if you ask for an iced latte w/o ice you’ll just get espresso with cold milk unless you specifically ask for it to be shaken with ice. id also recommend not doing it while it’s super busy bc that takes extra time and isn’t something we normally do or are used to doing.

I mean, it’s not really a hack. Drink quality is going to go down significantly. You’re paying a LOT for basically just milk when you ask for no ice in espresso drinks or iced chais. You just get more milk, not more coffee.

Save your money and go a bit earlier in the morning if you wanna save the coffee or at the very most just ask for light ice (which still will mess with the drink quality)

A drink that tastes best and is finished quicker is better than a drink that lasts longer and tastes worse :-)

I hope you like decaf, because it's likely that's what you'll get.

if someone orders this i’m quitting on the spot

Wait I had this exact question on my shift yesterday actually:

An iced latte without ice is cool, just be aware that some stores won’t fill the cup all the way since ice is a part of the drink. However you can ask for extra milk to get the cup filled up.

Now, if you want a shaken espresso drink without ice……. Not going to lie & I’ll be straight honest with you…. Girl dumb af for that request & I feel she’s a pain in the ass customer. I can definitely tell you the partners at whatever store she goes to basically does an iced latte no ice, swirl it around (to look like there is some sort of movement) & hand it off to her with a fake smile & a “have a good day” condescending voice. Then once she leaves, everyone on shift is talking mad shit about her without a second thought.

Moral of the story: No ice? Get an iced latte no ice & ask for extra milk (a. There might be an extra charge; b. Only if you want your drink filled up)- ✅👍🏽

Shaken espresso, no ice- ❌🚨🛑

im curious about why you dont want the ice if you still like it cold, maybe i can help you come up with a different solution?

You can but we’ll hate you and talk about how annoying it is when you leave, when you come in we’ll remember and you’ll be that guy.

In the nicest way possible, don’t do this. We won’t get the labor from doing it properly accounted for and it’s so much extra time (and therefore labor) that could be spent making other drinks.

You are better off asking for light or very light ice. Shaking over ice, especially for something that doesn’t normally get “shaken” (shaken espresso, iced matches, teas/refreshers) means we have to build the drink as normal put it in a shaker and then to strain out the ice you risk losing product/not getting a full drink or the barista having to spend even more time adding more of whatever is missing. If you really want to try it out to see I’d recommend going in to the store and trying to go at a time when it’s not very busy, as well as mentioning the goal is cold without ice, rather than a beverage that is completely ice free. It stresses me out so much if I have to try and strain out the ice (particularly in shaken espressos) because it’s melted and I’m not coordinated enough to keep the ice from slipping through while also allowing the beverage to get out of the shaker. We as baristas are frequently yelled at when it comes to these specific modifications not coming out just right when they aren’t standard, so being kind and understanding if it doesn’t go right is also very much appreciated.

Please just ask for very light ice, most times we are too busy to spend that much time on your latte. We don't have strainers that make it easier either and sifting out the ice that ends up in the drink with the bar spoon is more time consuming than you believe. We have numbers that we are pressured to make each day just like any other job and this takes an excessive amount of extra time.

you can do it, but please don’t.

We aren’t allowed to shake things unless it’s shaken by recipe since we can’t count it on labor. A lot of people tried to do shaken espresso shots which is literally iced shaken espresso so it’s banned now

I’ve done this for customers before but you will only get liquid to the 3rd line. When it comes to espresso beverages we are instructed to build as normal without the ice, otherwise it severely impacts drink quality.

I highly recommend just trying cold brew with whatever milks, foams, sauces, or syrups you want. It’s cold, highly caffeinated, has a great flavor, and probably closer to what you’re going for.

Speaking of not wanting ice in their drinks. I’ve had customers ask for no ice in their Frappuccinos.

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If I'm on bar and I get a sticker that says this or a bar person tells me to do this I'm straight up abandoning bar and walking to the back.

If I'm on pos I'm not punching it in bc the people on bar will death glare me like I'm their worst enemy for giving into that.

I will say that when I’ve stopped by Dutch bros, they refer to this specifically as being “cold poured”.

If it’s a refresher it’s truly not a big deal but there will obviously be room in your cup because of the lack of ice so don’t get mad at us lol

This is something I do for refreshers or iced shaken espressos. Shake with ice then pour without ice. I’m unsure if that applied to lattes though, it might since I think there the “shaken” button on the pos 🤷🏻‍♀️

This is perfect for a refresher! Milk is already refrigerated so it wouldn’t add much with espresso drinks tho it would be a lot less cold obviously lol

You’ll sound insane at my store but we will do it