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It also embraced its complicated drink reputation, and a few of these famous Starbucks beverages have risen above the rest. From coffee classics and Frappuccinos to multi-ingredient tea lattes, here are the most popular Starbucks drinks, ranked worst to best. With a few exceptions, the base of chai is a black tea. There are many variations of black tea, but Assam is the most common in chai, as it has a strong, full-bodied flavor. You’ll use a black tea concentrate in this recipe, but just in case you want to make it from scratch, here are the five spices that make-up chai. Pumpkin Spice – When the fall weather hits, we love to add some pumpkin spice to the mix.
It's night and day compared to another Starbucks green tea drink, the Matcha Crème Frappuccino, which includes 420 calories and 61 grams of sugar for the grande. The Irish Cream Cold Brew was released in 2019, as part of Starbucks' holiday menu. This drink is a cold brew with two Irish cream syrup pumps, Irish cream foam, and a little cocoa powder, perStarbucks. It's less sweet and more mild than some of the chain's other winter offerings.
Secret Menu Chai Drinks
But the truth is, this drink can sometimes be a little mild. But it's not always the punch of seasonal flavor that you want in a Starbucks drink. For that reason, it's below the following options.
"They just want the tea with all the masalas . They like the original flavor that is there." Our founder headed for the Himalayas in search of inspiration. She found chai-and was the very first to bring it back to the United States. Here at Oregon Chai, we believe in using organic and 100% natural ingredients whenever humanly possible.
Peppermint Mocha
Historically, an Americano has always been simple. It's just espresso that's been diluted with water. According to Enjoy Java, it's so-named for the American soldiers that invented the drink during WWII when the taste of Italian espresso was too strong for them, and they watered it down. Starbucks' Caffè Americano is made pretty much the same way, with two shots of espresso and water. Your favourite coffee shop has something to appease your tea loving friends too. From the classic chai latte to the refreshing Peach green tea lemonade.
What other entries on this list have their own acronym? Also, the PSL is even more historic than some may know. It's almost as old as the Peppermint Mocha, as it was released the following year in 2003. It's the most popular holiday drink of any season and over 200 million cups of it have been sold, according to Adweek. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is probably the most-memed drink on this entire list. "Basic" jokes are most often targeted at its drinkers, but critics of the Pumpkin Spice Latte surely have never tasted it before.
Iced Chai Tea Latte with Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam
In our books, a true tea brand will carry tea in a variety of formats, including tea bags, the aforementioned loose-leaf, and even iced tea to provide ultimate access to us as tea lovers. This said, even though the company only carries loose-leaf teas, Upton Tea does, in fact, offer a huge variety of tea. Looking at its selection available for purchase online, you're left with the urge to try all the delicious Upton Tea flavors. However, because the company does not offer other forms of tea, we've decided to put Upton Tea in the bottom portion of our list. Another sweet treat from Starbucks is the Cinnamon Dolce Latte. And this drink is bound to give a serious sugar rush — don't say we didn't warn you.
Just beware, the concentrate still has plenty of sugar in it. In case you’re wondering, a grande iced chai latte is 25% concentrate and 75% milk, plus ice. If you ever wondered how to make iced chai latte taste like your beloved Starbucks drink, I’ll give you a few insider tips. Add a bit of hot water and stir until the matcha becomes a smooth paste. Tencha refers to green tea leaves that have not yet been ground into fine powder as matcha, as the leaves are instead left to dry rather than be kneaded. Tencha leaves are half the weight of other tea leaves such as sencha and gyokuro so most tencha brews require double the number of leaves.
To order this Star Wars-inspired drink ask for a matcha green tea Frappuccino with caramel drizzle on the cup. Order it with whipped cream, more caramel syrup and caramel crunch topping. It’s a sweet drink that’ll have your friends feeling green with envy. Banish the Nargles with this Refresher that’s as quirky as Luna! Order a Venti Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade, then ask for light kiwi base and light strawberry puree. Top it off with with vanilla sweet cream cold foam with more strawberry puree blended in for a truly magical drink.
I had a costly obsession with a Starbucks chai latte. In an effort to lower expenses, I decided to experiment with making a chai latte at home. To help you compare the cost of making a chai latte at home to Starbucks, here are their approximate prices.
Ask for a dusting of cinnamon powder or seasonally available toppings like cinnamon dolce sprinkles or pumpkin spice topping. The bottles of spices may seem costly at first, but per cup your chai latte will be way cheaper than getting it at a coffee shop. Alternatively, you can make a concentrate with a masala chai loose leaf tea blend or chai tea bags. I did a side-by-side comparison of Tazo chai latte black tea concentrate to Starbucks. Now that you know the basics of masala chai, let me show you exactly how Starbucks makes an iced chai latte.
Order up a Venti Blended Lemonade, and make sure you ask for the drink to be blended on the smoothie setting. Buy a bottle of orange juice from the Grab and Go section and ask them to blend about half the bottle in. Add 2 pumps of vanilla syrup, 2 pumps of classic syrup, top off with vanilla cold foam—and voila! After 5 minutes, turn the heat back on and add the black tea bags and maple syrup.
Here’s another way to enjoy a creamy sip of vanilla, chai and matcha. And when it’s available, salted brown sugar topping is the finishing touch. Here’s a simple way to customize a chai latte with a touch of vanilla and even more sweetness. In fact, I’m surprised Starbucks doesn’t elevate this “secret drink” to regular fall menu status.
In addition to its bottled varieties, Argo sells loose-leaf teas directly to consumers on its website. The simplicity of the hot beverage is particularly comforting. While it's ideal for the fall season, it's an easy order any time of the year. No wonder it's one of the best hot drinks at Starbucks. The Honey Almondmilk Flat White at Starbucks is big on that sweet, nutty flavor, thanks to being made with almond milk plus a honey blend sweetener. Starbucks, for obvious reasons, uses its espresso roast to make this hot drink, offering signature caramel notes in every sip.
