Being a huge fan of the non-corporate world of coffee shops, I find it humorous and somewhat intriguing to go into Starbucks and

order a quick drink to see what kind of service I will receive and if I can make it in and out with the correct drink I ordered in one go around. (I know...disgusting habit!) ha ha!

With this in mind, I made a  visit  with some of the crew ( I will keep it discreet regarding those who joined me).  We each order one drink each, all different but non-the-less simple and self explanatory.  One of those drinks happened to be a Toffee Nut Breve over ice. Well once we made it to the "pick up window" we  were surprised with a cup of half and half with flavor over ice...no espresso what so ever.  I called over a random Starbucks employee (the first one to actually answer to my page) and mentioned merely that my friend had ordered a Toffee Nut Breve and there were no espresso shots included.  He proceeded to "instruct" me on the way that it was ordered and the way it should have been ordered to get what I wanted. 

"A breve is half and half and so when you ordered a toffee nut breve you received a toffee nut flavored half and half.  If you want espresso in the drink you need to order a Breve Latte. "

After my brief lesson on coffee lingo according to the Starbucks ALLSTAR Barista, he place a shot of espresso in the cup and handed it to me, no farewell greeting was offered.

 Point in hand, I have never heard, read or even questioned the lingo of a "Breve".  I know that a Breve is made with Half and Half....breve doesn't mean half and half.  I am really rather puzzled by the legitimacy of this resolution made by Starbucks...If Starbucks wants it to be a lingo used only in their world such as Venti, Grande and Tall or Short....then go for it...but please don't try to educate consumers on the "correct" meaning of something if you don't truly know for a fact.  The employee could have just merely said"here we are now saying Breve latte for a drink made with half and half with espresso or Breve for a flavor non coffee drink with half and half.  I know this is a silly ramble over a small subject, but I enjoy pointing out the flims and flaws of the corporate attitude. 

And Upon verifying my own ideas and definitions...I have read the exact definition of Breve.

Breve: Made in latte form, half & Half is used to replace milk and froth.

In conclusion, most anywhere in the U.S.  you should be able to order a Breve and get the latte form made with half and half.  But, at Starbucks, should you visit there ( in extreme caffeine emergencies and withdrawals or just for humor factor) be sure to order in perfect standard, a BREVE LATTE!

Thanks all for reading my ramble.  Please feel free to comment on this issue or share any of your experiences. ( I would love to hear them)

"Espresso Yourself"

Alright Joe! Thank you for much love in the bashing of the corporate coffee hoopla!

"Espresso Yourself"

"Espresso Yourself"

Having to call it a latte is also stupid, because a "latte" has to do with the amount of foam that is applied to the top. I was also "educated" by some employee of a Starbucks in Parma Ohio, that a Latte has about a quarter foam, were as a cappachino has about half foam. This of course was after I had already tried to order just a Breve like I do at Caribou Coffee. So after I learned how to order it at Starbucks, my drink was good. But I still perfer to go were people are nicer

littlecindy, Your link says it perfectly.....thanks

pretty is as pretty does