We introduced a new series on The Everygirl last fall: ranking and trying Starbucks drinks. We tried both Starbucks holiday drinks and their fall drinks in depth, and you loved them all. Since then, we’ve been patiently waiting for the day when there were enough new (or new-ish) drinks for us to do another ranking.
This day has finally arrived. Starbucks has introduced a few new drinks since 2022, including the Pistachio Latte, Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, and the Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Espresso. We added a few drinks that were not necessarily new, but are great for spring or summer, as well as a TikTok-famous secret menu option.
This time, we decided that our ranking and review process should be more formal. We tried eight drinks and had five official tasters. We then scored each drink on a scale of 1 to 5 in the categories of “overall taste” and “likelihood to get again” for a total of 10 possible points per drink from each person. Each drink was allowed to have a maximum of 50 points.
We ordered all the drinks with milk in them with oatmilk, as usual.
Without further ado, here is The Everygirl’s official ranking of Starbucks’ new drinks and spring favorites:
8. Cold Brew Lemonade
Official score: 10/50
Beth, our editor, convinced us to try the concoction that was constantly popping up on social media. This is regular cold brew with lemonade (a “secret menu” item that you can order by selecting cold brew in the app and then customizing it by adding lemonade). Beth suggested that it might taste like an Arnold Palmer so we all agreed to go along for the adventure. As you can see, it did not score the highest possible score. It’s very bitter, and the lemonade’s sourness makes it even more so, plus it has a pretty bad aftertaste. We all decided that the only person who might like this is someone who’s really into black coffee.
7. Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso
Official score: 22/50
We were all huge fans of the first two shaken espressos and wanted to love this new addition to our menu. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up. It was described by many taste testers as having an artificial flavor, bitter and burnt-tasting, and overall not being exceptional. One even said “it tastes like Warm Vanilla Sugar from Bath & Body Works.” Basically, the final verdict was that if you’re going to drop almost $7 on a Starbucks drink like this, just go for our old fave, the Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso.
6. Hot Pistachio Latte
Official score: 23/50
Let me just start by saying that these two pistachio lattes started a hot-button debate about how to pronounce the word “pistachio”—let us know, does it have a long “a” or not? The coffees are now at their rightful places in the middle, because no one has much to say about them. They’re good, but they’re nothing special. The hot version has a pretty nutty flavor that almost makes it taste like a holiday drink, which we didn’t love for spring and summer. Julia, managing editor of The Everymom, put it best when she said, “I like pistachios as a salty snack, so I don’t need to mix that with my coffee.”
5. Iced Pistachio Latte
Official score: 27/50
You can see that we all agreed that the hot version was better than the iced. Two of our taste testers even said that they liked it “waaaay better” than the hot, but everyone still agreed that it was nothing life changing. It’s not super flavorful and kind of just tastes like any other latte on the menu, so if you’re looking for something to really switch it up, you’ll probably need to look elsewhere. Ashley, branded content editor, said, “It just tastes like milk.”
4. Kiwi Starfruit Refresher
Official score: 28/50
We were all very excited to have this refresher because we hadn’t had one in a while and we had never tried it before. This tasted great, according to the overwhelming consensus. This is exactlyLike a green apple Jolly Rancher. It’s a little bit sour but also sweet and was also described as “liquid jello.” We decided that all you need is your alcohol of choice and this would make a great cocktail for a pool day. Basically, if you want to treat yourself to something that’s fun, different, and very summery, this one’s for you.
3. Iced Matcha Tea Latte
Official score: 33/50
Matcha was perhaps the most controversial topic of the day. Listen, you either like the taste of matcha or you don’t, and there was one taste tester among us who really does not like it and describes it as tasting like “Play-Doh rolled in grass.” The rest of us, however, acknowledge that Starbucks’ pre-sweetened matcha is far from the real thing but still enjoy the taste. An iced matcha latte is a true classic, and it’s a perfect, refreshing choice on those days when you want to switch it up from your usual coffee order. As this is a sweeter matcha, it might be a great starter option if you’re trying to get into drinking more matcha.
2. Star Drink
Official score: 34/50
The #2 spot was awarded to the Star Drink in a surprising twist of events. Like a Pink Drink is a Strawberry Açaí Refresher with coconut milk instead of water, a Star Drink is the aforementioned Kiwi Starfruit Refresher with coconut milk. The Refresher was a popular pool drink. We all agreed that it would be a great addition to any pool, whether there is alcohol added or not. Even those of us who aren’t huge fans of coconut still really enjoyed this drink. And once again, Julia summed it up best when she said, “Now this is what I would call a beveragino.”
1. Iced Matcha Lemonade
Official score: 43/50
Beth was able to redeem herself after the Cold Brew Lemonade disaster. She is also the one who suggested that we try the Matcha Lemonade, our winner. This drink is refreshing, thirst-quenching and overall delicious. The sour-sweetness of the lemonade pairs perfectly with matcha to make a drink that is not too bitter or “grass-tasting.” We all agreed that we could see ourselves ordering this time and time again during the spring and summer months.
Source: The Every Girl