I Taste Tested The New Lavender Drinks On The Starbucks Spring Menu—Here's My Honest Review

Meet The 2024 Starbucks Spring Menu

Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte

As I mentioned, lavender in an oat milk latte is unparalleled. The Starbucks spring menu introduced the Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte, which is “smooth Starbucks blonde espresso, creamy oatmilk, ice and the sweet subtly floral notes lavender come together for a latte with a springtime twist.”

Iced Lavender Oatmilk Matcha

I’m a matcha latte fanatic and I love that this bev is on the Starbucks spring menu. I think matcha tastes good with most flavors (peppermint, white mocha, caramel), but lavender takes it to a whole new level!

According to Starbucks, this iced drink is “smooth and creamy matcha served with oatmilk over ice, topped with sweet and subtle floral notes of lavender cream cold foam.”

I love the layered look of this drink – it’s very aesthetically pleasing and is especially fitting for springtime!

Lavender Creme Frappuccino

This next blended drink combines lavender with vanilla syrup, milk, and ice, and by its name, appears to be caffeine-free. Starbucks “creme” Frappuccinos tend to omit the coffee, and this Starbucks spring menu def feels more like dessert.

In fact, people online are comparing the Lavender Creme Frappuccino to the McDonald’s Grimace Shake due to its light purple color... and I don't disagree. I basically coined it as the Grimace Shake 2.0.

“Ain’t no way Starbucks got the grimace shake 💀,” a commenter wrote on Instagram after the Starbucks spring menu leaked.

My Honest Review Of The Starbucks Spring Menu

First up for review, the Lavender Oatmilk Latte. Now that I've tried it (I ordered it hot), I can truly understand the hype of a lavender + espresso combo. The flavor was so tasty alongside the strong espresso, and I think it'd be just as good in the iced version.

The lavender flavor all-around was very subtle, but still very sweet!

The lavender-ness is less detectable in this drink than the Frappuccino, but you can always go stronger by kindly asking your barista for more lavender, which is a powder this go-around (not a syrup like most other Starbucks lattes).

I also tasted the Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha, which is almost cake-like in flavor! Though on the sweeter side, I’d say this bev isn’t as sickly sweet as other Starbucks offerings.

I didn’t taste the lavender in this one as much as I did in the Frappuccino or hot latte, TBH… but as I mentioned, I’m a matcha lover ‘til I die. I could only really taste the lavender when I sipped the cold foam on its own. Yummy nonetheless!

Okay, y'all – the Lavender Creme Frappuccino is my favorite. Upon first taste, I definitely got a mouthful of lavender, but it was honestly more vanilla-y than I expected – a good thing, considering I like sweet drinks!

I appreciate the fact that the lavender in the new Starbucks spring menu drinks isn’t overwhelming like other lavender drinks I’ve tried. It’s more subtle, but still evident with every sip.

What People Are Saying About Starbucks Lavender

Starbucks baristas have been wondering about Starbucks lavender for a while now. On a Reddit thread “begging for lavender syrup” that was posted a year ago, some workers shared their thoughts about the (then-potential) new flavor.

A few were worried about the quality of Starbucks lavender, if it were to come to cafes.

“Frankly I’m not sure I’d trust Starbucks to create a good lavender syrup that wasn’t like drinking perfume,” one user said. “When I worked in 2008 or so we had this honey syrup that was awful. It barely resembled honey in any way.”

Another user was not optimistic about the taste.

“I'm sure even if Sbux did lavender, it would taste awful because they skimped on the R&D, and probably smell like a waxy candle.”

More people online are not only not enthused with the new flavor, but not enthused with Starbucks at all. Many consumers are boycotting the company in lieu of their stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, as well as Starbucks’ distasteful reception of Starbucks Workers United union.

“A ton of local coffee shops make lavender syrup with actual lavender that tastes fantastic,” one Instagram commenter wrote. “I’d go support one of them over getting this”

More Starbucks Goods To Try This Spring

Starbucks also sells ready-to-drink items in stores, and there's a brand-new lineup of sips! Here's what's available:

• NEW! Oatmilk Frappuccino Chilled Coffee Drinks in flavors like Caramel Waffle Cookie and Dark Chocolate Brownie
• NEW! Cold Brew 11 oz cans in flavor like Chocolate Cream, Salted Caramel Cream and Vanilla Sweet Cream
• NEW! Multi-Serve Cold Brew 40 oz bottles in Caramel Cream and Oatmilk Brown Sugar