Beating the sixty-shot Starbucks

The record for creating the biggest and most outlandish drink at Starbucks has been broken. Again.

It wasn’t too long ago that we all lived in a simpler age where people simply grabbed their coffee and either drunk whilst casually skipping down the street humming along to classic 1990s pop songs, or grabbed their cub and became at one with the furniture and stayed rooted in coffee shops to talk about life, love and politics. Those were the days.

Then, one day, everything changed.

“I’ll have a 13 shot venti soy hazelnut vanilla cinnamon white mocha with extra white mocha and caramel,” said one person.

Not to be outdone, somebody else strode into their local Starbucks store and, with a casual movement of the arm, quietly asked for a “Quadriginoctuple Frap.” Adding, “in my own 52-ounce mug,” before the baristas could get a word in edgeways.

And then Andrew Chifari created a sixty-shot monstrosity that proved that everything is bigger in Texas.

Well, after a period of relative serenity and statements from Starbucks speaking against such practices, it appears that the craze of wildly extravagant coffee creations is back.

And just when it was turning out to be a slow news day…..

But luckily, there appears to be a little bit of confusion over who now has the top spot.

The Consumerist website is reporting that one Sameera of Pembroke Pines, Florida, aimed to take the record for herself.

In a regimented attempt to seek out world-wide fame she contacted gained permission by store management well in advance of the attempt, got the baristas onside – who were “really excited about making the drink” – and even contacted some members of the press to alert them about her uber-Starbucks.

Her sixty-shot caramel crunch frappuccino with mocha powder and a host of additional syrups, briefly topped out at $60.58, before lowering to a measly $57.75.

But – there’s always a ‘but’ isn’t there?

Over in Terre Haute, Indiana, Steven – if that is indeed his real name – was going right back to basics. We can only assume that the was bored by the various extras of creams, sauces and sprinkles and set out to take the crown for himself, creating a no-frills 84 shot drink that contains about 6,300mg of caffeine. His ¾ of a gallon espresso cost $59.75.

So you would think that Sameera’s creation is currently sitting atop the unofficial leaderboards?

Well, the answer is no as besides a picture of the till point flashing above $60, there is no record of that figure on the receipt anywhere.

Predictably Starbucks has moved to say that these customisations are ‘excessive’ and ‘something that we do not encourage’, before reminding potential record-breakers and employees alike that “per our existing policy, beverages larger than Trenta size (31oz) cannot be made or served.”

We probably haven’t heard the last of this.

photo: Minibe09 (Flickr, used under Creative Commons)