Can't function without a pick-me-up, but tired of spending a fortune buying coffee every day? This viral Starbucks hack might come in handy.
Steven Sushi, @stevensushi, a well-known food blogger based in California unveiled a nifty trick that he claims has been helping him "save so much money for years." The hack involves obtaining two cold brews for the price of one from certain Starbucks locations.
According to his viral TikTok video — which has amassed nearly 180,000 views since being posted in late February — Steven claims to have saved a nice chunk of cash by requesting an "uncut" cold brew from Starbucks and then diluting it with water himself.
@stevensushi This has been my secret Starbucks hack order for years, not every location has the uncut cold brew…. But it’s worth it. #s#starbucksA#AXERatioChallengec#coldbrewhacks#starbuckshack ♬ original sound - Steven Sushi
In the video, Steven explains how Starbucks often dilutes their cold brew by mixing it with water. "Starbucks waters down their cold brew, and it's usually mixed with part water, part cold brew that comes from the tap," he says. The influencer then pours the uncut cold brew that resembles "dark oil" into a separate cup and illustrates how dividing it up allows one to stretch the drink into two portions. "Just fill it up with water and you have regular cold brew for later," he says.
"What I usually do is keep the rest for later. You can refill the original cup with water, and now you have two cold brews for the price of one. You can thank me later," he says as he pours some cream into the new cup.
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Users were quick to comment on the clever hack, with one writing: "Yes I've done that... venti cold brew with 2 grande cups of ice and a side of heavy cream!!!"
Some TikTokers weren't so enamored with the hack, with one user saying Starbucks employees could get in trouble for even trying the hack. "I work at Starbucks and I'm telling you now, you've probably been being lied to. We can literally get fired for this even if we have it."
Other users pointed out that many of the franchise's stores do not offer uncut cold brew anymore. "They actually can’t [do] uncut anymore," writes one user, adding, "[Please] don’t get upset when they say they can’t." To which Steven replied, "Varies by location, some still have pitcher cold brew on the side."
Either way, Steve's cold brew hack appears to be a clever technique that could potentially help coffee aficionados save a few bucks. If you decide to give it a go, just remember to treat fast-food employees with kindness and treat what you see on social media with a grain of salt — or with a dash of cream in this case.
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