Tag: Starbucks

Starbucks’ limited-edition holiday lineup this year has all of winter’s most beloved flavors—peppermint, gingerbread, sugar cookie, and even toffee! While the latter sounds like it could make a delicious signature latte (can you say “toffee coffee” five times fast?), it’s actually attending this holiday party in food form via the Dark Toffee Bundt cake.

Though this is a new offering, it has a classic feel: it fits right in with those aforementioned faves, boasting a distinctive flavor like peppermint, a hint of cozy zing like gingerbread, and a sweetness like a sugar cookie. And while Starbucks is currently cooking up coffee cakes and cake pops, I don’t recall ever seeing it sling a bundt before, so I was also looking forward to that shot of novelty.

Right off the bat, I got festive vibes from the green and red sprinkles (which the website, perhaps unnecessarily but certainly amusingly, specifies are “holly-and-berry-shaped”). That’s not all, though: the dark color of the cake and its rich, dense texture brought to mind other seasonal stalwarts like fruitcake and figgy pudding. The bundt shape was visually appealing enough that I almost felt a little bad ruining those pristine ridges by biting into them. Fortunately for you, reader, my hunger won out over my aesthetic appreciation.

I noticed a slight sheen on the top of the cake that made me worry that it might be sticky enough to cause a mess, but thankfully, the eating experience was relatively clean. The shiny glaze was only applied to the top, so when I picked the cake up from the sides, my hands came away clean (I wish I could say the same about certain other holiday treats—looking at you, candy canes).

The cake had a satisfying heft that was a nice complement to its rich, hearty taste: sweet but not too sweet, with notes of molasses and brown sugar adding complexity and comfort. It didn’t necessarily scream “toffee,” but it was good enough that it didn’t bother me much. I also enjoyed the texture, as the outside was lightly springy while the inside was dense but still crumbly. It was perhaps a bit dry, but I think a fudgier consistency would have been overwhelming, so I appreciated that the graininess made it feel lighter than I was expecting from its solid stature, more afternoon snack than evening ender. (It was certainly tasty and filling enough to serve as a dessert, but it was convenient that it didn’t crash me into an insta-food coma.)

I think this is a treat that would lend itself well to being served heated, but unfortunately, that’s not the default. I was too shy to consider asking an employee, but I think a warm temperature would go great with the warm flavors and amp up that pleasant Christmasy coziness even further. Even as-is, I didn’t feel like this was lacking, and I walked away stuffed and jolly as a Christmas stocking. If Santa ever gets tired of Christmas cookies, I’m sure he’d find the Dark Toffee Bundt a fine replacement, and you might too.

Purchased Price: $4.84
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 330 calories, 15 grams of fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 240 milligrams of sodium, 46 grams of carbohydrates, 29 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein

It is time. (Insert Rafiki from “The Lion King” GIF here.)

The holiday beverages are out at Starbucks, and surprisingly, there’s a new Refresher on the menu. Typically any new Refresher varieties come out during the warmer months, so this was super intriguing to see. The new drink is the Cran-Merry Orange Refresher, which has orange, cranberry, and spice flavors mixed with water and cranberry inclusions, which just means cranberry pieces.

I enjoy the other Starbucks Refreshers, so I was certainly eager to give this one a go. My colleague loved it (read more about that later), so the bar was set high. It’s a beautiful cranberry-red color, so this drink certainly looks festive. As for the taste, I found it good. Not amazing, not bad… just good.

There’s definitely a fun mix of flavors here. First, I tasted the cranberry, then the orange, and then the spices at the end. The spices cut the berry’s tartness – this is definitely NOT a cranberry juice. I like the fact that it’s not overwhelmingly tart or sweet yet still tastes like something you’d drink during the holidays. The cranberry inclusions are a fun addition, but I don’t think they enhance the flavor.

But again, this is just good. It didn’t knock my socks off, but I liked it. It’s a different flavor combination compared to the other Refreshers in the lineup, but I’d pick others that I like better.

Like any of the other Starbucks Refreshers, you can order this with either lemonade or coconutmilk added to it. While I haven’t tried either of those modifications, my colleague got the lemonade version and RAVED about it. I’m thinking I’ll like it better than the standard version, so it’s on my list to try soon.

Purchased Price: $5.25
Size: Grande
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 100 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 10 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 20 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of protein, and 55 milligrams of caffeine.

Starbucks’ Glinda’s Pink Potion is a pretty potation. However, when I peer at the peppy pink portion, I can’t help but picture Pepto-Bismol. If only Pepto-Bismol pleased the palate as much as this product does.

The Wicked-inspired creation features a Mango Dragonfruit Starbucks Refreshers Beverage hand-shaken with creamy coconut milk, ice, and a scoop of real, freeze-dried dragonfruit. Then, it’s topped with nondairy strawberry cold foam and colorful candy sprinkles.

Here on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, there’s a local rainbow cake recipe with guava, passion fruit, and lime flavors. Even though Glinda’s Pink Potion has none of those, its taste brings to mind that delicious rainbow cake. Both cake and potion are fruity, tangy, tropical, perfectly sweet, and delightful to the tongue and eyes.

Surprisingly, one of the ingredients that gives this drink its Barbie-pink color when combined with the Starbucks Refresher base and one that I thought would add to the beverage’s tropical kick, the coconut milk, isn’t noticeable to my taste buds.

With previous Starbucks drinks I’ve had with dragon fruit pieces, I thought the freeze-dried fruit were more there for appearances than flavor. However, with this one, whenever one of those bits happens to escape through the hole in the sipping lid, there’s a burst of fruitiness. But, while there were many dragon fruit pieces, most were trapped in the cup after drinking the potion. As for the candy sprinkles, they definitely were there more for looks than adding sweetness.

Glinda’s Pink Potion has a bit of caffeine in it, but with its tasty tropical flavor, I found it to be more of a relaxing drink instead of a pick-me-up. Much like Pepto-Bismol, this drink made my tummy happy.

Purchased Price: $7.15
Size: Venti/24 fl oz
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 320 calories, 12 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 49 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 44 grams of sugar, 3 grams of protein, and 60 milligrams of caffeine.