What Are Starbucks "Barista Originals"?

You've heard of Starbucks' secret menu, but this fall there's another set of beverages that aren't on the regular menu that you can enjoy: Barista Originals. So what are Starbucks Barista Originals? Other than awesome, that is? Basically they're the seasonally-appropriate beverages of your dreams.

Barista Originals are, more or less, what they sound like: Drinks dreamed by baristas in each individual store (including the one you're probably in right now). “At the beginning of the fall season, we saw a lot of excitement around fall flavors, especially after we introduced Starbucks Almondmilk,” said Sarah Spencer, Starbucks marketing manager in a press release. “We wanted to tap into our baristas’ beverage artistry by giving them the opportunity to create new fall-inspired drink recipes to share with customers in their stores.”

Every store will have their own line up of barista creations; they can be either hot or cold, and involve just about anything found behind a Starbucks counter. There's no way to know what items your store might have on offer, though Starbucks did send participating stores a list of potential options to help inspire the baristas. The results of an internal contest, these picks include (among others): Chai with Pumpkin Spice and Cinnamon Dolce; Grande Salted Caramel White Chocolate Mocha; and Grande Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino, Affogato-style with extra caramel sauce and extra salt.

All of that sounds delicious. And knowing that they were also each submitted as recipe suggestions by Starbucks baristas? Well, it just goes to show how creative baristas can be — including the ones in your local store.

Taylor Regehr, the barista who developed the Chai with Pumpkin Spice and Cinnamon Dolce idea that was one of the drinks Starbucks used as an example, said in a press release, "There is such a buzz of excitement in my store. Everyone has been coming up with their own beverage customizations. Customers tend to enjoy it when we use our creativity. I hope that they like our latest recommendations.”

There are a total of 7,500 stores across the United States participating in the Starbucks Barista Originals promotion, and the items will be available for only two weekends this October, from Oct. 13 to 16 and Oct. 20 to 23. Each store will be using their own original recipes, which you can't get elsewhere — unless, I guess, a barista at another store has had the same idea. So go check out what your favorite baristas have been working on.

Images: Getty; Giphy