Starbucks and Tim Horton Drink Options

[daddymac]

Hey everyone,

I recently became diagnosed with celiac and Im currently trying to figure out what types of drinks I can have at tim hortons and starbucks. I understand plain coffee is safe and I feel ok drinking coffee (I understand some people are sensitive to it). I just wanted to hear some people's go-to drink when they are either at tim's or starbucks so that I can have a better understanding of what to order.

Also when you order, what protocols do you go undertake? For instance, do you always have to ask if the alternative milk is gluten-free? Also for hot drinks, do I need to worry about cross-contamination? And if so, what should I tell the barista? Do you always tell the barista that your celiac? 

I really appreciate any input y'all can suggest :) 

[Scott Adams]

Cross-contamination can always be an issue, so it's fair to tell the barista that you are gluten-free when you order (they do list drinks with names like "Cookie Crumble" on their menu, so gluten contamination is a real issue.

On their site they have this warning:

Quote

We cannot guarantee that any unpackaged products served in our stores are allergen-free because we use shared equipment to store, prepare, and serve them. Customers with allergies can find ingredient information for products on the labels of our packaged products or online at Starbucks.com/menu.

But they also do list all ingredients for each product on their site:

https://www.starbucks.com/menu

For example this drink appeared not to have any gluten ingredients, so in theory, if you talk to the person who makes it and they do a good job, you should be ok:

https://www.starbucks.com/menu/product/500/iced?parent=%2Fdrinks%2Ffrappuccino-blended-beverages%2Fcoffee-frappuccino

[Ennis-TX]

I would actually suggest avoiding anything that is made in the blender, even commercial blenders are prone to stuff getting stuck the seal around the blades. Odd I know but I have noticed it with the Blendtec I use. Your best bet would be sticking to plain coffees with syrups and what ever milk just poured in. I did fine with stuff like americanos with flavor syrups in the past. (Not done this in 5 years though)