Add This Cozy Flavor To Your Starbucks Matcha Latte For A Cold-Weather Twist

Starbucks ordering tips for the best matcha latte include adding sweeteners and add-ins, but one customization has fans of sweeter drinks changing up their order. Asking baristas to use vanilla bean powder to make a warm matcha latte is a barista-recommended approach, as the ingredient adds a subtle sweetness to the creamy drink and lets the flavor of matcha take center stage.

Instead of the usual three scoops of matcha powder, customers are asking for two and adding one scoop of vanilla bean powder. The sweetened powder is made with sugar, natural flavoring, and specks of dried vanilla bean. Some have used vanilla bean powder when a Starbucks location is out of both Vanilla Cold Foam and Vanilla Syrup. On Reddit, the powder has been likened to Vanilla Sugar, an ingredient associated with Vanilla Bean Frappuccinos. Redditors have tried adding the vanilla bean powder to steamed milk, and those who have tasted it in matcha lattes highly recommend it.

Vanilla bean powder can be added to other Starbucks drinks, though baristas have advised using it strictly with hot drinks for an even blend. "The few times I've put it in cold (unshaken) drinks, it just clumps together and looks like slime in the bottom of the cup," wrote one user on Reddit. 

Though commenters on a different Reddit thread have described the powder as particularly sweet, others emphasize the importance of specifying how many scoops should be added to an order to get a drink that suits their taste. Sweetness can be adjusted with honey or a sugar substitute like Splenda or Stevia. Coconut milk adds creaminess, and pumps of sugar-free vanilla give an extra boost of sweetness to a matcha latte order. Those who want to experiment at home can make their own vanilla bean powder with sugar and vanilla bean caviar, but the convenience of a Starbucks order is tough to beat. For a warm drink on cold days, this is the one to try.