Spring is in the air, and Starbucks is embracing the colorful change by adding lavender flavored drinks to their menu. The powerful floral flavor mixed with the sweet notes of vanilla pair together to make the perfect drinks.

This is the latest addition to the long line of previous seasonal drinks on the Starbucks menu to draw in new customers and more profit.  

Two new drinks were added to the Starbucks menu on March 7th. The drinks are a Lavender Oat Milk Latte and an Iced Lavender Cream Oat Milk Matcha.

Then on March 16th, Starbucks introduced 2 new variations of the lavender drinks, a Lavender Creme Frappuccino and an Iced Chai with Lavender Cream Cold Foam. 

The idea for the lavender drinks came about when a team of lead beverage developers took a trip to a lavender farm in Washington state and became inspired by the colors and scents that were around them.

The aroma of lavender was the first thing that I noticed about the drinks. 

When I tasted the drinks, the intensity of the lavender varied from drink to drink with the Lavender Creme Frappuccino having the strongest taste of lavender. This is due to the drink’s only other ingredients being a creme base, vanilla syrup, ice and milk.

The Lavender Oat Milk Latte had very subtle notes of lavender. It wasn’t too overpowering or too underwhelming. The latte has the perfect ratio of lavender to make the drink very enjoyable.

Allison Arnold of the website ‘Delish’ stated, “I expected this to be overly sweet, but it was surprisingly balanced.” I would agree with this statement as the coffee helps with balancing the strong floral flavor of the lavender.

The only downfall to the latte was that the lavender powder was not completely mixed into the drink. The powder was still visible on the bottom of the cup. Because of that, the first sip didn’t have much of a lavender flavor until I properly mixed the rest of the flavor in. 

If you like a more earthy flavor, the Lavender Cream Oat Milk Matcha would be for you. The strong grassy flavor of the matcha paired with the lighter flavored lavender cream cold foam creates a zen-like experience. 

Jules Miller of the ‘Food Network’ stated, “The lavender cream cold foam neutralizes the matcha a bit, making for a creamy and sweet sip.” I would have to agree with that statement because the lavender flavor helps with giving off a lighter feel to the drink.

Ultimately, the new addition of lavender drinks to the Starbucks menu is the perfect way to welcome in the spring season, showing that brighter and more flavorful days are ahead.