REVEALED PREFERENCES. Must be a slow news day.

At issue is the ethics of the bootleg latte.

The manager at that store -- who asked that her name not be used -- said about 5 percent of customers order a doppio, that is, a double shot of espresso and then put a twist on that order. Rather than the 8-ounce cup the doppio would usually command, they ask for the coffee to be put in a 16-ouncer, leaving about three fourths of that cup empty.

These customers take their cups to the condiment counter where various milks, half-and-half, flavorings, etc. are laid out for free use. They pour enough milk into the cup to nearly fill it, then take it back to the office for a zapping in the microwave.

By creating such faux grande lattes, these customers are saving $1.45 ($1.75 versus $3.20 before tax). What they don't get is milk foamed by the barista, but in a side by side taste test, tasters noted that the two were virtually the same.

Those self-made latte customers on North Michigan are far from alone in their frugality. They and makers of an iced version, the faux Americano, have become the focus of a dust-up that has exploded across the Internet with a no-holds-barred fervor that has proponents of the "it's wrong" camp branding the drink a "ghetto latte."

Give. Me. A. Break.

Charlie Sykes wasted an hour of his program about a week ago taking calls on the propriety of the pour-your-own iced latte. But if Starbucks wants to preclude these arbitrage actions, all they need do is issue new specifications that prohibit the use of larger cups for smaller drinks and specify how much ice goes into the iced latte.

A report on Starbucks Gossip, starbucksgossip.typepad.com, a site not affiliated with the company, said Starbucks' response to the flap is: "Customization is a fundamental attribute of the Starbucks Experience. We provide condiments to our customers so they can make their drinks to their liking and we appreciate their patronage. We trust our customers to make the choices that are right for them." Although the statement isn't found on Starbucks' official Web site, a company spokesman confirmed that this is the official position. Also, the manager of the Michigan Avenue store said she has been told not to interfere with bootleg latte makers.

"I think this has more to do with the customer's sense of being in this together than Starbucks losing money," said David Ozar, professor and co-director of graduate studies in health care ethics in the department of philosophy at Loyola University and former director of Loyola's Center for Ethics. "After all, the free condiments are, for the company, a marketing tool to keep customers coming in. If that marketing no longer pays for itself directly or indirectly, they'll change the policy.

D'oh!