REVIEW: Starbucks Pecan Oatmilk Cortado

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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.

REVIEW: Starbucks Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso

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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.

REVIEW: Starbucks Frappuccino Lite Coffee Drinks

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Don’t let the flavors of Starbucks’ new Frappuccino Lite Coffee Drinks excite you. Creamy Vanilla Gelato, Double Chocolate Gelato, and Sea Salt Caramel Gelato sound enticing, don’t they? Adding “gelato” will probably force your eyes to do a double take if you pass them on the store shelf. But all it does is create a facade that these coffee drinks have something special about their flavors. I’m here to tell you that they don’t.

What they do have is around half the calories of their non-lite Frappuccino counterparts. All three varieties have 100 calories per bottle and no added sugars. Here’s how the press release describes the gelato-inspired flavors:

  • The Sea Salt Caramel Gelato offers a creamy texture with a luscious caramel taste, complemented by subtle notes of sea salt.
  • The Creamy Vanilla Gelato features a smooth and silky texture with a robust vanilla flavor.
  • The Double Chocolate Gelato boasts a deep, velvety chocolate flavor with a smooth and creamy texture.

Sounds great, right? Well, I hate to break it to you, but these pretty much taste like the Vanilla, Mocha, and Caramel varieties of the regular bottled Starbucks Frappuccinos, except not as sweet or flavorful. As someone familiar with those glass-bottled Frappuccino drinks since they were my gateway drug to other coffee drinks, my taste buds know those flavors well, and I have to say that these have 75 percent of the flavor and sweetness of those. Also, the artificial sweeteners used aren’t noticeable. So I’m happy to say these coffee drinks do “lite” well.

If I have one issue, it’s the same minor one I have with the original Frappuccino coffee drinks, and that’s not having the caffeine content printed anywhere on the bottle. I had to go to the PepsiCo beverage website to look it up. Anyhoo, Double Chocolate has 40 milligrams, Sea Salt Caramel has 60 milligrams, and Vanilla has 55 milligrams.

Honestly, I rarely pick up a bottled Starbucks Frappuccino nowadays because I crave more caffeine than they offer. But I’m sure I’d pick up a Frappuccino Lite over a regular version if I’m desperate for a fix. They taste almost as good as the non-lite versions, and they accomplish that with half the calories and one-third of the sugar.

Purchased Price: $3.29 each
Size: 9.5 fl oz bottles
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10 (all)
Nutrition Facts: Double Chocolate – 100 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 135 milligrams of sodium, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, 7 grams of protein, and 40 milligrams of caffeine. Sea Salt Caramel – 100 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, 7 grams of protein, and 60 milligrams of caffeine. Vanilla – 100 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, 6 grams of protein, and 55 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Starbucks Canned Iced Energy Sparkling Energy Drinks

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Here we go with Starbucks entering the energy drink market again with its canned Iced Energy Sparkling Energy Drinks. Remember Starbucks BAYA? You don’t? Come on, it came out three years ago and lasted maybe two years before being discontinued. How could you not remember BAYA? It’s the best energy drink name to say ever. Okay, I liked saying Cocaine, so it may be the second-best energy drink name to pronounce ever.

Anyhoo, BAYA is bye-bye, so we’re stuck with this canned version of the Iced Energy Beverages that Starbucks serves up in its stores but doesn’t come in any of the flavors offered in stores. They come in skinny 12-fluid-ounce cans and three flavors — Blueberry Lemonade, Watermelon Twist, and Tropical Peach. Unfortunately, I could only procure the first two, so maybe the last one is a myth. All flavors, real and mythical, have zero sugar and 160 milligrams of caffeine per can.

What disappointed me about Starbucks’ BAYA Energy was how mild the flavors were when compared to the big guns in the energy drink market. These new energy drinks have a slightly stronger fruitiness but still don’t pop like Monster and Rockstar’s zero sugar offerings.

The Blueberry Lemonade one has a decent, mild berry flavor with a hint of tart lemonade. But sometimes that lemonade gets really weird on the backend. It’s a slightly off-putting twist that, I swear, kind of brings to my mind moldy bread. However, it’s so mild that I drank the entire can without gagging like I do when I actually accidentally bite into moldy bread (it’s happened to me multiple times at this point in my life).

While Blueberry Lemonade had a twist, the variety with the word “Twist” in its name didn’t have one. Watermelon is the main taste here, and I assume the “twist” is supposed to be the lime, but I don’t notice it. Instead, I only get a watermelon taste that reminds me of a less sweet and flavorful Jolly Rancher. If I had to choose between the two varieties, I’d pick this one, but it’s not by a wide margin.

Starbucks’ Canned Iced Energy Sparkling Energy Drinks are okay. While it has 160 milligrams of caffeine from green coffee extract and electrolytes from salt, it doesn’t offer the flavor intensity to convince me to choose it over other energy drink brands. I wouldn’t be surprised if we also have to say bye-bye to it two years from now.

Purchased Price: $2.79
Size: 12 fl oz cans
Purchased at: Times Supermarket
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 5 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 35 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, 0 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Starbucks Jalapeno Chicken Pocket

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Starbucks’ Jalapeño Chicken Pocket fits in most pockets, and its shape makes me want to stick it in a toaster like a Pop-Tart.

This edible pocket features a toasted chile lavash flatbread wrapped and stuffed with a peppery party of parts: diced chicken, charred poblanos, green jalapeños, three-chile-pepper cheese, and jalapeño cream cheese.

Now, before you get excited about the number of fiery-sounding ingredients, let me tell you that the heat here is weak. There’s an ever-so-slight kick from the jalapeño, which is about as warm as the side of the pillow you just lifted your head from after a night’s sleep. If you were hoping to jumpstart your morning with a jolt from Starbucks coffee and a spicy pocket, you’d have to rely on the caffeine alone.

However, the peppers contribute a lot to the flavor. The oozy filling kind of reminds me of a pepper jack sauce but without much of the sharpness. Floating in that peppery ooze are tender chicken pieces and occasional pepper bits. The soft chile lavash flatbread was easy to bite through but didn’t have a significant flavor on its own, which I had an opportunity to taste on its own because one end of the pocket had almost half an inch of just the flatbread with no filling. Overall, it’s an enjoyable cheesy and peppery flavor, but I wouldn’t say I liked it more than Dunkin’s Green Goddess Wrap, which had a more unique taste.

While I found it tasty, I was unimpressed with its size. The photo above makes it look larger and thicker than it actually is. I forgot to measure it, but I think it was about 3.5 inches wide. That could be excused if it was as thick as the previously mentioned Dunkin’ offering, but it’s about half as plump. At four bucks, it seems pricey for what you’re getting, and I don’t think it would be filling unless paired with a Grande-sized coffee. I checked Starbucks prices in other states, and they are consistent. If it were a dollar cheaper, I could genuinely recommend it.

While it has a pleasant flavor, I wouldn’t repurchase this unless Starbucks drops its price or starts inflating its size.

Purchased Price: $3.95
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 200 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 460 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 11 grams of protein.

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