They say April showers bring May flowers, but Starbucks is making March an early bloomer.
On March 7, Starbucks announced the arrival of its spring menu, introducing two new beverages that feature lavender flavoring for the first time in the U.S.: the Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha and Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte.
Since the drinks’ release, people have shared their very strong (and divided) opinions on social media — some love ’em, some hate ’em. Read on for reviews.
Starbucks’ spring menu
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox.> Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha
This new drink features matcha served with oat milk over ice, topped with the “sweet and subtle floral notes” of lavender cream cold foam, says the company.
Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte
The Scene
This new drink features Starbucks Blonde Espresso, oat milk, ice and, again, the “sweet and subtle floral notes” of lavender.
Both drinks are available in Starbucks stores across the country for a limited time, while supplies last.
How do the drinks taste?
A few TODAY.com staffers sampled the new beverages, and the consensus was that both drinks had a “very subtle” and “not too overpowering” lavender flavor.
“I’m usually not a sweet coffee person, but this isn’t that sweet,” one person said about the Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte. “It kind of reminds me of something that I would get for like an afternoon walk.”
But Dylan Dreyer had a very different review when she tried it on TODAY March 7. “This states like a jar of perfume,” she said.
About the Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha, a TODAY staffer said, “I would definitely order it specifically to take a photo of it.”
“You can taste both the matcha and the lavender separately, but then when you get deeper down in the foam, you can taste them both,” someone else said about the same drink.
On TODAY, Sheinelle Jones, Laura Jarrett and Brian Cheung all agreed that they liked the matcha drink. “We say yes,” said Sheinelle.
Dylan, on the other hand, said, “I just want a cup of coffee.”
Social media reactions
On social media, people are either “OBSESSED” with the drinks or find them “DISGUSTING.” As the all-caps indicate, there are a lot of strong feelings.
On the positive side, one person said the matcha drink was the “Best drink (they’ve) ever had no lie,” especially after adding “a 1/2 pump of vanilla.”
Someone else wrote that they “like the pairing of lavender & matcha” and that it “tastes like a creamsicle.”
Another person said the drinks taste like “spring in a cup” and offered a “pro tip” that customers “can add lavender to ANY drink.”
On the negative side, one person wrote that they were “very disappointed” in the way the matcha drink looks, posting a photo of a drink without any visible lavender foam on top.
Someone else said they “want to talk to who approved the lavender latte from Starbucks” because it is “the most (foul) tasting drink (they’ve) ever had.”
Another person had a similar review to Dylan’s, saying that the latte “tastes like dish soap.”
One thing many X users seemed to agree on was that the Lavender Crème Frappuccino, a new blended drink that combines lavender with vanilla syrup, milk and ice, tastes like Fruity Pebbles and looks a lot like the viral Grimace Shake from last summer.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
