A viral TikTok explored that question after one Starbucks customer allegedly ordered 40 classic syrup pumps in their iced tea, only to later change their order to an iced coffee.
The video, posted by Jonah Self, has amassed over 6.6 million views and drawn a wide range of scrutiny from fellow employees and customers alike.
Java House, a coffee competitor, simply commented, “No. Immediately no.” One woman pondered whether the customer made an online order and accidentally pressed “40” instead of “four,” but the video creator said that wasn’t the case.
“People keep saying this, but in the drive through, he said ‘I want Forty pumps of classic. Not Fourteen, Four Zero.’”
Another user said that 40 pumps should be against the health code, which the video creator agreed with and went as far as to say that he didn’t even want to fulfill the customer’s request.
According to the website Fat Secret, there are 20 calories and five grams of carbs in one single pump of Starbucks’ classic syrup. Insider said there are five grams of sugar in each classic pump.
That means that if a customer ordered 40 pumps in one single beverage, that equates to 800 calories and 200 grams each of carbs and sugar.
“how do you even find out you want 40 pumps specifically,” one user asked. “like did he test his drink from 1-39 pumps?”
Others joked that the barista should have messed with the customer, saying he should have put in 35 pumps just to test if the customer would have tasted the difference. Another said the customer’s blood sugar level is likely astronomical, although as another user pointed out, perhaps the order was made to appease the customer for multiple days.
“I used to get a guy through my drive through once a week doing this,” commented the user, likely a current or former Starbucks employee. “He would take it home and use it to sweeten his daily coffee throughout the week.”
Food News said that Starbucks typically puts three pumps of syrup in a tall latte, four in a grande, and five in a non-iced venti. It claimed that the international chain charges approximately 60 cents per drink for extra pumps of syrup; however, those who order one extra pump per beverage are charged the same as those who may order a handful of additional pumps – or 40 like that of the customer in the TikTok video.
Newsweek reached out to Starbucks for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.