Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
- I've tried almost every new drink that Starbucks has released over the last three years.
- Now I've made an ultimate ranking, including those I wish would return to Starbucks' menu.
- But my favorite drink is Starbucks' new Chocolate Cream Cold Brew.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
The Kiwi Starfruit Starbucks Refreshers was among a line of fruity drinks that the chain released in 2020, hoping to boost spirits amid the pandemic with some bright-colored beverages.
The drink — which is not currently available — featured juice flavored with star fruit and real chunks of kiwi. It looked almost radioactive with its neon-green hue.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
I was surprised to find that my Kiwi Starfruit Starbucks Refreshers tasted almost artificial. I wrote in my notes that the flavor reminded me of candy, or those Fruit Roll-Up snacks that were everywhere in the '90s.
I couldn't really taste much of the kiwi, even with actual chunks added in. It just wasn't the refreshing summer drink I was expecting.
Read my full review of the Kiwi Starfruit Starbucks Refreshers here.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
The Strawberry Funnel Cake Frappuccino — released in May 2021 for a limited time — was Starbucks' first new frappuccino flavor in three years.
It featured funnel-cake flavored syrup, strawberry puree, coffee, and milk. The drink was topped with whipped cream and powdered sugar funnel cake pieces — talk about sweet!
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
This is definitely the sweetest drink I've had at Starbucks in recent years. For the first few sips, all I could really taste in the Strawberry Funnel Cake Frappuccino was the sugar.
And while the top of my cup looked very inviting with its bright-red streaks of strawberry puree, I just didn't get enough of it in the actual drink. I was surprised that the frappuccino was more icy than creamy, and I wished there was more puree to balance out the sweetness from the funnel-cake syrup. The actual pieces of funnel cake were delicious — there just wasn't enough of them.
But the drink definitely reminded me of the classic carnival snack, and I'd love to see that strawberry puree show up in more new Starbucks drinks.
Read my full review of Starbucks' Strawberry Funnel Cake Frappuccino here.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
Released alongside the Kiwi Starfruit Starbucks Refreshers in August 2020, the Star Drink — which is not currently available — featured juice flavored with star fruit, coconut milk, and real chunks of kiwi.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
The Star drink was the most subtle of Starbucks' fruity 2020 drinks. The coconut milk balanced out the intense sweetness of the star fruit juice, while the kiwi chunks added more depth to the overall flavor.
It was definitely a refreshing beverage, but I noticed that my drink started tasting watery after a few minutes.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
Starbucks released its Iced Golden Ginger drink alongside the Iced Pineapple Matcha in March 2020 as coconut-milk beverages were becoming more popular with its customers.
The bright-yellow drink — which is not currently available — featured ginger, pineapple, and turmeric flavors and was shaken with coconut milk and ice.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
While the Iced Golden Ginger drink had a light consistency, its flavor was completely dominated by the ginger and turmeric. The beverage reminded me of those juice shots you can get when you feel a cold coming on.
But I will say, I loved when there was an influx of coconut-milk drinks on Starbucks' menu. While it seems the chain has since embraced oat milk as its main non-dairy alternative, I hope we'll see some fun coconut beverages in the future.
Read my full review of Starbucks' Iced Golden Ginger drink here.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
The Sugar Cookie Latte — released in December 2021 for a limited time — was Starbucks' first non-dairy holiday drink.
It featured sugar cookie-flavored syrup, along with Starbucks' Blonde Espresso, almond milk, and ice. The drink was topped with red and green cookie sprinkles, and could also be ordered hot or with oat milk.
Erin Marinan, who helped develop the Sugar Cookie Latte, told me that Starbucks wanted to "harness the buttery and vanilla notes" of spritz cookies so that you could smell their familiar scent from the very first sip.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
When I heard that Starbucks was releasing the Sugar Cookie Latte, I was excited about what I thought was going to be a new decadent holiday drink. But I found the flavors to be surprisingly muted in the iced version. The vanilla and buttery notes were there, but it just didn't taste all that festive.
But the sugar-cookie flavor was definitely more apparent in the hot latte. The ingredients also seemed to meld better together, and the red and green sprinkles looked lovely on top of the foam.
I thought the Sugar Cookie Latte was a great option for people who don't love a lot of sweetness in their holiday drinks — but there just wasn't enough oomph for me.
Gabbi Shaw/Insider
The Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso was among a new line of spring beverages that Starbucks released last March. The drink features Starbucks Blonde espresso shaken together with brown sugar and cinnamon, plus oat milk and ice.
Alicia Binion — the chain's senior product developer — said shaking "adds another dimension" to the coffee.
"It creates a rich texture on your palate by just adding air," she added. "When you take that first sip, you get a wonderful froth that is infused with flavor."
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
I think brown sugar and coffee taste great together, but I'm just not sure it works as well when you throw in oat milk.
The brown-sugar flavor is very prominent, and it felt almost too heavy when combined with the nutty oat milk. I'd love to try the drink with soy milk instead to see if it helps the brown-sugar flavor shine more. Meanwhile, I'll just stick to toasted vanilla when I go for one of Starbucks' shaken espressos.
Read Insider's review of Starbucks' Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso here.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
Starbucks' bright and fruity Iced Guava Passionfruit drink included many of the chain's favorite flavors in 2020.
The pretty-in-pink drink — which is not currently available — featured the flavors of guava, passion fruit, pineapple, and ginger, and was hand-shaken with coconut milk and ice.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
While the ingredient list might sound a little crowded, I thought the guava, passion fruit, and pineapple all worked really well together.
The Iced Guava Passionfruit drink also had a delicious sweetness that wasn't overpowering, and there was a nice lightness to the consistency. It was a great beverage to cool off with in the middle of summer, and I'd love to see it return to Starbucks' menu.
Read my full review of Starbucks' Iced Guava Passionfruit drink here.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
Released in March 2020, Starbucks' Iced Pineapple Matcha featured Starbucks' matcha green tea shaken with flavors of pineapple and ginger, along with coconut milk and ice.
A Starbucks spokesperson told me at the time that demand for more non-dairy beverages had been increasing, which is why Starbucks wanted to create more options featuring coconut milk. The drink is not currently available.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
The Iced Pineapple Matcha was released just a few weeks before the pandemic hit, and I first tried it when New York City was still slugging through winter. The bright flavors felt like the embodiment of the fun and exciting spring I thought I was about to experience again.
Those sunny days on rooftop bars ended up being more than a year away, but my fondness for the Iced Pineapple Matcha has remained. I loved the vibrant green color, and was pleasantly surprised by how fresh my drink smelled. I'm not usually a huge fan of matcha, but it was well-balanced with the sweetness of the pineapple, and the ginger added some nice depth to the light beverage. Of all the new drinks that Starbucks released in 2020, this is the one I miss the most.
Read my full review of Starbucks' Iced Pineapple Matcha here.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
Hot and iced versions of the Apple Crisp Macchiato were released for a limited time in August 2021 to celebrate the start of fall. Starbucks described the drink's flavor as layers of "apple and brown sugar melding like the filling of a gooey apple pie in harmony with espresso."
The drink also featured a caramelized spiced-apple drizzle made with apple juice, apple puree, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
While the iced Apple Crisp Macchiato didn't really stand out to me, I was surprised by how much I loved the hot version.
The apple flavor came through much stronger in the warm beverage, and I loved how comforting the cinnamon notes were in each sip. The drink tasted lovely and crisp, and the foam with caramelized spiced-apple drizzle on top was absolutely delicious. As someone who finds the Pumpkin Spice Latte to be too sweet, I thought this was a great fall drink — and I'm hoping it comes back soon.
Read my full review of Starbucks' Apple Crisp Macchiato here.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
The Irish Cream Cold Brew — which was launched in December 2019 and returned to Starbucks' holiday menu in 2020 and 2021 — is made with Starbucks' cold brew coffee and Irish cream syrup.
"Starbucks has a subtle hint of cocoa in the cold brew, and the Irish cream has hints of cocoa and vanilla," a representative told me before the drink was first released. "So they complement each other well, and they bring those flavors out more."
The Irish Cream Cold Brew is topped with vanilla sweet cream cold foam and a festive dusting of cocoa powder, which made my drink smell like a delicious mug of hot chocolate.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
Maybe it's the gloomy weather or the twinkling lights, but there's something about December that always makes me crave a drink with some sweetness.
The vanilla and cocoa in the Irish Cream Cold Blew work so well together in a way that isn't overpowering like the PSL or some Frappuccinos can be. When I first tried it, I wrote in my notes that the Irish Cream Cold Brew tasted like a "caffeinated hot cocoa." I just wish it was available year-round!
Read my full review of Starbucks' Irish Cream Cold Brew here.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
Starbucks describes the drink as a "toasted twist on the classic vanilla flavor." It features Starbucks' blonde espresso and notes of caramelized vanilla shaken together and topped with oat milk.
A spokesperson told me that the toasted vanilla flavor was inspired by the idea of "people gathering around fire pits."
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
Whenever I've tried oat milk with mochas, I've noticed that its nuttiness tends to make the drink feel too dense and heavy. But the vanilla in Starbucks' spring drink really works to lift the flavor, making each sip subtly sweet — and very refreshing.
The Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso quickly became part of my regular rotation. I love an iced drink that gives me just enough sweetness to perk up my mornings.
Read my full review of Starbucks' Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso here.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
The Chocolate Cream Cold Brew features Starbucks' cold brew sweetened with vanilla syrup and a chocolate-cream cold foam.
Rosalyn Batingan, a product specialist with Starbucks' beverage development team, said the new drink was inspired by nostalgic summer moments.
"The classic combination of coffee and notes of chocolate, along with the malt flavor in the chocolate-cream cold foam, are reminiscent of a chocolate malted milkshake or that last bit of melted chocolate ice cream on a warm summer day to recreate the sweet, creamy flavor of summers past," she added.
Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
When I tried the Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso back in March, I was convinced it was going to be my favorite Starbucks drink for a long time. Oh how quickly things can change!
The Chocolate Cream Cold Brew is, by far, the best new drink I've had at Starbucks in years. The flavors are perfectly balanced and it's just downright delicious. The foam has a frothiness that reminds me of a chocolate milkshake, and there's an unexpected richness to the drink — like dark chocolate, but without any bitterness.
Starbucks' only released the Chocolate Cream Cold Brew a week ago and I've already gotten it multiple times. I haven't loved a Starbucks drink like this since I was a 12-year-old discovering her first Caramel Frappuccino.
If the last two seasonal drinks are any indication, Starbucks is really hitting its stride when it comes to new beverages. Who knows, maybe next season will bring my new favorite.
Read my full review of Starbucks' Chocolate Cream Cold Brew here.
I've tried 12 of Starbucks' new drinks, and there are only 6 I'd order again
Source: Kalayaan News
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