This spring, Starbucks came out with four new drinks for the Spring menu: Iced Ube Coconut Macchiato, Toasted Coconut Cream Cold Brew, Lavender Cream Chai, and the new Chai Tea Latte recipe. Some were instant hits, and some were not. I tried them so you don’t have to!
- ICED UBE COCONUT MACCHIATO
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This was my favorite drink from the Spring menu. I hadn’t tried ube before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, and the ube did not taste how I originally thought it would. Despite its purple color, it had an amazing, vanilla-like taste. Floating inside of the cold foam were toasted coconut flakes, which were tasteless but a fun touch, and the drink also includes one espresso shot.
The other main ingredient in this drink is coconut syrup, which I didn’t notice until I had completely finished it because it was overpowered by the ube. One of the things I enjoyed most about it how little ice it had, and it was nice to have more of the actual drink instead of an abundance of ice. Overall, I’d rate it a 9/10.
I recommend the Iced Ube Coconut Macchiato if you enjoy ube and drinks that are on the sweeter side. If you don’t enjoy add-ins in your drinks, such as the toasted coconut flakes, or even if you’re less of a sweet drink person, I would stray away from this special Spring edition.
- ICED COCONUT CREAM COLD BREW
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Even though coconut drinks haven’t historically been my favorite, I loved this drink. The main ingredients are the Toasted Coconut Cream Cold Foam, 2 pumps of Vanilla Syrup, and Toasted Coconut Flakes as an add-in. The coffee taste was much stronger than the coconut flavor, which resulted in the drink being more bitter than the Ube. I had trouble tasting the coconut most of the time that I drank this. However, the coconut was more noticeable once I reached the bottom of the drink.
With this being said, my favorite part of the drink was the delicious cold foam, and it’s definitely for those of you who enjoy more bitter coffees. I’d rate this drink an 8/10.
- ICED LAVENDER CREAM CHAI
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The Iced Lavender Cream Chai includes milk, classic syrup, four pumps of chai tea, and Lavender Cream Cold Foam. Before trying this, I was immediately attracted to this drink because I love the color and the smell of lavender. After trying the Ube, I also assumed the purple drinks would be a big hit for me.
I was incorrect. When I took my first sip, I was met with an excessively strong lavender taste. It was just like drinking an essential oil. Even though I liked the smell, I didn’t expect the drink to taste just like it, and the lavender flavor was overbearing compared to the chai. I poured the drink out before I could even get to the chai.
I’d give this drink a 4/10. If you enjoy strong flavor, especially strong lavender, and/or like tea, I’d recommend this drink. Otherwise, it’s probably not for you.
- NEW CHAI TEA LATTE RECIPE
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This new version of the classic Chai Tea Latte mainly includes milk, three pumps of chai tea, three pumps of classic syrup, and an infusion of different flavors, like black tea and ginger. This new Starbucks creation is fairly controversial, so I was nervous to try it.
The flavors were strong at first, but I ended up liking this recipe more than I thought! The mixture of different ingredients makes it hard to describe the flavor in great detail, but I enjoyed that this tasted sweet and a little spicy at the same time, and I thought all the different flavors blended well together.
I’d rate this drink a 7/10. If you enjoy tea and a mixture of different flavors, you should try this drink!