While I love welldrip coffeeor cappuccino, I drink iced coffee all year round, rain or shine. When I'm at Starbucks, my typical order is:cold brewor sometimes, if I'm feeling adventurous, one of the newer creations with a cold foam on top. ExceptFrappuccino, Starbucks now has a huge selection of coldcoffee drinkchoose between - how do you choose?
I almost tasted my way throughhel cold coffee menu at Starbucksto find the best drinks to order. After all, I'm including almost all of them on this list because tastes and (dietary restrictions) vary. As I said, I tend to lean towards simple coffee drinks, but that doesn't mean the caramel macchiato is bad! It was actually pretty good. Whether you're looking for a sweet drink to satisfy your sweet tooth or a creative cold brew to spice up your typical order, I've got you covered. There are also a few drinks I would avoid.
But first an overview of the cold coffee menu:
When it comes to non-espresso beverages, you'll find iced coffee, cold brew and nitro cold brew on the Starbucks cold coffee menu. In those days, Starbucks didn't have cold brew - only pour-over coffee that had been chilled. It seems that Starbucks, like many other coffee shops, leans more toward cold brew (which makes up most of the menu), which offers a smooth, flavorful drink with less acidity and bitterness than traditional iced coffee.
Then we have a series of cold brews with cold foam – a creamy foam that is often flavorsome.
Then we have espresso drinks. Most are pretty obvious, like a frozen Americano,slatsand macchiato. Flat White is usually made with whole milk and an extra shot of espresso. The espresso shake also contains an extra shot of espresso in addition to flavored syrups or powders and milk shakes with ice cream.
Nitro Cold Brew
Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew is pure luxury. Everything you love about a cold brew—such as its smooth and creamy flavor and texture—is maximized with the nitrogen infusion. This creates an extremely fluffy, almost sweet (but sugar-free!) drink with a layer of foam on top.
Compared to regular Starbucks Cold Brew coffee, this coffee has a much lighter texture and taste. The only downside is that it is often sold out.
Iced brown sugar Oat milk Shaken Espresso
Surprisingly, out of all the flavored iced coffee drinks, this one was by far my favorite. Espresso is shaken with oat milk, brown sugar syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon powder. Brown syrup and oat milk complement each other perfectly and create a warm, toasty - albeit iced - drink. Let's just say I hope this one stays on the menu.
Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew
The Oleato line of coffee drinks with olive oil is the latest addition to the Starbucks menu. My favorite was the Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew, which is topped with a cold foam topped with olive oil and lightly sweetened with vanilla syrup.
The only downside is that Oleato drinks are not available in stores nationwide. You can check out my full reviewOlato line here.
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Nitro Cold Brew Vanilla sweet cream
Nitro Cold Brew contains a touch (although this looks more like a splash) of sweet vanilla cream for a delicious, subtly sweet brew. It is also available with a cold brew, which is just as good - but sweeter, as it contains pumps of vanilla syrup. Grande has only 70 calories and 4 grams of sugar, so it's a great option for anyone watching their sugar but still looking for a sweeter drink.
Iced chocolate with almond milk shaken with espresso
I'm anti-sweetened coffee, but still falling in love with these shaken espressos. Like oat milk and brown sugar, almond milk and chocolate just work – that's why chocolate covered almonds exist. Unlike the farin version, this one has no added syrups, but instead the addition of chocolate malt powder. Think chocolate malt, but instead of dairy you get espresso.
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Iced Honey Oatmeal Latte
While I ordered an Iced Honey Almondmilk Flat White, which should have had a shot more espresso than a latte, here's what my bill said - and I can't complain. It's made with Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast, oat milk, honey blend and roasted honey. Honey adds a more complex flavor beyond the classic syrup that just works.
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Iced Caffe Mokka
I thought it would be too sweet, but the bittersweet mocha sauce pairs perfectly with espresso for a balanced, bold drink. No Hershey's syrup here! I didn't get the full flavor until I mixed it, so make sure you mix it well before taking a sip.
Kanel Caramel Cream Nitro Cold Brew
If you like cinnamon and like caramel, but not enough to reach for the Cinnamon Dolce Latte or Caramel Macchiato, try this drink. Nitro Cold brew is sweetened with cinnamon caramel syrup and topped with a cinnamon sweet creamy cold foam and cinnamon dolce sprinkles.
This drink is also available with a cold brew. And even though I ordered the nitro version, it's hard to tell if that's what I received.
Iced Caramel Macchiato
So I've never had a caramel macchiato before. This is cute. It's decadent. It is rich and creamy. With pumps of vanilla syrup and a little caramel on top, the caramel is not overwhelming and is topped with vanilla. But you'll probably be slurping chunks of caramel as you mix your drink. Whether it's good or bad, you can decide.
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Iced Toasts Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso
If you regularly drink a vanilla latte, try a blend of espresso, oat milk and roasted vanilla syrup. While the vanilla flavor isstrong(and a little artificial flavor)I still drank it all.
Dolce Latte with iced cinnamon
With dolce cinnamon syrup, whipped cream (not shown) and dolce cinnamon sprinkles, this latte almost reminded me ofsnickerdoodle cookie. If you like cinnamon, you will love this drink.
Iced American coffee
Do you like the expressive taste of espresso, but want to sip something cold? Iced Caffè Americano is the best choice. Compared to a latte or cappuccino, the Americano also has an extra shot of espresso.
If you fancy something sweet, choose the Iced Shaken Espresso, which contains classic syrup and a splash of milk.
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Drinks that could be better
Cold pistachio cream
Coffee? Pistachios? How can you go wrong? I was excited to try it, but aside from the cold foam on top, there wasn't much pistachio flavor. Even when blended, it was incredibly subtle. I don't want to feel like I'm drinking pistachio, but I want the flavor to be pronounced if I order a drink called Pistachio Cream Cold Brew.
Cold cream with salted caramel
Another drink that I think will work, given the bitterness of the coffee, the sweetness of the caramel, and the saltiness that keeps you coming back for more. But again the salted caramel was not strong enough. A mild flavor can be good in some drinks, but this one just didn't work.
Drinks that completely missed the mark
To each their own, but these drinks were not my favorite.
Iced coffee
Years ago I was a fan of Starbucks unsweetened iced coffee, but now it just tastes bad. Maybe it is because there is no more iced coffee and it is cold brewed. I switched to an everyday cold brew because of its rich, smooth flavor compared to the seemingly more bitter, watered-down iced coffee. That is, if you are someone who finds cold brew to be too strong, or you like to sweeten your coffee, you may be a fan of Starbucks Iced Coffee, as it is sweetened with classic syrup.
Starbucks isblond latte
It just tasted like milk. Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast is much lighter than the signature Starbucks Espresso Roast, to the point where it hides behind the milk flavor. Talk about a light roast! If you don't like the taste of coffee, or maybe you love the taste of milk (I won't judge), this could be your choice.
Allison Arnold
Co-founder of SEO
Allison Arnold is Associate SEO Editor at Delish, where she writes about kitchen gadgets, food and culture. He enjoys working out almost as much as eating and has an accurate Google Maps ranking system for his favorite restaurants and bars. You can see him casting warm glances at the world of food and planning his next trip, all with several cans of seltzer open at once.