I'm really confused with this whole skinny thing, for one reason: every now and then, when I run late and don't have time to make my own coffee at home, I stop by my local SB for a tall non-fat latte, no syrups of any kind. So, essentially, what is now called a skinny latte. It tasted alright. Ever since this whole "skinny" thing came about, the 2 tall nonfat lattes I have gotten there have tasted like ass. (Or what I imagine ass to taste like, to be more specific). The first one I thought was just a fluke, but the 2nd assy latte is pointing towards a trend. What could the difference be?

"We'll never understand."

meg, it's because you have been blessed with something called common sense. apparently, it is however not very common among the masses.

Oh, we are still talking about this whole skinny drink thing?

Seriously, Starbucks is the only company that can add a new word to the ordering process (it's not even a new item!) and have the entire internets explode as a result.

Because there's more caffeine in the bigger drink?

@CumaeanSibyl: The best thing to do, imho, is to get a short drink with a double shot of espresso...same amount of caffeine, and still tasty, but cheaper overall.

"Why not just buy a smaller size of the good tasting drink? We'll never understand."

When I was in my 20s, there was a wildly popular "chick restaurant" in town whose menu consisted of salads, diet drinks, and ice cream sundaes. The women I asked said it was a way to watch your calories and still get dessert. All the guys in our crowd would go up the street, get meat and potatoes and veggies, and skip dessert. It seemed to be mutually incomprehensible.

Why drink two Diet Cokes when you can drink one regular Coca-cola?

Because you're that thirsty.

I like to order an Americano with an extra shot, and chocolate syrup. It still gets you some of the mocha vibe, but it has less calories due to the lack of milk (I don't like milk anyway), its stronger due to the extra shot, and its still way cheaper than a regular mocha. I call it the ghetto mocha. Although, I usually just drink some coffee I made myself mixed with hot chocolate. Thats good... and cheap!

Been drinking diy ghetto mocha since waaaaay before Four Bucks opened their first door. Don't see any reason to stop doing so. Although I occasionally treats meself to a venti mocha frappuccino no whip and a brownie.

@supercheap: Okay, that makes sense. I'm not one of those "fancy coffee is for losers" people, but I am one of those people who feels really weird asking for special things at a restaurant, even if that's their whole business. This is why I don't go to Starbucks.

(that and their coffee totally tastes burnt, there I said it hahahaha)

I just finished looking at a website that sells $230,000 stereo speakers, so apparently no matter how stupid, ridiculous, or expensive something is, there's somebody out there who's willing to pay money for it.

"Skinny" really doesn't really sound like a good marketing word...you would have thought they would have just gone with "Light" or whatever the heck the Italian word for "light" is.

I tried a sample of the skinny mocha yesterday and the sugar-free syrup makes it gross, in my opinion (I never cared for sugar substitute).

Not even the barista could give it a ringing endorsement. Before I tried the sample, he described it as tasting like Yoohoo.

Skim milk tends to bring out the bitter notes in espresso drinks. Between that and over-roasted beans, poor shots, and nasty syrup, it isn't any wonder that these drinks taste a little weird.

What kind of artificial sweetener does Starbucks use in their syrups anyway? I braved their site, but there is no mention of it.

The Starbucks here advertises that you should get the skinny as a tall, which is 90g.. so getting a smaller of the norm isn't really an option for the weight conscious.

But then, I'll never touch the skinnies myself. I want the fat, thanks.

you're paying for the demand of adults who want to weight less than 100 lbs.

@nealb:

sucks for you. soda dehydrates you.

@glass: Wrong.

Uh, I've noticed the quality of the articles going way down hill here lately. Who the hell cares about these drinks?!!