REVIEW: Starbucks Iced Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai

Feel free to take these horrible t-shirt ideas for chai lovers:

1. I’m the CHAIrperson of the Board.
2. Chai all the CHAIme.

I do not love chai so much that I’d wear one of these shirts, but if offered a chai tea, I usually won’t refuse. Although I will admit, I prefer mine to be CHAIlled. I mean, chilled. I’m sorry.

But this new Starbucks Iced Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai is so wonderful that I’d slip on a t-shirt that boldly says, “Starbucks Iced Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai all the CHAIme.” Unfortunately, it seems to be a seasonal beverage, so I’ll only be able to drink it part of the CHAIme.

The coffee chain says this beverage was influenced by a popular customer customization and features the warming spice flavors of chai combined with creamy oatmilk and topped with nondairy apple crisp cold foam, which produces a sip that tries to replicate homemade apple pie. With Starbucks saying it tastes like the dessert, I wonder why it didn’t call this the Iced Apple Pie Nondairy Cream Chai. It rhymes, for goodness sake!

First off, it smells wonderful. If I could get that scent combination of apple and spices in an essential oil, I’d use it in my diffuser while I fall asleep. Oh, wait. Will pouring this beverage in my diffuser also work?

As I mentioned earlier, Starbucks says this is supposed to taste like apple pie, and it eventually tastes like a baked good, but my first sip (and a few others) had me thinking egg nog, which makes sense since chai has some of the same spices. Although I should admit that by the time I got my first sip, which was delayed due to a car ride and followed by a quick photoshoot, much of the foam had seeped into the rest of the drink. So the flavors might’ve been blended better than if I drank it straight from the barista’s hands.

The apple in the cold foam is noticeable, but that’s not the only flavor that gives this pastry vibes. Some of the chai’s spices and the cinnamon and brown sugar notes in the foam create a crust-like taste, which was a delightful surprise. On top of those flavors, the oatmilk and the nondairy cold foam give the drink a pleasant creaminess, which helps this sweet beverage feel more like a dessert than a drink. Despite all that’s going on with the cold foam, the chai spices don’t get lost at all. You still know you’re drinking a chai, but one that tastes like an apple pastry was blended in.

If you like chai and apple pie, I won’t lie. You should try this Starbucks Iced Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai.

Purchased Price: $6.75
Size: Grande (16 fl oz)
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 370 calories, 12 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 140 milligrams of sodium, 64 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 46 grams of sugar, 4 grams of protein, and 95 milligrams of caffeine.