What is the Starbucks Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso?
Another dairy-free, caffeine-packing drink has hit the Starbucks menu. The new Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso (try saying that one five times fast!) combines espresso shots with toasted vanilla syrup and oatmilk.
How is it?
At first sip, you’ll get a strong toasted vanilla taste up front, followed by the oatmilk. Now if you’ve never had oatmilk before, I describe it as a little thicker than dairy milk with a nutty-ish taste. My colleague shared that she thinks oatmilk often overpowers other flavors in a drink, and I definitely found that here. Despite three espresso shots in a grande, I could barely detect a coffee taste. It didn’t bother me too much, but if you typically look for that, this might fall short for you. Even though the espresso wasn’t super prevalent, it still packed a good caffeine punch that lasted me throughout the day.
Let’s take a second to go back to the toasted vanilla syrup. In the beginning, I was really digging in. But the more I drank, the more I got a bit of the burnt aftertaste. I was originally planning on giving this an 8 rating as I was sipping, but the aftertaste was enough to bump it down to a 7. Not a deal-breaker on liking the drink, just something of note!
I will say that if you aren’t into super sweet coffee, try this syrup. There’s a notable difference in the sweetness of the toasted vanilla versus Starbucks’ standard vanilla, and I enjoyed it. I’m interested in trying it with caramel syrup mixed in as well to merge the flavors.
Anything else you need to know?
I watched as the barista prepared my beverage, and she only gave it three quick shakes in the shaker before pouring. The espresso (when you could taste it) seemed to land at the bottom even though it had been shaken, so I’d recommend shaking it up a little more for even distribution.
Conclusion:
If you were a fan of the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso or the Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso that Starbucks released this time last year, give this a try. It’s smooth and a good drink to try as spring starts to roll in.
Purchased Price: $5.75
Size: Grande
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 140 calories, 4.5 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 grams of dietary fiber, 11 grams of total sugars, 2 grams of protein, and 255 milligrams of caffeine.
(Totally as an aside: a best use for oatmilk, make your morning oatmeal with it–ends up as a luxurious-tasting meal, worthy of being served at the Ritz Carlton. 🙂 )
Joy March 5, 2023
The iced toasted vanilla oat milk shaken express is not overly sweet and that besides the expresso buzz is the only good thing about this product. It tasted like medicine, instead of a 6 dollar drink.won’t be buying that one again
THANK YOU! completely agree. The aftertaste of every sip has a hint of a cherry liquid robotussin taste!
I tried this today and found it to be delicious. I am on the fence with oat milk (am going to try ^ Mike’s suggestion), but wasn’t bothered by it in this drink. It is made with the blonde espresso which taste stronger (IMO) and does a good job of complimenting/ reducing the sweetness of the toasted vanilla syrup.
I had this yesterday. (I was on a mission to try it, after seeing it on here.)
While it was quite good, the top part (i.e., where most of the syrup was) was extremely sweet, IMO. Due to that, I doubt I’d have it again…but I also don’t at all regret trying it.
I am a barista at Starbucks and the shaken expressos are shaken with ice and the expresso shots. It then gets poured into the cup and topped off with the milk. You can ask for the milk to be shaken with it!