During the Starbucks Summer Leadership Experience 2025, the Global Barista Championships proved to be a wealth of creativity and passion about coffee and craftsmanship. The competition’s runner-up, Sumayyah, showcased a stellar beverage hack that is a game changer for many people’s favorite coffee.
With 14,000 Starbucks gathered to watch the final round, Sumayyah showcased her signature beverage. The shaken espresso with a cardamom flavor infusion was as warm and inviting as the barista’s affable personality. The flavors were a lovely balance to her American and Jordan connection.
While the flavors were exciting, another aspect to this signature beverage had everyone excited to try the concept for themselves. Sumayyah added cold foam to the bottom of the glass. It was basically turning a Starbucks beverage upside.
After the competition ended, I had the opportunity to chat with Sumayyah. Just like the personality that she presented throughout the competition, she is an engaging, thoughtful, and smart barista. Her ability to blend beverages and storytelling captures the sentiment of getting back to the coffeehouse. Connection is just as important as the perfect sip.
Her inspiration for her signature beverage and the idea of an inverse cold foam placement stems from her travels. Sumayyah shared, “I had been traveling a lot and was thinking about this type of drink. After you shake an espresso, it gets a foamy texture. I thought, what if I poured the espresso last for that final finish.”
“I needed a soft landing for that espresso. The cardamom foam was that landing. It is not a lot, but it is enough for the texture. The shaken espresso floats and it creates an illusion.”
While this concept is not currently on the Starbucks menu nor is the inkling that the idea will be included on an official menu in the future, guests could ask for this customization. As many people have come to appreciate, customization is key to their overall Starbucks enjoyment. Whether it is an extra espresso shot in that favorite Frappuccino or combination of flavors and milks, there are so many possibilities waiting to be poured into the cup.
Although it is not necessarily listed on the mobile order menu on the app, talking to a barista could make this concept of a cold foam on the bottom of the cup could happen. It might require a bit of explanation, but that connection with a barista is part of the Starbucks experience.
That “soft landing” takes away the choose your own adventure foam mixing moment since the cold foam is on the bottom. But, the flavor is totally worth the effort. It feels light, airy. The double froth moment is worth the effort. Maybe that term becomes the beverage name, a double froth shaken espresso.
As people digest all the concepts, flavors, and more from the first Global Barista Championships, Starbucks baristas and fans will be heading back to the coffeehouse to experiment themselves. With the focus on creating an engaging community over a shared beverage, the conversation will flavor the next great idea from the iconic coffee brand.
Sumayyah specifically said that she looks forward to going back to her community and sharing what she has learned from the competition, her fellow barista champions, and the Starbucks partners’ community. She hopes to “reignite something in” her fellow partners as well. Again, collaboration and community is vital to the Starbucks coffeehouse experience.
Will the double froth shaken espresso be the must have beverage? Only time will tell if this concept joins the protein cold foam or Strato Frappuccino. One aspect is abundantly clear. Have a conversation with a Starbucks barista. That discussion could discover the next beverage hack that will be taking over everyone's social media feed.
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