15 Starbucks Drinks You Should Think Twice About Before Ordering

When ordering off a menu, especially at a place like Starbucks, it's often hard to know if the drink that you'll eventually pick up at the bar will be one that you genuinely enjoy. The dilemma is there's only so much you can do to research and decide whether a particular drink will suit your taste. This uncertainty can be particularly daunting considering the premium prices of Starbucks drinks, making each choice feel like quite the gamble.

Keeping this in mind, we think several drinks on the Starbucks menu warrant a second thought before you place your order. From our experience, some of these options just don't meet our flavor expectations — they're too bland, too sweet, or just not as satisfying as they sound. Others might be quite different from what you were expecting, whether in terms of taste, texture, or temperature. Of course, there are also drinks with significantly better alternatives available on the menu.

Most cold brew options at Starbucks feature cold foam on top, a delightful blend of milk and flavorings that taste akin to ultra-sweet ice cream atop your cold brew. It's, admittedly, one of our absolute favorite parts of the drink.

When considering a Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew, you might assume it also has cold foam on top. However, this particular drink does not include cold foam. Instead, the vanilla cream is poured directly into the cold brew itself. While still quite tasty, it might not meet your expectations if you're specifically looking for a drink with cold foam on top of the coffee. Of course, you can customize it by adding vanilla cold foam on top, but be aware that this will incur an additional charge. If you're hoping for that cold foam experience, we recommend exploring the menu's other cold brew options.

It's not uncommon for baristas to be met with looks of confusion when handing drinks to customers. There's perhaps no drink more prone to this than the cappuccino. Very often, when someone orders a cappuccino, they are not actually seeking a traditional drink made with espresso, steamed milk, and foam. Rather, they are expecting a frosty, frozen drink with flavoring, milk, and coffee. This confusion arises because they often mistake a cappuccino for a Frappuccino, ordering the former simply because the term is more familiar to them.

This misinterpretation is further exacerbated by the use of cappuccino in some other coffee shops or even gas stations, where a cappuccino is more akin to a milkshake than the traditional espresso-based drink. In these places, a cappuccino is a sweet, frothy, and often frozen blend, quite different from the classic espresso and milk-centered cappuccino. If you're looking for that chilly, dessert-like beverage, it's best to order a Frappuccino or another similar blended drink.

We are huge fans of apple-flavored treats, so the launch of Starbucks' Iced Apple Crisp Oat Milk Macchiato instantly caught our attention. However, this drink doesn't quite hit the mark. The mix of coffee and apple flavors presents an odd combination that doesn't blend well. Additionally, the drink lacks distinctiveness in its flavors. The apple element is surprisingly muted, failing to deliver that crisp, fruity punch you expect. The oat milk introduces a flavor that seems out of sync with the rest of the beverage.

In comparison to other seasonal offerings, the Apple Crisp Macchiato falls short, especially when placed alongside Starbucks' pumpkin spice selections, which are perennial favorites. These pumpkin spice options seem to capture the essence of the season far more effectively. We find ourselves less inclined toward the apple crisp range that Starbucks offers, and for the time being, when the craving for an apple-flavored drink at Starbucks arises, we'll stick to the familiar and much-loved caramel apple spice.

You might be surprised to learn that Starbucks offers blended lemonades, a lesser-known option compared to those widely popular Frappuccinos. While we often hear about the latest blended coffee drinks, blended lemonades tend to fly under the radar. However, they do exist and can be a refreshing choice. That said, one significant issue with these blended lemonades is they often separate quite easily. After sitting for just a few minutes, you'll likely notice this separation starting to occur, which can affect the drink's texture and taste.

If you're craving lemonade at Starbucks but want to avoid this issue, we recommend trying the passion tea lemonade or mango dragonfruit lemonade. These drinks won't be frozen, so you won't have to worry about any separation. Moreover, each offers a delightful combination of sweet and fruity flavors, satisfying that craving for a sweet lemonade. These iced lemonades strike a perfect balance, providing a refreshing and flavorful alternative to blended lemonades without the drawback of separation. 

When it comes to basic chai drinks at Starbucks, you essentially have two choices: the chai tea and the chai tea latte. The chai tea is relatively straightforward; baristas steep chai tea bags in hot water to prepare it. On the other hand, a chai tea latte is more complex. It's a blend of chai tea concentrate, water, and steamed milk. Many chai tea lovers order their lattes without the added water, which can dilute the drink's robust flavor.

The reason we suggest giving a second thought when considering a chai tea is primarily due to taste. Simply put, the chai tea latte offers a richer and more satisfying experience compared to the regular chai tea. The latte's combination of spices from the chai concentrate with the creaminess of the steamed milk creates a more delightful balance of flavors and textures.

For those looking to elevate their chai tea latte experience further, we heartily recommend adding a shot of espresso to create what's known as a dirty chai. This addition infuses the drink with a robust coffee flavor, making it one of our favorite secret menu tea drinks.

Flat whites are known for their deliciously smooth texture, and while the regular flat white at Starbucks is a treat, the Honey Almond Milk Flat White doesn't quite hit those same high notes. This variation includes a honey flavor, but instead of using actual honey, baristas use a honey-flavored syrup in this one. This syrup mimics the flavor of honey, but only in taste, not in texture or richness.

The honey syrup used in this drink is relatively thin, designed to mix easily with the coffee and milk. However, the drink would greatly benefit from using real honey, which could add a more authentic, rich flavor and a slightly thicker consistency that complements the coffee better.

Additionally, the overall texture of the Honey Almond Milk Flat White feels a bit lighter than what you would expect from a traditional flat white. This is likely due to the combination of the thin syrup and the almond milk, which is less creamy than whole milk used in regular flat whites.

If you're a fan of cold brew, Starbucks offers a variety of options, each with its own unique appeal. Among these, the salted caramel cold brew is our favorite, and the Irish cream cold brew is also quite exceptional when available. However, our feelings are mixed when it comes to the chocolate cream cold brew. The main issue with this one lies with the cold foam topping.

If you love chocolate, this may seem like a delicious option, but before ordering, note that this one isn't all it's cracked up to be. While we generally appreciate cold foam for its sweetness, which often adds a creamy, whipped cream-like quality to the drink, the cold foam on the chocolate cream cold brew doesn't hit the same mark. It lacks the sweetness we enjoy, which is a significant drawback. This absence of sweetness and super-rich chocolate flavor results in the drink missing what typically characterizes a well-crafted cold foam beverage.