Iced coffee? Consider it cancelled. This summer, it’s all about drinks that double as dessert – and Starbucks are leading the way with its new range of Cloud Frappuccinos, out today.
We were the very first to try all three, and we’ll be first in line to order another.
There are three flavours landing in the UK today – Strawberry Matcha, Brown Sugar and Caramel Mocha – but it’s the first that really stands out.
First impression: it’s quite the looker, with a matcha green base, topped with an eye-catching thick layer of pink cold foam. The first sip is pure nostalgia, with a flavour that’s surprisingly close to a McDonald’s strawberry milkshake – sweet, creamy and weirdly familiar. But as you drink, the layers start to shift, giving way to the cloud-like foam on top, where the flavour turns into something closer to raspberry ripple or strawberry jam. Yum!
The Brown Sugar is on the other end of the spectrum – rich, syrupy and seriously sweet, it's one for those who want a full-on dessert in a cup. Meanwhile, the Caramel Mocha sits somewhere in the middle, with a more classic coffee-shop profile but still plenty of sweetness thanks to that foam topping and caramel drizzle.
Starbucks aren’t the only ones to jump on the “dessertification” of drinks. Costa recently launched a Jaffa Cake frappé, while Farmer J is backing hojicha to replace matcha, adding an earthy-sweet hojicha and maple iced latte to its summer menu.
Elsewhere Grind reports pistachio lattes have surged by over 1,500% in the past year, while caramel has seen a 1,300%+ jump in revenue. Even the Spanish latte – already a sweet favourite, made with condensed milk – is up nearly 60% year-on-year. It seems we all want to have our cake and drink it.
It’s not just about taste, either. These drinks are designed to look good. While we were out testing them, we were stopped in the street by someone asking what we were drinking – and where they could get one.
The newly launched Cloud Frappuccinos are priced from £5.60 and are available to Starbucks Rewards members from today (30 April), before rolling out nationwide on 7 May.
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
