Tag: Starbucks

REVIEW: Starbucks Irish Cream Cold Brew

Heather 1 Comment

Starbucks Irish Cream Cold Brew

What is the Starbucks Irish Cream Cold Brew?

The newest addition to Starbucks’ 2019 holiday lineup, the Irish Cream Cold Brew features Cold Brew coffee, Irish Cream syrup, vanilla sweet cream cold foam, and a dash of cocoa on top.

How is it?

I honestly wasn’t sure what to think about this drink when I heard about the release, only because it seemed like an unexpected add for a holiday menu. Was I the only one who heard the word Irish and thought this should be released in March?

But wow, the Irish Cream Cold Brew is GOOD. Like, probably one of my favorite Cold Brew drinks, good.

Starbucks Irish Cream Cold Brew Top

I’m a big fan of the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew beverage, so I enjoyed the vanilla sweet cream cold foam on top. Even better was when the foam sank into the drink, adding a nice touch of vanilla and the cocoa topping with each sip.

The drink is not overly sweet, which I enjoyed. That seems to be my opinion of most of Starbucks’ Cold Brews – just the right amount of sweetness. The Irish Cream flavoring was strong and smooth, and I highly considered adding Baileys to spike it. I’d be interested in trying some other Starbucks’ drinks with the Irish Cream syrup in it… a latte, perhaps?

Is there anything else you need to know?

One of my favorite things about the Irish Cream Cold Brew was that it didn’t lose it’s flavor, even after I milked it over the course of two hours. It still tasted just as good as when I got it.

Conclusion:

Well done, Starbucks. Wishful thinking, but I would love for this one to stick around past the holidays.

Purchased Price: $4.45
Size: Grande
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 200 calories, 12 grams of total fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 19 grams of total sugars, 2 grams of protein..

REVIEW: Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

Heather 11 Comments

Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

What is the Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew?

A cousin to the beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte, the new Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew features Starbucks’ tried-and-true Cold Brew with vanilla sweet cream and a pumpkin-flavored cold foam with pumpkin spice on top.

How is it?

I fully embrace pumpkin spice season, even when it makes its debut in August. And OH MY GOSH, you guys, this Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is a real winner. I *might* even break up with the PSL this year and stick with the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. It’s that good.

Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew 2

The biggest takeaway from the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is that it’s not as sweet as the PSL. It tasted like a piece of pumpkin pie – just enough of a hint of flavor without an artificial taste. The Cold Brew itself, sweetened with vanilla syrup, is smooth and easy to drink. And while I typically have to be in the mood for Cold Foam, I LOVED this one. I liked that it stayed nicely as the top layer without sinking too much into the Cold Brew.

One thing to note, I tried this drink twice. Once I got it with the straw-less lid. The second day, my Starbucks was out of those, so I got lid and straw. While it didn’t affect the flavor too much, I do prefer drinking it out of the straw-less lid because you get equal parts Cold Brew and Cold Foam.

A grande packs a decent caffeine punch at roughly 185 milligrams, so it got me through my day, both productive and excited about wearing scarves again soon.

Is there anything else I need to know?

Points to my mom for doing the recon on this one: The Cold Brew already has the vanilla syrup added in, so you can’t customize with sugar-free vanilla. Embrace the full sugar, my friends – it’s worth it.

Conclusion:

When can I go back and get another?

Purchased Price: $4.45
Size: Grande
Purchased at: Starbucks
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts:: (Grande) 250 calories, 12 grams of total fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 31 grams of total sugars, 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Starbucks Tie-Dye Frappuccino

Meghan 5 Comments

Starbucks Tie Dye Frappuccino

I have great news – I’ve recently opened an Instagram account! I may be a bit behind the curve, but late is better than never, and it seems I’ve joined up just in time to fully appreciate Starbucks’ newest Instagrammable blended beverage — the Tie-Dye Frappuccino.

Starbucks Tie Dye Frappuccino Shirt

Working at a store where rainbow-wearing hippies are the norm, I’m no stranger to tie-dye. In fact, I own quite a few tie-dye shirts of my own and even decided to wear one to Starbucks in hopes of matching my drink. Those hopes began to fall as I saw several people with staggeringly yellow Frapps walk by as I waited my turn in line.

Observing the lone, harried barista create my drink, I realized the tie-dye effect isn’t created by blending together multiple colors of syrup. Instead, multicolored sanding sugar was shaken onto the bottom and sides of my cup before a deluge of neon-yellow Frappuccino base was dumped on top. The colors start to bleed after everything settles for a minute, and, TAH-DAH! You’ve got a tie-dye drink.

Well, you’re supposed to have one, anyway.

Starbucks Tie Dye Frappuccino Blue Streaks

My drink, like those of the people in line before me, was colored Big Bird yellow and had only a light bluish tint going along one side of the cup. Completely missing were the vibrant reds, oranges, and greens promised by Starbucks’ in-store promotional material.

Starbucks Tie Dye Frappuccino Foam

The extra dusting of sanding sugar shaken on top of the whip was the most tie-dye thing about my drink, and even that looks like it could have been stolen off the Unicorn Frappuccino, which, by the way, was so influential in fast food history that it has its own Wikipedia page.

Although it’s hard to set looks aside concerning a treat with such visually focused marketing, the Tie-Dye Frappuccino actually tastes pretty good. It’s sweet – which is no surprise since a Tall has over 39 grams of sugar – but not cloyingly so, and it’s got a pleasant hint of banana that keeps it from tasting as blah as it looks.

I wouldn’t order this over my usual Cold Brew with Cold Foam but found it to be a pleasant departure from what I typically order, and thought it was especially refreshing on a hot and muggy July afternoon.

Even though Starbucks’ Tie-Dye Frappuccino may not be groovy enough to inspire everyone to forget their differences and love each other à la Woodstock-style, it’s still an enjoyable summer treat, and worth giving a shot while it’s still around.

Purchased Price: $4.95
Size: Tall (12 oz.)
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Tall beverage with whip) 280 calories, 100 calories from fat, 11 grams of total fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 39 grams of total sugars, 4 grams of protein, and 0 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Starbucks Iced Cocoa Cloud Macchiato

Heather 1 Comment

Starbucks Iced Cocoa Cloud Macchiato

What is the Starbucks Iced Cocoa Cloud Macchiato?

The newest of Starbucks’ cloud beverages (the “cloud” comes from the foam layer on top of the macchiato that contains egg whites for fluffiness), the Iced Cocoa Cloud Macchiato has espresso, milk and toffee nut syrup. It’s completed with both caramel and a mocha drizzle on top.

How is it?

I liked this drink, but I wouldn’t say I loved it. I’m a fan of the regular macchiatos, but I think the cloud foam on this one threw me off a bit. The amount of foam was pretty significant (I’d say more than the cold foam drinks, which I do really enjoy), so it made sipping it a challenge to balance the foam and the coffee portion. Slow and steady sips won the race. I thought the egg white powder would be weird, but I couldn’t taste it at all.

Starbucks Iced Cocoa Cloud Macchiato 2

What I did like was the marrying of the cocoa and caramel flavors. Coupled with the toffee nut syrup, there was a nice nutty flavor with a hint of chocolate. The coffee portion was my ideal coffee color – not too light and not too dark. I also enjoyed that it was not overly sweet, and was very light. It would make a good afternoon pick-me-up.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Much like the standard Starbucks macchiatos, be sure to let the foam layer and the espresso layer blend naturally in with the milk. I’m pretty sure mixing it is considered a coffee sin.

Conclusion:

I’ll order this again because I enjoyed the taste, but it won’t become a regular order. If you’re in need of something cool and refreshing on a hot summer day, definitely give it a go.

Purchased Price: $4.45
Size: Tall
Purchased at: Starbucks
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts:: (Tall) 220 calories, 6 grams of total fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 29 grams of total sugars, and 9 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Starbucks Dragon Drink

Heather

Starbucks Dragon Drink

What is the Starbucks Dragon Drink?

Last year, Starbucks debuted a new Refresher, the Mango Dragonfruit. As part of the new summer menu, the chain has mixed the Mango Dragonfruit Refresher with coconutmilk for the beautifully colored Dragon Drink.

It’s a sister drink to the Pink and Violet drinks, which mix the Strawberry Acai and Very Berry Refreshers with coconutmilk, respectively. If you’ve never had actual dragonfruit before, it includes diced dragonfruit on top.

How is it?

While I typically go for coffee, coffee, and more coffee at Starbucks, I’ve been gravitating more toward the Refreshers these last few months for something sweet and caffeinated. So needless to say, I was thrilled to see this one go on the menu, as I’m a huge fan of the Mango Dragonfruit Refresher.

Starbucks Dragon Drink Closeup

The Dragon Drink did not disappoint. Not only does this drink look pretty, it also tastes pretty. (I have a feeling this will be the summer’s most Instagrammed drink.) It’s much sweeter than the Pink and Violet drinks – in a good way. I often feel the coconutmilk outweighs the taste of the Refresher flavors in the Pink and Violet, but this was not the case with Dragon Drink. The mango and dragonfruit flavors shined through, with the right hint of creaminess from the coconutmilk. It truly was refreshing and had me wishing I was sitting by the pool instead of at my desk.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Since it is pretty sweet, I think I’ll stick to a grande when I get this instead of upgrading to a venti. The grande was just enough.

Conclusion:

Try this! If you’re a Refresher fan, it will be a hit.

Purchased Price: $3.85
Size: Grande
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 130 calories, 3 grams of total fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 23 grams of total sugars, and 1 gram of protein.