The groundhog did its thing last month, and it looks like we’re on track for an early spring. That means warmer weather, softer skin, Call Me By Your Name vibes, and languorous afternoons reading books in the shade are just around the corner.
As usual, the turn of the season also signifies a new update to the Starbucks menu. This winter, we got some cute tumblers for Valentine’s Day, the return of the cozy Smoked Butterscotch Latte, and a trio of dairy-free alternatives that included oat milk. Now, for spring, Starbucks is adding two literal gems to the dairy-free lineup with the Iced Pineapple Matcha drink and the Iced Golden Ginger drink. They’re two spring-colored beverages, served on ice, with an impressive subtlety of flavor and coconut milk for a fully-vegan experience.
The new drinks are unlike anything Starbucks has ever offered before. They are bright green and golden yellow, but the flavor isn’t as in-your-face. The Iced Pineapple Matcha is a good introduction for those scared of matcha. Pineapple flavor can often taste artificial and overpowering, but it’s dwarfed by matcha and evened out by the ginger to make for a very cool and refreshing drink.
The Iced Golden Ginger drink also has ginger and pineapple, which serve to kind of chill out the turmeric, a popular ingredient among health nuts that’s best known for being bright yellow and intensely-flavored.
Starbucks isn’t scared of trends, and in fact, it will lean into whatever works. The company still feels confident iced drinks are the future, following up December’s Irish Cream Cold Brew with a new Nitro Cold Brew with Salted Honey Cold Foam. This new offering consists of the same nitro cold brew and cream combo that is now a staple on Starbucks’ menu, with a salty-sweet stripe of toasted honey.
In time for spring, the food offerings at Starbucks just got a refresh too. Following the resounding success of the sous-vide egg bites, a bigger, more filling yet equally delicious and nutritious food item has joined the menu: breakfast wraps. These aren’t snacks, they’re full-on meals. Yes, the Bacon Sausage Egg Wrap is the trendier option because it includes sous-vide potatoes — if you hadn’t noticed, if it was cooked sous-vide, Starbucks will tell you. But the real star is the Southwest Veggie Wrap, fully vegetarian and just the right level of spicy. These wraps, along with the other new spring menu items, are available at Starbucks, in stores now.
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