Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Dubai chocolate. It’s a thick chocolate with pistachio cream, tahini, and shredded phyllo pastry. It went viral over the last few years, and now Starbucks has jumped on the bandwagon to capitalize on the flavor and the popularity.

Starbucks introduced the Iced Dubai Chocolate Mocha and, wow, is this thing a treat. I felt like I was drinking a decadent dessert – in a good way – rather than a morning coffee.

The first thing to note is that there is A LOT going on here. You’ve got your espresso and mocha sauce, standard of any Starbucks mocha drink, but then you add in pistachio cream cold foam and what Starbucks calls a “Salted Brown-Buttery Topping.” I wasn’t sure how everything would mesh, but it proved to be a winner.

This drink is much creamier and thicker than a usual mocha. It almost feels like you’re getting a mouthfeel of a bite of chocolate. The pistachio cream cold foam stayed very intact and worked its way naturally into the drink like a dream. I’ll admit that I don’t feel the topping on the cold foam added much of its own flavor, but again, lots of meshing together here. I’m glad Starbucks went iced with this drink – I’m not sure the flavors would have had the same effect in a hot version.

You have to know up front that you’re getting a ton of sugar and even sodium here, but I was pleasantly surprised to see it had nine grams of protein.

I’ll definitely get this one again and might even consider it as a dessert by swapping the espresso shot for decaf if it’s later in the evening.

Purchased Price: $5.95
Size: Tall
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 330 calories, 15 grams of total fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 38 grams of total sugars, 9 grams of protein, and 80 milligrams of caffeine.

If there’s something more highly anticipated than the Starbucks bear tumbler (too soon??), it’s the eggnog-flavored beverages. The last time we saw eggnog at Starbucks was in 2020, and for some, that was a long five years. Along with the iced or hot latte, there’s now an Eggnog Cream Cold Foam that can be mixed and matched with other drinks to your liking.

I decided that the best drink to pair with the Eggnog Cream Cold Foam was a standard cold brew. I wanted the cold foam to shine and have a blank canvas for me to work with.

Well, let me tell you, folks, if you want eggnog, stick to the lattes. I was so excited… and then very disappointed.

The cold foam’s flavor was good on its own. If you gave me a cup of that and a spoon, I think I’d kick my rating up a couple of notches. I appreciated the slightest sweetness and how it made the cold brew creamier. However, the flavor died just as quickly as the cold foam dissolved into the drink. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the cold foam dissipate as quickly as this one. Within 10 minutes, it was completely gone from the top. And the eggnog flavor I got while it was alone did not come through once it disappeared. Perhaps the cold brew was too strong, overpowering the foam’s flavor? I’m honestly still willing to give this one another shot, and a regular iced coffee with it might be on the horizon…

I could also see this working if you wanted to jazz up a vanilla latte and didn’t want the full eggnog flavor – just the cold foam. But if you do try, just be prepared that it might not live up to the flavor potential.

Purchased Price: $5.50 ($4.25 for a tall cold brew + $1.25 for the Eggnog Cream Cold Foam)
Size: Tall
Purchased at: Starbucks
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: No nutrition numbers available for cold foam.

Do you know those math problems where you try to figure out how many combinations or possibilities something has? I feel like the new Starbucks protein options are the real-life version. Between the protein-boosted milk or protein cold foam that you can add to any beverage, the combos are endless. There’s also a protein menu already created if the thought of that gives you drink paralysis.

I opted to choose from the protein menu, going for the Iced Sugar Free Vanilla Protein Latte with the vanilla protein cold foam added. (Note that adding the cold foam is an additional $2, and if you want the protein-boosted milk, it’ll cost you $1 extra.) I oftentimes order an iced non-fat vanilla latte, so I thought this would be a great comparison.

Let’s start with my most important takeaway. I really didn’t notice too much difference between this drink and a non-protein version. The protein is really a behind-the-scenes effect. The protein-boosted milk can give you up to 36 grams in a grande, and the cold foam can provide 15 grams.

The one thing I did observe is that the protein powder did make the drink a little thicker and creamier – in a good way. The cold foam stayed intact much longer than it usually would, which I think is a win. The cold foam also had a nice, strong vanilla flavor. For those wondering if you can taste the protein powder, I did not. No noticeable taste difference (and I have tried protein powders before that DO make something taste strongly like it!).

All in all, if added protein is necessary for your diet or workout goals, this is a nice option. But otherwise, for me, it was kind of “meh.” I liked the drink itself, but it wasn’t life-changing. I can see myself getting one of these to help recover after a long run, but it won’t be a common occurrence.

Purchased Price: $6.75
Size: Grande
Purchased at: Starbucks
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (iced latte only): 200 calories, 4 grams of total fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 gram of dietary fiber, 9 grams of total sugars, 29 grams of protein and 150 milligrams of caffeine.

Ask any of my colleagues, they can vouch for me: While the official first day of fall is the day Starbucks releases its PSL and other fall menu items, I definitely bragged about a new beverage around the water cooler.

After introducing the Cortado at the start of the year, Starbucks has a new variation just in time for sweater weather. It’s the Pecan Oatmilk Cortado, and it features three shots of ristretto blonde espresso, oatmilk, pecan syrup, and pecan crunch topping.

Let’s cut to the chase. This thing is delicious. For starters—and for something that has nothing to do with the flavor—the 8-ounce size remains absolutely adorable. The original Cortado had whole milk as its standard, but now that I’ve had it with oatmilk, I am not going back.

The flavor here is smooth, creamy, and definitely nutty. The Pecan Syrup has a very authentic flavor, and when paired with the oatmilk, it’s the perfect combination. I find the syrup to be the perfect amount of sweet, and would recommend sticking with the two pumps included rather than customizing and adding more. The flavor held up over time (I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… I’m a notoriously slow coffee drinker, but it really helps when evaluating things such as how flavor holds up!). And the short size is truly perfect here. It packs just enough of a punch to kickstart your day and get you ready for those cooler temperatures on the horizon.

I’m knocking it down a point due to the lack of visible pecan crunch topping. It might have sunk into the drink, but you couldn’t see anything with the naked eye.

Despite the lack of topping, this is an amazing drink here. I’ve been super pleased with the Starbucks Cortados, and I’m crossing my fingers for more options in the future!

Purchased Price: $4.95
Size: Short
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 120 calories, 3.5 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 13 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of protein, and 230 milligrams of caffeine.

Horchata is such a fun word, isn’t it? It makes me want to do a little dance, as does the newest drink on the Starbucks summer menu: the Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso. It’s been a while since Starbucks had horchata in the lineup – long ago, there was a Horchata Almondmilk Frappuccino – and this one does not disappoint.

This drink takes shots of the Starbucks Blonde Espresso (two for a tall, three for a grande, and four for a venti) and has horchata syrup. These ingredients are shaken over ice and combined with oatmilk.

What is horchata, you might ask? With origins in Mexico, it’s a drink made with rice, vanilla, and cinnamon flavors. And let me tell you, the cinnamon is definitely the star of the show. You know when you get a coffee with milk or cream and you can just tell by looking at the color that it’ll be perfect? Yep, this was it for me. I was impressed with how creamy this was, and the cinnamon was perfect – not too strong and not too faint. I think the oatmilk really helped balance out the flavors. And if you’re worried about the rice-flavored aspect here, never fear. It’s totally masked by the rest of the drink.

I also like to rate drinks based on how the flavor holds up as I slowly drink them (I’ve mentioned in my reviews before how I can really milk an iced drink), and I’m pleased to share that this one did the trick. The horchata, oatmilk, and espresso were there to the last drop.

I have to say – this drink didn’t feel any more special than anything Starbucks has recently released, but nonetheless, I really enjoyed it. It was refreshing, gave me the caffeine I needed to get through the day, and made a standard shaken espresso a little more exciting. I will definitely order it again!

Purchased Price: $5.65
Size: Tall
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 100 calories, 3.5 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 8 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of protein, and 170 milligrams of caffeine.