Of course everyone knows that coffee shop chain, Starbucks – good coffee, delicious food, comfortable atmosphere, top-notch service. If I had more money, I’d go everyday. Now we can all get a few steps closer to realizing this dream using these secret hacks:

●You can get refills of the regular drip coffee for 100 yen.

The refill can even be at a different Starbucks from the one you originally bought your coffee! (It might cause some awkwardness if your cup looks like you’ve been carrying it around for three weeks.)

●You can add chocolate or caramel syrup to your beverage for free.

Other freebies: changing to low-fat or non-fat milk, different amounts of foamed milk, and different temperature.

●You can get a latte for half the cost or less.

You can buy a bunch of individual espressos, and mix it with milk from home. What? Foam? What are you, some kind of connoisseur? Hey, save money …

●Making a Starbucks chai latte at home. Very tasty!

The sweet, deep tastiness of the chai latte makes it one of the most popular drinks. You can make it at home using milk, instant chai mix, and honey. You no longer need to go to Starbucks! Fly! You’re free now!

●Right now for a limited time you can get a color-changing tumbler.

“The SAKURA 2012 Tumbler: a transparent tumbler that, when filled with coffee, allows you to experience the beauty of yozakura, or cherry blossoms at night.” Some say this is the top contraband that South Koreans are buying in Japan and smuggling back home.

●The Most Expensive Starbucks Drink in the World, at $23.60! 31-oz (2.5 L)! Looks a bit gross but very tasty.

Not really a hack, but anyway it tasted better than it looks.

●Trivia: Bigger Starbucks is not better Starbucks.
Drinks taste different in different sizes. This is because the proportions of the ingredients depends on the size. Basically a bigger size is going to be more diluted and taste thinner. You can balance it out by adding an espresso shot.

●At six Starbucks in Tokyo, you can read new books for free!

Six bookstores with Starbucks attached allow you to take all the books you want to read while you enjoy your coffee. Sweet deal!
[ Read in Japanese ]