Tag: Starbucks

As part of the fall launch lineup, Starbucks added two additional non-pumpkin flavored beverages to the mix. These are app exclusives: the Iced Caramel Apple Cream Latte and the Iced Honey Apple Almondmilk Flat White.

Let me start by saying that I am all about fall, y’all. I celebrate the PSL season like it’s an official holiday. This year’s celebration included driving about 500 miles round trip on launch day to experience the Ultimate Pumpkin Spice Experience at a Starbucks Roastery.

That aside, I don’t discriminate when it comes to fall delights. While I revel in pumpkin spice, I equally love apple cider, apple cider slushies, apple cider donuts, and apple picking. But I’m adding Starbucks’ new Iced Honey Apple Almondmilk Flat White to my fall delights list.

Coffee snobbery aside about the merits of Starbucks making a “real flat white” or that flat whites can’t be iced, it’s a perfect fall beverage to sip on.

Per the coffee chain, it features “almondmilk and Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast, poured over ice with a hint of honey – topped with silky, nondairy cold foam infused with apple brown sugar-flavored syrup.”

This drink works beautifully to create a perfect fall experience. The apple brown sugar syrup is a thing of beauty. Though it’s only in the nondairy cold foam, apple dominates the flavor, followed by the floral notes of sweet honey. The cold foam adds an incredibly creamy texture. I was amazed by the silky texture of the nondairy cold foam. I couldn’t believe it wasn’t dairy! Incredible.

Blonde espresso is the perfect choice, offering a mildness – compared to the regular dark roast – that lets all the flavors shine and ties everything together with that distinct espresso finish.

If you’re torn between this and the new Iced Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai, they’re both really tasty beverages and actually tastes fairly similar except for the end note (apple pie from the chai vs. espresso), so it really is up to whether you feel like drinking coffee or tea!

Purchased Price: $5.95
Size: Tall
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 180 calories, 7 grams of total fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 24 grams of total sugars, 3 grams of protein and 150 milligrams of caffeine.

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.

My favorite time of the year is here: Fall-flavored goodies time. I’m firmly on the “I don’t care how early in August you bring back the pumpkin drinks” train because, for me, it’s never too early. And now that this time of year is here, Starbucks has introduced several new beverages, including an app-exclusive drink, the Iced Caramel Apple Cream Latte. This latte features the Apple Brown Sugar Syrup along with Salted Caramel Cream Cold Foam.

The first thing I noticed when my drink came out was how milky it looked – much more so than the normal latte I get from Starbucks (one of my non-seasonal go-tos is an iced vanilla latte). Either the barista was heavy-handed on the milk, or the cold foam had already begun its descent to the bottom… it was hard to tell. It did have a creamy flavor that I didn’t mind, but it definitely masked the espresso. Granted, a tall only has one shot, but to me, there was no coffee flavor at all. It could be a good drink to ease a non-coffee drinker in! Or consider adding an extra shot if you want that espresso to shine.

As I sipped, the biggest thing I noted was that despite the salted caramel in the cold foam, the apple flavor steals the show here. There were small notes of caramel, but otherwise, it was apple all the way. If you’ve never had a drink with the Starbucks Apple Brown Sugar Syrup before, it has a nice spice to it, and that came through here.

I’m not used to cold foam on a latte – historically, it’s the cold brew beverages that tout it. So, adding the Salted Caramel Cream Cold Foam was an interesting touch. Again, I would have liked to taste more caramel, which is the main reason for my rating below. I wonder if toning down the pumps of Apple Brown Sugar Syrup would make a difference or if it’s just too strong of a flavor profile. Either way, I do enjoy the apple, and it’s fun to have a latter option that’s a little jazzier than the norm.

My last note here is that this is very much a dessert-like drink. At 320 calories for a tall and 36 grams of sugar, they’re not messing around. I don’t envision this as a “morning coffee to get my day going” drink but more of an afternoon treat. If you’re like me and fall flavors always win, I’d say give it a try.

Purchased Price: $5.95
Size: Tall
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 320 calories, 15 grams of total fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 470 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 gram of dietary fiber, 36 grams of total sugars, 7 grams of protein and 75 milligrams of caffeine.

Starbucks’ Egg, Pesto & Mozzarella Sandwich is a serviceable, squishy sandwich.

It gets its squish from a fluffy cage-free egg frittata, which is topped with a kale and basil pesto and a mozzarella slice. Those three are served on a toasted cheddar and onion bun.

The almost perfect rectangle frittata was a bit flavorless. It wasn’t even very eggy. I only know this because the pesto on my sandwich was mainly on one side of the egg slab, leaving my taste buds a naked half of a frittata for them to experience. With such a concentration of pesto on one side, you’d assume the taste would be bold. But even with that amount, the green herbaceous topping didn’t bowl me over with pesto like I’d get from an Olive Garden offering. It made that half taste better than the pesto-less side, but I wish things were more flavorful. Also, it wasn’t easy to pick out the kale in the pesto, which I guess was a good thing because I got the benefits of eating kale without the rough texture and taste of kale.

The mozzarella was melted to the point where it looked like mayonnaise. But I wish this had mayo because the mild cheesiness didn’t carry much flavor. As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, the egg had a spongy texture and was unusually moist, which was odd. And it was even weirder when the frittata made slightly squishy sounds as I gently smooshed the sandwich. As for the toasted cheddar and onion bun, nothing about it made me think it had cheese or onion on or in it. The bottom bun was easy to bite through, and the top had some crispiness on the edges thanks to the toasting, but it was also a little chewy.

If you’re looking for a meatless sandwich option at Starbucks, its Egg, Pesto & Mozzarella Sandwich is the only one. (Although, I guess the Impossible Breakfast Sandwich could be considered a meatless option.) But it’s so meh that I’m not sure I’d recommend starting your morning with one.

Purchased Price: $5.45
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 390 calories, 16 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 175 milligrams of cholesterol, 790 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 21 grams of protein.