Admit it: you’ve tried a Starbucks drink at least once in your life. As the largest coffee chain in the United States with more than 15,000 locations, you probably have been to at least one of their chains in the past.
Compared to the coffee you make at home or at work, however, a cup of coffee at a Starbucks can seem a bit overpriced. But if we’re talking about expensive Starbucks drinks, one could be curious and ask what is the most expensive Starbucks drink they can order.
Technically, it really depends. Drinks have a base price depending on the size, but adding extras like extra shots and drizzles or replacing regular whole milk with soy milk will add to the total price. But here are the supposed most expensive drinks ever purchased as of writing.
Quadtiginoctuple Frap
Prior to 2013, the most expensive Starbucks drink cost $23.60 and included 16 shots of espresso. But vlogger Beau Chevassus broke that world record with his own drink which he called the Quadriginoctuple Frap.
Armed with his own 52-ounce cup, Chevassus ordered a venti mocha Frappuccino (which costs $4.95 on its own). But his extras padded the cost of his drink, which included:
- 48 espresso shots
- Soy mocha drizzle
- Caramel drizzle
- Matcha powder
- Protein powder
- Caramel brulee topping
- Strawberries
- Two bananas
- Frappuccino chips
- Vanilla bean
The total of this expensive Starbucks drink? A whopping $47.30. It would have been $47.40, but thankfully Chevassus brought his own cup which saved him a dime.
Chevassus supposedly held the record for ordering the most expensive Starbucks drink for a little over a year, when the next expensive Starbucks drink surpassed him by less than $10.
The Sexagintuple Vanilla Bean Mocha Frappucino
In May 2014, Andrew Chifari claimed to have ordered the most expensive Starbucks drink, his own creation which he called the Sexagintuple Vanilla Bean Mocha Frappucino.
Inspired by Chevassus’ blog, Chifari armed himself with a 128-ounce glass (around 1 gallon or 3.7 liters – because you can’t make the biggest and most expensive Starbucks drink in a tiny venti cup) and went to his local Starbucks in Dallas, Texas.
It’s unclear what he ordered as he doesn’t list down everything that was in the drink, but based on the name we can guess that he also purchased a venti mocha Frappuccino like Chevassus did and added vanilla bean at one point in the drink. But to surpass his $50 goal, Chifari ordered 60 shots of espresso to go into his drink.
The total cost of this drink? A whopping $54.75. But surprisingly, Chifari got this drink for free with his Starbucks Gold member loyalty card. Cardholders get a free drink for every twelfth purchase, and he used his free drink to pay for the coffee.
The Sexagintuple Vanilla Bean Mocha Frappucino was so large that he only consumed a third of the drink when he received it. The drink didn’t go to waste, though, as Chifari spent five days finishing the entire drink.
Aside from being the known record-holder for the most expensive Starbucks drink for a while, it has the honor of being cited by Starbucks corporate – but not in a good way. A Starbucks representative discouraged others from trying to repeat the feat, saying it is “pretty inedible” and unsafe.
William E. Lewis Jr.’s 2014 Starbucks Challenge Drink
Shortly after Chifari’s record, his $55 drink was beaten by William E. Lewis Jr.’s $83.75 drink: a coffee with 17 pumps of vanilla syrup, mocha green tea, and matcha powder. Fortunately for Lewis, he was able to apply his rewards card to get the drink for free.
Elton Castee’s Caffe Americano
Over the years, however, this record would be beaten by several more contenders. In January 2017, the record for the most expensive Starbucks drink appeared to belong to YouTuber Elton Castee, who found a Seattle-based Starbucks willing to take his order despite the tighter Starbucks cup size restrictions.
Castee and his friends ordered a grande Café Americano with 104 shots of espresso. The drink cost a total of $102.15, which he and his friends paid for in cash. Castee admitted he wasn’t even a coffee drinker, so it’s most likely his friends were responsible for finishing the drink.
Super Venti Flat White
As more people would claim to be the record holder for the most expensive Starbucks drink, William E. Lewis Jr. reclaimed the title in 2017 in a Starbucks in Bethseda, Maryland. Armed with a giant coffee mug, Lewis ordered a venti flat white with coconut milk and 170 espresso shots.
The total cost of this expensive Starbucks drink is $148.99. Unfortunately for Lewis, he was unable to use his Starbucks rewards card and had to pay for the drink himself. He shared this drink with his friends. As of writing, this is the most expensive Starbucks drink ever recorded.
Interested in trying your luck and creating the next most expensive Starbucks drink? Good luck. Ever since Chifari’s world record in 2014, Starbucks has been cracking down on similar attempts to ward off people who try to use loopholes to beat the system and get expensive Starbucks drinks for less. That’s why if you’re going to bring your own cup, Starbucks has rules against using containers larger than 31 ounces (or as big as their Trenta size cup).
But like some of these challengers, you’ll have to find a rogue Starbucks with employees willing to overlook the rules for you.
