# Starbucks

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starbucks/70980>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 2, 2001, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starbucks/70980 "2001-07-02T16:54:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![don\_willard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@don\_willard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_willard)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2001, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starbucks/70980/1 "2001-07-02T16:54:13Z")

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1. When I went into Starbucks this morning for my venti coffee, they said their coffee machines weren’t working and the closest thing was a venti Americano, so I got that.  
But what is it anyway?  
2) Why do they use Spanish-sounding names for various items? What has Spain got to do with coffee? Wouldn’t it have been even more pretentious to use French words? I don’t think late with a diagonal over the e is French, because the French word for milk is lait. Anyways, if they had used French one could order a “cafe en haut” for a tall, a grande for a grande (the same), and a “tres en haut” for their largest size. And the company motto could be, “Tres delicieux tous le temps pour vous, bon appetite!”

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**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2001, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starbucks/70980/2 "2001-07-02T16:56:38Z")

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Actually they are italian names… the original coffee drinks they started with Espresso and Cappuccino are italian in origin.

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**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2001, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starbucks/70980/3 "2001-07-02T16:56:38Z")

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Actually, I believe they use Italian terms.

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**Author:** ![Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morrison_s_Lament)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2001, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starbucks/70980/4 "2001-07-02T17:07:11Z")

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Most are Italian, but those that ARE Spanish would probably be derived from Latin American sources for coffee beans, rather than traditional, Spanish coffee making techniques.

— G. Raven