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Starbucks' New Lavender Drinks Are Dividing People: 'Tastes Like Dish Soap'
They say April showers bring May flowers, but Starbucks is making March an early bloomer.
On March 7, Starbucks announced the arrival of its spring menu, introducing two new beverages that feature lavender flavoring for the first time in the U.S.: the Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha and Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte.
Since the drinks' release, people have shared their very strong (and divided) opinions on social media — some love 'em, some hate 'em. Read on for reviews.
Starbucks' spring menu Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk MatchaThis new drink features matcha served with oat milk over ice, topped with the "sweet and subtle floral notes" of lavender cream cold foam, says the company.
Iced Lavender Oatmilk LatteThis new drink features Starbucks Blonde Espresso, oat milk, ice and, again, the "sweet and subtle floral notes" of lavender.
Both drinks are available in Starbucks stores across the country for a limited time, while supplies last.
How do the drinks taste?A few TODAY.Com staffers sampled the new beverages, and the consensus was that both drinks had a "very subtle" and "not too overpowering" lavender flavor.
"I'm usually not a sweet coffee person, but this isn't that sweet," one person said about the Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte. "It kind of reminds me of something that I would get for like an afternoon walk."
But Dylan Dreyer had a very different review when she tried it on TODAY March 7. "This states like a jar of perfume," she said.
About the Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha, a TODAY staffer said, "I would definitely order it specifically to take a photo of it."
"You can taste both the matcha and the lavender separately, but then when you get deeper down in the foam, you can taste them both," someone else said about the same drink.
On TODAY, Sheinelle Jones, Laura Jarrett and Brian Cheung all agreed that they liked the matcha drink. "We say yes," said Sheinelle.
Dylan, on the other hand, said, "I just want a cup of coffee."
Social media reactionsOn social media, people are either "OBSESSED" with the drinks or find them "DISGUSTING." As the all-caps indicate, there are a lot of strong feelings.
On the positive side, one person said the matcha drink was the "Best drink (they've) ever had no lie," especially after adding "a 1/2 pump of vanilla."
Someone else wrote that they "like the pairing of lavender & matcha" and that it "tastes like a creamsicle."
Another person said the drinks taste like "spring in a cup" and offered a "pro tip" that customers "can add lavender to ANY drink."
On the negative side, one person wrote that they were "very disappointed" in the way the matcha drink looks, posting a photo of a drink without any visible lavender foam on top.
Someone else said they "want to talk to who approved the lavender latte from Starbucks" because it is "the most (foul) tasting drink (they've) ever had."
Another person had a similar review to Dylan's, saying that the latte "tastes like dish soap."
One thing many X users seemed to agree on was that the Lavender Crème Frappuccino, a new blended drink that combines lavender with vanilla syrup, milk and ice, tastes like Fruity Pebbles and looks a lot like the viral Grimace Shake from last summer.
This story first appeared on TODAY.Com. More from TODAY:
Starbucks Adds 2 Lavender Drinks To The Spring Menu — And We Tried Them
Spring has sprung at Starbucks.
The coffee giant debuted two new drinks in honor of warmer weather. Both incorporate lavender — an ingredient Starbucks has never utilized before.
The Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha and Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte hit stores on Thursday, and PEOPLE got a first taste.
The matcha drink layers the popular green tea with oat milk and lavender cream cold foam. The foam is so creamy and delicious that we can only compare it to a milkshake. The earthy matcha is complemented so nicely by the sweet cold foam — but still, the drink isn't overly sugary. Important to note: Though the new beverage features oat milk, it's not totally dairy-free, as the foam contains real milk (which explains its creaminess.)
The new Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte from Starbucks.Starbucks
The foam is a pale, beautiful shade of well, lavender, so combined with the green matcha it makes for a gorgeous photo.
The Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte isn't as pretty — the lavender powder gets swirled into blonde espresso so the drink isn't purple — but it's just as delicious. If you're more of an almond milk person, that would make for a nice swap here.
In both drinks, there's just hint of floral in the background, so don't expect lavender to hit you right in the face.
The new Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha from Starbucks.Starbucks
A Starbucks beverage developer, Patrick Penny, got the idea for the drinks during a visit to a lavender farm not far from the company's headquarters in Seattle.
"We have an abundance of lavender farms in Washington state," he said in a press release. "It's a really beautiful floral and it smells amazing. We were in the fields cutting various stalks of lavender, smelling different varietals, looking at the flowers ... Trying not to get stung by bees."
While March is all about purple at Starbucks, February saw a flurry of pink drinks for Valentine's Day. Two drinks joined the menu — Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Crème Frappuccino and the Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Cold Brew.
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The frappuccino featured a blend of ice, milk, strawberry puree and java chips, layered on top of a splash of strawberry puree and topped with whipped cream. The sweet cold brew combined hazelnut syrup with chocolate cream cold foam and a chocolate cookie crumble topping.
Starbucks' New Lavender Spring Drinks Receive Mixed Reviews
Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletterStay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletterStarbucks has rung in the new season with a carousel of spring-inspired offerings with lavender infusion, but not everyone is on board with the floral flavour.
On 7 March, the coffee conglomerate switched out its rich winter flavours for tastes of the purple plant in two fresh menu items: Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha and Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte. This year marks the first time Starbucks has introduced lavender as an available additive to its drinks.
The iced matcha is a mix of green tea powder with oatmilk and is topped with lavender cream cold foam that has "sweet and subtle floral notes," per the company's description. The iced latte is one shot of the Starbucks Blonde Espresso blend combined with non-dairy milk and finished with lavender cold foam.
While matcha devotees are more likely to be familiar with the fragrant fuse in their morning beverage, Starbucks regulars aren't too sure they like the new iced concoctions. Customers have been voicing their opinions online, some expressing a sweet passion for the lavender spirit and others announcing their distaste for it.
One fan noted how "the pairing of lavender & matcha tastes like a creamsicle". A few more supporters described the flavour to be reminiscent of spring, adding the overall aroma was like "spring in a cup".
"Best drink [Starbucks has] ever had no lie," another enamored individual proclaimed before admitting they added a half pump of vanilla.
"I TRIED THE MATCHA LAVENDER DRINK FROM STARBUCKS AND IT WAS GOOOOOD," another fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A candid person commented: "The new lavender matcha drink at starbucks is dead*** Fruit Loops milk."
However, critics of the new drink pointed out their dissatisfaction with the appearance and taste.
"I just wanna talk to who approved the lavender latte from Starbucks because that is the most foul tasting drink I've ever had (and I normally love lavender)," one critic said.
Another remarked: "Starbucks lavender drink tastes like dish soap."
"Very disappointed in the way it looks... COME ON MAKE SURE THEY KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT FIRST," a tester noted.
"And the way it taste no lavender at all," a fourth added.
Despite the divide these lavender menu offerings have had, the floral flavour is far from the most unique blend the beverage juggernaut has come up with. Just in time for the Lunar Year, Starbucks launched pork-infused coffee in China.
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