Summer is here, and so is another iced coffee from Starbucks to keep you hydrated. (Note: I am not a doctor, who would probably tell you to hydrate with water, but iced coffee is made of water too, so it counts… right?) The coffee chain recently released the Carmel Vanilla Swirl Iced Coffee, and honestly, I would have thought something like this was already on the menu. Nonetheless, this flavor profile is right up my alley, so I was excited to try it.
I was delighted to find out this iced coffee features caramel syrup and Vanilla Sweet Cream. I LOVE the Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream and could probably drink it straight. My initial thought was that they would have just combined vanilla and caramel syrup, so this got me excited right off the bat.
Readers, this iced coffee did not disappoint. I’ll start with the only negative – when I received the coffee, it did not look pretty and swirled like the promotional photo. But as my grandfather used to say, if that’s the worst thing, then we’re still doing pretty well.
At first sip, the Vanilla Sweet Cream flavor really hits you up front—so much so that I wondered if they forgot the caramel. But don’t worry! The caramel syrup really shined through in the aftertaste. The flavors paired together nicely and were very present while I milked the drink (I’ve said before in my reviews that I can make an iced beverage last several hours, depending on what I’m caught up in).
The other thing I really liked about this iced coffee was that it wasn’t too sweet. With 26 grams of sugar in a grande, it certainly had the potential to be, but I was pleasantly surprised. And the caffeine also packs a nice punch – I could see myself getting this either as my first OR second coffee of the day!
I’ll definitely be adding the Caramel Vanilla Swirl Iced Coffee to my rotation, and you should too!
Purchased Price: $4.25
Size: Grande
Purchased at: Starbucks
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 160 calories, 5 grams of total fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 20 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 gram of dietary fiber, 26 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of protein, and 165 milligrams of caffeine.
If you had 2 of these a day you would spend $9 or $270 a month on something that isn’t even food. That’s literally insane.
I agree. That’s why I buy all my coffee at the grocery store.
There’s nothing wrong with spending your money on something you enjoy. Two a day seems a bit much, but if you use this as a splurge, you can drink them occasionally.
My local animal shelter is over $15,000 in the red from helping animals and desperately needs money. But yeah, there’s nothing wrong with people buying outrageously overpriced coffee. SMFH.
The problem with your line of thought Jane is… where does one draw the line?
Should you stop purchasing Stauffer’s? It’s fairly overpriced for what it is. Or Nutrageous bars? Or Fruit Pebbles?
In fact, why purchase groceries from any store, when you can just grow and/or cultivate one’s own?
That’s why – at least in the US – we generally allow people to have their own opinions and do what they want, so long as it isn’t illegal, isn’t directly hurting others, or infringing on the rights of others.
What we generally do not condone is people talking down to other’s because of their opinions on relatively trivial things, attempting to shame them for said opinions, or saying the opinions of others are wrong, and only MY opinion is correct.
Point in fact, I fully support the opinion you expressed here and your right to have it. It’s just the tone of it should be adjusted in a way that doesn’t chastise Elizabeth or her opinion as well.
I’m sorry that your animal shelter is struggling. That is most likely a result of your local and/or state government officials underfunding them for one reason or another. It’s sincerely awful how so many shelters in the US are disregarded on a systemic level.
However, using that as an excuse to shame some random person on the internet who said “two coffees a day seems a bit much, but if you use this as a splurge, you can drink them occasionally” makes you look like a complete asshole who doesn’t actually care one bit about animal shelters. Maybe spend less time commenting on a junk food blog, and more time volunteering? You are such an altruist, after all.
Agreed. I never thought someone would come at me for saying it’s okay to occasionally splurge on an expensive coffee. I’m obsessed with animals and I would advocate for donating to your local animal shelter too, but that doesn’t mean you can’t also spend on other things that you enjoy in life.
As someone who has struggled with an ED for 16 years is is working to be able to allow myself to enjoy food and spend money on pleasures that taste good, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with spending on things that make you happy — as long as you aren’t going overboard and maxing out your credit card or budget.
Jane, in response to your next comment, where you wrote:
“From a condition that I did not choose, *unlike an ED*, but I have donated what money I can afford”
What a shameful little remark you tried to slip in there. You are completely ignorant to how eating disorders work.
You come off as such a small, pathetic person.
Jane’s just an asshole. If she doesn’t understand the nature of EDs, then forget her. I didn’t choose, nor would I ever choose for anyone else to have, an ED. They are debilitating and paralyzing and there are many times where my life has been in balance because of my ED. They’re the most deadly psychiatric illness. If I chose this, then I want to know how to stop choosing it. If it were that easy, I definitely would be recovered by now.
Author here. My statement about first or second coffee didn’t imply I was having two a day there – simply that the caffeine could power me through either the morning or the afternoon if I ordered it then!
Heather, you shouldn’t have to clarify this just because a pathetic, small individual chose to mock somebody for suffering with an eating disorder. Your writing was clear enough, at least in my opinion.
Wow, what was once a nice reprieve from the seriousness of the world has taken a nasty, ugly turn. My heart goes out to those who have battled EDs and we all know at least one person whether we are aware or not. Slamming those who are struggling isn’t something I expected here. I will get product news elsewhere.
Thanks. I have just as much sympathy for others who struggle with any other illness or disability, but I never expected someone to shame me for my chronic ED on a junk food blog. I just rid myself of all social media because it was destroying my mental health and it was rife with diet culture. I thought I was safe here, but apparently not.