bar. The only time doing that works is when ur low on money and at a starbucks, then its feasable - but purposefully going to starbucks regularly to McGuyver your drinks is just a waste of effort, it doesn't taste as good, and its annoying to others at the condiment bar.
3) Shirley is not oversensitive but just stupid, everything in language is about context -- a ghetto london tea latte isn't refering to racial or anti-semitic things. Obviously the ghetto london fog tea latte isn't meant to be a london tea latte for jews in nazi germany confined to low grade urban quarters as the nazis won't let the poor jews drink real london fog tea lattes. NO! just no, the word ghetto today has been adapted today to mean something different. And don't even give me that "it carries connotations" crap, how about you start protesting the phrase "kill 2 birds with 1 stone", after all the phrase is depicting the abuse of innocent avians.
I'm so glad that we can get along so well. Shirley sounds like she needs to get laid. Thanks for the basic recipe! Peace out.
you guys are a bunch of fags, fuckin assholes. i work at starbucks and i hate all of you
I've been ordering a large Earl Grey misto, with no-sugar hazelnut for a couple of years at Starbucks. It always cost around 2.35 - 2.55 depending on location and if I order soy milk. Anyway, recently, I go in there, and they charge me around $4, calling it a "London Fog". I tell them I've been ordering this for years and they look at me like I'm crazy. Then they can't figure out how to ring it up. Eventually they get it. It's only a matter of time before they refuse to cooperate...
First the Pike's Puke, now this... Ugh..
Do you know that if you add more than 4 oz of milk to your beverage that Starbucks can charge you for it. The milk at the condiment bar is to be used as a condiment not a beverage component.
I've got an even better idea. If you can't afford a $4 drink, don't go to Starbucks. End of story.
I wonder how many of the people buying $2.50 hacked drinks put them on credit cards.
If you are so strapped that you have to try and figure out(lame)ways to hack starbucks tea drinks, maybe you should be buying your tea drink elsewhere.... (McDonald's)
To Reply to Shirly:
You are obviously a white christian male with a silver spoon in your mouth - like the writer of this story.
Shirly you're an idiot, stop being so damn sensative, if ghetto offends you then don't read the article. It's sick how damn sensative people are getting now a days.
Shirly you're an idiot, stop being so damn sensative, if ghetto offends you then don't read the article. It's sick how damn sensative people are getting now a days.
So, i read this story only because it somehow got onto the Google Finance Related Stories for the Starbucks Coffee Company stock ticker. A i truely agree with GAstarbucksgirl, as i do work at starbucks. most people around here order an earl grey, ask us to input dairy (55 cents extra) and then like 2 pumps of vanilla, which is not the full 4 pumps therefore they are not charged for them. This used to happen when this drink was not released, but now people just order the new drink because it tastes that much better.
Your kidding me right! Are you that stupid to post this b.s. about Ghetto London Fog.
What! are trying save the general public money? Let me tell you this my friend that just came up from in the ground(underground)
Tea latte without steaming the milk is not a London Fog and try tasting one without.... it sucks and you should know this. This is the best part of this drink and I sell alot of these without the b.s. hack
The dude has spoke
Your kidding me right! Are you that stupid to post this b.s. about Ghetto London Fog.
What! are trying save the general public money? Let me tell you this my friend that just came up from in the ground(underground)
Tea latte without steaming the milk is not a London Fog and try tasting one without.... it sucks and you should know this. This is the best part of this drink and I sell alot of these without the b.s. hack
The dude has spoke
I never said anything demeaning about the regular teas. There's just no comparison between that and the body of a full-leaf tea. You should know that being from the UK.
GAStarbucksGirl, are you saying the regular teas are shite? Anyway, over here in the UK we just call em tea and they come standard with milk and there is nothing ghetto about that. And for four quid you would probably get two and some change back.
I'm sorry, but in my opinion the full-leaf Earl Grey Tazo Tea, in it's elegant silk bag, doesn't hold a candle to the regular Earl Grey Taso tea. That's why a Grande London Fog Tea Latte only requires 1 tea bag to develop the full, rich tea flavor as opposed to a Grande Misto which would require 2 regular tea bags and still would not reach the full potential of flavors you will experience and enjoy with the London Fog. Saying this though, I think I will perform a taste test on some of my fellow baristas and see if they too can tell the distinct difference.
Please refrain from using the word "ghetto" given the racial and anti-semitic connotations associated with it.
Thanks.
Here is another idea, buy your own earl grey, put some bags into your own cup with some warm milk from home, go to starbucks and ask them to pump some vanilla in it and top it off with some hot water. That way your only paying .30 for the syrup....
this is like ordering a double shot over ice in a grande cup and turning it into an iced latte at the condiment bar?
did they really need to make an article out of this?
Not to worry Matt. I don't think they maintain the Starbuck trash barrels more than a degree or two above room temperature, but it never hurts to be on the safe side.
That hot expresso could be lurking down there for hours, days even. Ready to burn the tender fingers of our delicate baristas
Wait... if the milk is not steamed, doesn't this cool the beverage substantially? Foam or no foam I want my drink to be hot!
What about the poor barista that must dump the trash with all of the hot liquid in the bottom? That�s not very considerate.
I understand getting a "cheap" beverage; but personally, this crosses the line.
... You know there's an even easier way to get just about the same thing for cheaper... and it's never been an underground drink it's just never been on the menu b/c with over 10000 drink possibilities, it's not like we're going to list everything on the menu.
Go into a store and order a vanilla Tazo Earl Grey Misto.... They'll make virtually the same thing as the full leaf version but with the standard non-full leaf tea bags... and that way you're also not being an annoyance to fellow customers by monopolizing the condiment stand.
Oh and if you knew what you were drinking in the slightest you'd realize that steamed milk and cold milk from a carafe are hugely different so at least with the tea misto you're getting steamed milk in the drink.
like
dislike
