With each new season, Starbucks is always quick to come out with new drinks and flavors in honor of the coming months. With Spring in full swing, the coffee shop has recently released an array of spring/summer beverages on its menu. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to try out some of these new items to see what all of the hype was about. 

The drinks that I tried were the Iced Cherry Chai, the Iced Lavender Cream Oat Milk Matcha, Iced Lavender Latte, and the Blackberry Sage Lemonade Refresher. These items can be found at any Starbucks location, but I chose to go to the one on 47th and Gilbert. 

I was most intrigued by the Iced Cherry Chai Latte ($5.95), so I decided to try that one first. I ordered the grande size for all of the beverages since that is typically what I order for all drinks from Starbucks. When I received the chai, I noticed that the cold foam was a light pink color and had sprinkle-like fleas scattered around the top. When I took a sip, I immediately was delighted by how well the cherry flavored colad foam mixed with the chai. Before trying the drink, I thought cherry and chai would be too sweet of a combination, but it ended up not being at all. I enjoyed that I could taste all flavors of the drink with each sip, and would definitely order this again.

I then proceeded to try the Iced Lavender Cream Oat Milk Latte ($5.95). I had high hopes for this drink, but was wildly disappointed. The drink presented itself as a typical latte, with no hints of purple or lavender in any way when looking at it. When I took a sip, I was met with a soap-like taste, as the lavender was way too overpowering. Because coffee is already a very strong beverage, mixing it with lavender, which is also a strong flavor, did not go well. I tried mixing it up, in case my first sip had a larger concentration of lavender than the rest, but was again disappointed with the bitter taste of the overpowering lavender. I would not recommend ordering this drink.

Next, I tried the Iced Lavender Cream Oat Milk Matcha ($5.95). I did not have high hopes for this drink since the lavender with the coffee had been so unappetizing. My first impression of the drink was that it was appealing to the eye, as it was the typical green matcha color and had a pale purple cold foam on the top of it. When I tried it, I noticed the flavors actually worked very well together. The drink was neither too sweet nor too bitter and did not have a soapy-like taste. This was definitely one of my favorites that I tried.

Lastly, I ordered the Blackberry Sage Lemonade Refresher ($5.95). I really enjoy Starbucks’ Strawberry Acai refresher, so I was very excited when they came out with a new flavor. The drink itself seemed appetizing. It was a purple color and had various berry inclusions such as blackberries and raspberries. When I tried it, I noticed that it was a bit too bitter for my liking. In my opinion, it tasted more like an iced tea rather than a refresher, which was slightly disappointing. If you are someone who likes beverages that aren’t very sweet, then this could be a good drink for you to try.

My favorite drink was definitely the Iced Cherry Chai, so I would highly recommend getting that. These beverages are expected to stay throughout the month of June, so definitely go try them out at any Starbucks location near you.