The 8 Most Expensive Starbucks Drinks as of 2024
Social media sparked the “Most Expensive Starbucks Drink Challenge” a few years back.
Customers came running to their nearest Starbucks in an attempt to purchase the most expensive drink and maybe turn in their Starbucks rewards points.
Here are the most expensive Starbucks drinks that customers have purchased since then!
What Is the Most Expensive Starbucks Drink?
Today, the Super Venti Flat White holds the record for the most expensive Starbucks drink purchased. Customer William Lewis Jr. got one in a giant coffee mug for a whopping $148.99 bill.
Technically speaking, you can drive up the price of any drink on the Starbucks menu, including seasonal drinks. You can get more expensive drinks when you add in extras like espresso shots, pumps of syrup, drizzles, and milk alternatives.
What’s the Most Expensive Starbucks Drink on the Secret Menu?
The most expensive Starbucks coffee in terms of the base price on the secret menu is the Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino. The grande size of this drink already costs around $5.45 to $5.95 depending on your store location.
It is a seasonal offer containing espresso shots, pumpkin with traditional fall spice flavors, milk, and ice. All these are blended and topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice.
Why Is Starbucks Expensive?
Almost everywhere you go, it’s easy to find a Starbucks store. The convenience and accessible locations of this coffeehouse chain make the brand expensive.
A Starbucks average cup of tall latte costs $2.75 but may go up to $5.75 in locations like Switzerland.
Starbucks allows you to modify your favorite drink to suit your taste better. They offer add-ons like an espresso shot, non-dairy milk, syrup, toppings, and cream. These cost you $0.30 to $0.80 each, depending on the extra and store location.
The 8 Most Expensive Starbucks Drinks as of 2024
The following drinks had their moments of fame as they made it on the list of the most expensive Starbucks drinks.
Take note that a person can only have at most 400 mg of caffeine or 5.2 shots of espresso at a time. This makes us confident that the coffees below have been shared or bought for the sake of it.
1. Super Venti Flat White – $148.99
Customer: William Lewis Jr.
Lewis currently holds the record for the most expensive drink, as he ordered his Super Venti Flat White in 2017. He came in with a giant coffee mug and ordered a venti flat white with coconut milk and 170 espresso shots.
He says that his coconut milk substitute was to improve the taste. This drink has around 11,000 mg of caffeine or 122 cups of regular coffee.
It is also one of the largest, measuring 240 ounces!
2. Caffé Americano – $102.15
Customer: Elton Castee
In 2017, YouTuber Elton Castee found a Seattle-based Starbucks willing to take his expensive drink even with the limitations imposed on the Starbucks drink size.
Castee, who wasn’t even a coffee drinker, had to go to Target first to find a large enough container. His $102.15 drink was a grande Caffé Americano with 104 espresso shots.
3. White Mocha Frappuccino – $102.04
Customer: Thomas
A customer by the name of Thomas holds the record for the third most expensive Starbucks drink. His drink costs $102.04, but he got it for free as his Starbucks birthday reward.
Thomas brought in his metal milk can that could contain his White Mocha Frappuccino and its add-ons.
Its extras included 102 espresso shots, 54 pumps of Frappuccino roast coffee, 70 pumps of white mocha, 4 pumps of caramel syrup, 5 bananas, and 70 grams of protein powder. His drink was topped with Frappuccino chips, extra ice, and a bit of liquid caramel.
Justin’s $101.50 White Mocha Frappuccino
A close contender was Justin’s White Mocha Frappuccino. Like Thomas, Justin also collected his Starbucks reward points.
His White Mocha Frappuccino contained 112 shots of espresso, 54 pumps of Frappuccino roast, 70 pumps of white mocha, 4 pumps of caramel syrup, 5 bananas, and 20 grams of protein powder.
4. Quad Espresso – $92.55
Customers: Kiersten Vorv and Shaine Choen
Kiersten and Shaine bought a Starbucks birthday rewards drink in Maryland in an attempt at the record for the most expensive drink.
The girls brought a giant Starbucks glass and two long straws with them. Their $92.55 custom order had 120 extra shots of espresso and nothing else. Appropriately, they named their custom order the Rewards Drink Quad Espresso.
5. Grande Latte – $83.75
Customer: William Lewis Jr.
We can say that William Lewis Jr. from Maryland takes competition seriously when it comes to the Starbucks Challenge. His first shot at the challenge was his Grande Latte order in 2014.
His $83.75 coffee had 99 espresso shots, 17 pumps of vanilla syrup, mocha green tea, and matcha powder. This drink contained 6,400 mg of caffeine.
6. Venti Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino – $71.35
Customer: Jarrod Johnson
The normal Venti Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino coffee already has Frappuccino roast, frappe chips, milk, ice, whipped cream, vanilla whipped cream, mocha drizzle, mocha sauce, and a layer of chocolate cookie between every topping.
Jarrod Johnson came in with his cooler one day to contain his $71.35 Venti Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino with 77 shots of espresso and more sugary add-ons, such as white mocha, caramel drizzle, vanilla syrup, and hazelnut drizzle.
Jarrod was confident enough to make this order because it was free. He used his Starbucks birthday rewards to purchase the drink.
7. Sexagintuple Vanilla Bean Mocha Frappuccino – $54.75
Customer: Andrew Chifari
One of the earlier record-holders for the most expensive Starbucks drink is Andrew Chifari’s Sexagintuple Vanilla Bean Mocha Frappuccino.
He made his $54.75 order in 2014 at his local Starbucks in Dallas. However, he got this as a free drink as his twelfth purchase in the Starbucks rewards program.
Chifari came in with a 128-ounce glass and ordered a Venti Mocha Frappuccino with the same extras as the Quadriginoctuple Frap. To beat the price of the Quadriginoctuple Frap, Chifari added 60 shots of espresso and vanilla bean.
8. Quadriginoctuple Frap – $47.30
Customer: Beau Chevassus
The drink that sparked the Most Expensive Starbucks Drink Challenge was the 2013 Quadriginoctuple Frap of vlogger Beau Chevassus.
Chevassus brought his 52-ounce cup for his $47.30 Starbucks drink.
It contained a Venti Mocha Frappuccino with extras that included 48 shots of espresso, soy mocha drizzle, caramel drizzle, matcha powder, protein powder, caramel brulee topping, strawberries, 2 bananas, Frappuccino chips, and vanilla bean.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the Most Expensive Coffee in the World?
The most expensive coffee in the world is the Black Ivory Coffee from Thailand. Black Ivory coffee beans cost $2,500 per kilogram. This coffee is expensive because of two things that affect its supply. They are the availability of coffee cherries and the appetite of elephants.
The Arabica coffee cherries are carefully selected, with many that don’t cut. For a kilogram of the finished product, you’ll need around 33 kilograms of raw cherries.
The raw cherries are processed using only minimal machinery. This coffee is special because elephants have to eat and digest the raw cherries before further processing.
What’s the Best Starbucks Coffee?
The best Starbucks drink depends on YOU. But some crowd favorites are Iced Caramel Macchiato, Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee, and Iced White Chocolate Mocha.
Starbucks offers you all the options you need to come up with the best for you.
You have options that include size, syrups, toppings, and milk. You can also choose if you want your drink to be hot, iced, or blended to match your mood.
What Are the Free Extras in Starbucks?
Free extras include whipped cream, ice, whole milk, and a splash of milk. You can also get free extra syrup, such as caramel syrup, if it is part of the drink recipe.
Cinnamon and cocoa toppings, along with sugars and sweeteners, are free at the bar.
Free refills for hot tea, iced tea, hot coffee, and iced coffee are also available if you’re a member of the Starbucks rewards program.
Wrapping Up
The search for the most expensive Starbucks drink may seem fun and interesting; however, it wasn’t encouraged by the company itself.
Before you go off to the Starbucks nearest you and attempt to order high-priced drinks, know that Starbucks has set policies and limitations to control this trend.
This includes the following:
- Size – The cold Venti is now the maximum size allowed for Frappuccinos and espresso drinks. This includes drinks purchased in personal cups. The Trenta size is available for limited drinks only, such as Teavana drinks, Iced Coffee, and Cold Brew.
- Add-ons – The Starbucks app controls how many extras you can add to your drink. You can only add the same extra up to 12 times.
- Face-to-Face Orders – The Starbucks POS can order an extra up to 99 times for one drink.
