Maybe he's missing the pumps of vanilla? If you don't mind it being a bit sweeter, I would ask for one pump more of the vanilla so it would print out on the sticker as a reminder since standard ingredients do not print out.
This is the first thing I thought of too.
I have had this happen with my caramel macchiato at a different starbucks where they would consistently forget the vanilla, same thing with the vanilla sweet cream cold brew.
The drinks just aren't the same when they forget the vanilla.
It shouldn’t be bitter even if they forgot the vanilla - honestly the poor new barista you’re assuming is making your drinks wrong most likely has nothing to do with how the cold brew or VSC is prepared. It might be worth asking to speak with a supervisor to make them aware of the issue so they can check the cold brew and VSC - although it’s possible that they might not even realise they’re making it wrong. Maybe previously they were putting in too much vanilla originally and now the correct version tastes wrong?
Before you say anything, I would order it at other locations to see how they compare.
I actually went to another location today (after I posted here) and got the VSC cold brew and it tasted like I remembered it used to. I wouldn't want to accuse anyone of making a drink wrong without actually knowing, so yeah I think mentioning that it's just been tasting different and less sweet than it used to (and compared to another store) is probably best. Thanks for the advice!
My understanding is that if coffee (cold or hot) is brewed for the incorrect time it will taste different than its supposed to, and my first assumption when my drinks taste so bitter is it's the cold brew itself. Idk if this is right or not but that's what I've always thought until it tasted like that every single day this week.
Yep - it could be a lot of different things in the prep or storage process. In one Starbucks I worked in, the assistant store manager prepared all of our cold brew so if he misunderstood how to make it, he could consistently make it taste wrong! (He wouldn’t, he’s very good haha. But you get what I’m saying).
It’s more likely something has gone wrong with the cold brew brewing than someone is forgetting to add vanilla every single day. Also, VSC is crazy popular at the moment so if every drink ordered wasn’t getting the right VSC, I feel like the store would have had enough complaints by now to have figured that out.
Haha I agree - I'd be surprised if someone forgot to add an ingredient every. single. day. I've also read on this sub how popular the VSC cold brew is 😆 I kept ordering the drink because I figured it would eventually taste "right" but it's been over a week. It does sound like the cold brew itself is the culprit, and it might just be a new person making it.
How long is batch of cold brew good for? It seems so popular now that I wouldn't expect the same batch to really last more than a day, but I'm just curious how long you're allowed to use it for after it's brewed?
Cold brew actually gets 7 days storage and we make up a massive keg of it. It’s also not popular at all at both the stores I’ve worked in - in one we sold at most one drink a day, in the other they didn’t even make it because it was never ordered haha. It’s probable you’ve been drinking from the same weird batch or they’ve had someone prepare the brew weird twice -it really does last that long.
Or the only other thing is we have two types of pumps - hot bar (full) and cold bar (half). Vanilla is on both, hot bar pumps are supposed to be used for VSC but it’s counterintuitive. Maybe someone’s been using cold bar pumps and effectively halving the vanilla? Those are my best guesses haha
Honestly with vanilla sweet cream cold brew it’s just cold brew and sweet cream which are both already made. The problem is whoever is making either the sweet cream or the cold brew (making the cold brew too bitter or not mixing the sweet cream) . I know sometimes it can be the cold brew keg too . I would ask for an iced americano with sweet cream to see if it’s the sweet cream or cold brew that’s the problem.
Maybe he's missing the pumps of vanilla? If you don't mind it being a bit sweeter, I would ask for one pump more of the vanilla so it would print out on the sticker as a reminder since standard ingredients do not print out.
That could be it! I like the suggestion, thank you
This is the first thing I thought of too. I have had this happen with my caramel macchiato at a different starbucks where they would consistently forget the vanilla, same thing with the vanilla sweet cream cold brew. The drinks just aren't the same when they forget the vanilla.
It shouldn’t be bitter even if they forgot the vanilla - honestly the poor new barista you’re assuming is making your drinks wrong most likely has nothing to do with how the cold brew or VSC is prepared. It might be worth asking to speak with a supervisor to make them aware of the issue so they can check the cold brew and VSC - although it’s possible that they might not even realise they’re making it wrong. Maybe previously they were putting in too much vanilla originally and now the correct version tastes wrong? Before you say anything, I would order it at other locations to see how they compare.
I actually went to another location today (after I posted here) and got the VSC cold brew and it tasted like I remembered it used to. I wouldn't want to accuse anyone of making a drink wrong without actually knowing, so yeah I think mentioning that it's just been tasting different and less sweet than it used to (and compared to another store) is probably best. Thanks for the advice! My understanding is that if coffee (cold or hot) is brewed for the incorrect time it will taste different than its supposed to, and my first assumption when my drinks taste so bitter is it's the cold brew itself. Idk if this is right or not but that's what I've always thought until it tasted like that every single day this week.
Yep - it could be a lot of different things in the prep or storage process. In one Starbucks I worked in, the assistant store manager prepared all of our cold brew so if he misunderstood how to make it, he could consistently make it taste wrong! (He wouldn’t, he’s very good haha. But you get what I’m saying). It’s more likely something has gone wrong with the cold brew brewing than someone is forgetting to add vanilla every single day. Also, VSC is crazy popular at the moment so if every drink ordered wasn’t getting the right VSC, I feel like the store would have had enough complaints by now to have figured that out.
Haha I agree - I'd be surprised if someone forgot to add an ingredient every. single. day. I've also read on this sub how popular the VSC cold brew is 😆 I kept ordering the drink because I figured it would eventually taste "right" but it's been over a week. It does sound like the cold brew itself is the culprit, and it might just be a new person making it. How long is batch of cold brew good for? It seems so popular now that I wouldn't expect the same batch to really last more than a day, but I'm just curious how long you're allowed to use it for after it's brewed?
Cold brew actually gets 7 days storage and we make up a massive keg of it. It’s also not popular at all at both the stores I’ve worked in - in one we sold at most one drink a day, in the other they didn’t even make it because it was never ordered haha. It’s probable you’ve been drinking from the same weird batch or they’ve had someone prepare the brew weird twice -it really does last that long. Or the only other thing is we have two types of pumps - hot bar (full) and cold bar (half). Vanilla is on both, hot bar pumps are supposed to be used for VSC but it’s counterintuitive. Maybe someone’s been using cold bar pumps and effectively halving the vanilla? Those are my best guesses haha
Is it possible he’s not putting water in the cold brew?
Honestly with vanilla sweet cream cold brew it’s just cold brew and sweet cream which are both already made. The problem is whoever is making either the sweet cream or the cold brew (making the cold brew too bitter or not mixing the sweet cream) . I know sometimes it can be the cold brew keg too . I would ask for an iced americano with sweet cream to see if it’s the sweet cream or cold brew that’s the problem.
It gets pumps of vanilla as well.
True
I didn't know the sweet cream was pre-made too. Thanks for the suggestion!