Starbucks Reserve

I've reviewed Starbucks many times before, including the sandwiches, pastries, and even the yogurt, and of course, the drinks, including new and seasonal beverages, and frappucinos.

But, not all Starbucks are created equal.  And I'm not just talking about larger stores with slightly expanded offerings, or locations with more talented baristas.  I mean, entirely different concepts, such as, Starbucks Reserve.

"Starbucks Reserve is the complete and total commitment to the immersive experience of coffee craft and the ongoing pursuit of the world’s rarest, most exalted, most sought-after small-lot coffees."

They really do offer a far premium experience.

Starbucks Reserve only has a handful of locations, in major cities around the world: Shanghai, Milan, Tokyo ... and of course Seattle, New York, and, San Francisco!  My visit was to the San Francisco location, which opened in 2018, just a few blocks from my house.

The Setting

"Apart from the full-scale theatricality of the Starbucks Reserve™ Roasteries, our bars offer a more intimate small-lot coffee experience. These are the perfect places to pick up Starbucks Reserve™ whole bean coffee, enjoy a handcrafted Starbucks Reserve™ beverage and chat with a barista about all things coffee."

Bar Seating and Ordering.

The entire front of the store has different ordering stations and bars, with one area dedicated to hand crafted drinks, another to the espresso machine, another to cold brews, another to infusions, and so on.

You can see real glassware lined up in the back. Yes, glassware, at Starbucks, for dine-in service.

Huge Interior.

The SF location is really quite large and spacious feeling.  The high ceilings add to the feel dramatically.  Everything is beautifully designed and decorated.

Light Filled.

The space really is inviting, so much light, huge wall of all glass windows.

Reserve Branded Merchandise.

You can even pick up special Reserve branded mugs, etc, plus the Reserve coffee beans, and higher end brewing equipment for home brewing.

Menu

Starbucks Reserve is not the place to get your non-fat, no-whip, skinny vanilla frappucino.  I mean you could, but, the Reserve menu offers so much more.  

Inside Menu (April 2018).

The menu at at the Reserve location does include things like macchiatos and lattes, but, rather than your standard caramel macchiato there is a vanilla creme anglaise macchiato (yes, it really has a custard in it!) and the lattes come in flavors like rose honey.   The cold brew even comes cocktail style, shaken with bitters, and topped with a cherry.

The main attraction though, at least for me, was the different brew methods to chose from, and of course, the large variety of higher end small lot coffees to pick from.

Reserve Coffees (July).

The Reserve coffees are all small batch, so they change out regularly.  The selections were entirely different at my first two visits.

Ice Cream & Flights.

Ice cream!  At Starbucks?! Yup, everything from classic affogatos to malts made with cold brew and bitters.

The final menu section is "Experiences" of flights, where you can try either different coffees brewed with the same brewing technique or the same coffee brewed different ways, to compare.  24 ounces total.

Drinks

Chemex

I opted for the Chemex as my brewing technique on my first visit, as I've never tried it before, and know it is known for yielding a very smooth cup.  I was warned that it would take nearly 10 minutes, which wasn't a problem for me.

Chemex in Action.

"This distinctive hourglass-shaped brewer prepares coffee that's unparalleled in its smooth, crisp clarity."

Everything was weighed out, and prepared with care.  Available in one size only, 24 ounces.  You are warned when you order this that it is more than 20 ounces, and the barista confirms this is ok.  Since I was sharing once, and ordering decaf another time, this was, indeed ok, but Starbucks decaf packs more caffeine than most ...

Interestingly, my second visit, I was told Chemex, and press pot, aren't eligible for rewards, since they are designed to be shared (24 ounces only), and only "single" serving items are available with the reward (so it also excludes the flights).  How a $20 venti crazy Frappuccino creation counts as single and $12 Chemex doesn't could be a great subject of contention ...

And even more interestingly, on my third and fourth visits, Chemex was again an option.  I think the barista that told me it wasn't must have been misinformed, or Starbucks very temporarily switched their policies?

Chemex Brewed Sun-Dried Ethiopia Haile Farm. 

"Aromatic florals with candied citrus and orange peel flavors."

Since I got my coffee to-go, it came in a paper cup, but if I were planning to consume it there, it would have come in a real glass.  Still, no standard Starbucks cup here, the dark color and logo matched the feel of the entire place, far more classy.  My barista apologized that she had no matching reserve lids, and had to settle for the white one.

As for the coffee, I went for an Ethiopian selection, given my affinity for the region in general.  

And ... well, it was an incredibly smooth cup of coffee, as promised.  It wasn't necessarily a very complex coffee, nor a very dark deep flavor, but, it was pure and it was clean.  I enjoyed it.

Decaf Costa Rica Hacienda Alsacia.

"Sparkling acidity balanced by citrus and milk chocolate flavors."

On this visit, I was looking for a decaf, and the only option was the Costa Rica Hacienda Alsacia, which I had before as a pour over (see below), and didn't love it.  The barista who prepared it then strongly encouraged me away from the Chemex, but the one this day this other barista said it was good that way, so, I gave it another try, using Chemex, since its not like I had another choice for decaf anyway.

It was ... fine?  No funk, no staleness, not too high acid, but again, as in the pour over method, it just wasn't anything special, and I certainly didn't find myself really wanting another cup.

It also left me incredibly jazzed.  I know it was decaf, but I think Starbucks packs some punch in their decaf ...

Siphon

My second visit, I was not allowed to pick a Chemex or press pot per some rule changes on reward redemptions, so I went for the pour over.  My server said, "hey, since it is free, why not do it as a siphon?  Way more expensive and much better method too.  Maximize your reward!"

I liked his style and eagerly took the offer, I didn't actually realize they did siphon brewing, the menu only listed Clover, pour over, press pot, and Chemex.

Siphon In Action!

Of course it looked like a science lab, fire! beakers!, and folks did like to see it in action.  I think the server had a bit of fun too, I don't think people order these that often.  It seemed faster than Chemex actually?

Siphon Brewed Hawaii Ka'u.

"Creamy milk chocolate flavor with an almond sweetness."

For my bean choice, I went with the Hawaii Ka'u, from the south side of the Big Island.  I was drawn in by the tasting notes of creamy chocolate and almond sweetness.

It was a lovely coffee.  I don't have the proper language to describe it, but it was incredibly smooth.  Not a hint of harshness, acidity, or anything.  But not boring in any way, there was a complexity and depth, just not jarring ones, if that makes any sense.  It was a intense brew, I generally drink lighter styles, and originally thought I'd water it down a touch, but actually, as my pallette opened up, I embraced the depth.

I really enjoyed this.  I don't know if it was the variety of bean, the brewing method, or combination of both, but I was really impressed, and would get it again in a heartbeat.

And this time, I did get a signature black lid.  Such stylish cups, seriously.

Pour Over

All Starbucks locations will do pour over if you ask, so this is not unique to the Reserve locations, and is not what I normally opt for.  However, on this visit, I wanted decaf, and I asked the barista for his recommendation on preparation style.  He told me that he thinks pour over is the best as it brings out the nuttiness, or even just as espresso.  He seemed to genuinely not believe the Chimex, which is how I was going to order it, yielded as good of a result.  I took his recommendation.

Decaf Costa Rica Hacienda Alsacia.

"Sparkling acidity balanced by citrus and milk chocolate flavors."

This was ... fine.  It didn't taste like a decaf, that is for sure.  No funk, no acidity, etc.  And it was decently complex.  But it was a bolder, darker style that wasn't quite what I tend to prefer.

I'd consider getting it using another brew method if it was the only decaf available, but certainly wouldn't intentionally seek this out.

Read More...

More Beverages from Starbucks

Update Reviews, 2022 - 2023

I don't really need to introduce you to Starbucks, right? You've, uh, likely encountered one before.

Dragon Drink.  Venti.

"This tropical-inspired pick-me-up—crafted with a refreshing combination of sweet mango and dragonfruit flavors—is handshaken with creamy coconutmilk, ice and a scoop of real diced dragonfruit."

I see people with the Starbucks pink (or purple) drinks all the time. At some point, I decided they must not *just* be Instagram worthy, but rather, actually something worth trying.

I went for the Dragon version, made wtih mango and dragonfruit.

My first impression?  THIS WAS SO SWEET! Yes, it had 22 grams of sugar in it. No wonder.

The coconut milk was somewhat refreshing yet creamy, and a nice choice for it.  I didn't taste mango, but it was fruity in a  non-specific way, perhaps that was the dominant dragonfruit?  I appreciated the dragonfruit inclusion as well, although it mostly just floated on top.  Some sips got a few hunks though, and they added a nice texture.

I was expecting something more refreshing overall though, and the sweetness just made this hard to do more than sip. I also think it would be better as a smoothie, blended with ice.  

I didn't realize when I ordered, but this is a caffeinated beverage - it has green coffee extract in it.

Fun to try, I won't get again though. ***.

Blonde Roast. Venti. $2.95 or 50 stars.

"Lightly roasted coffee that's soft, mellow and flavorful. Easy-drinking on its own and delicious with milk, sugar or flavored with vanilla, caramel or hazelnut."

The most well known, common coffee at Starbucks (by coffee, I mean, drip coffee, not espresso drinks or frappucinos, actual drip coffee) is their Pike Place Roast.  I think for many years, it was the only one you could get.  Now, Starbucks always has the signature Pike Place Roast ready to go, but also a darker, bolder blend, and the one I got, the Blonde.

I haven't consumed that much coffee from Starbucks over the years, so it is a bit hard to compare, but, I thought it was good, and still quite dark, at least compared to my normal coffee.  Fairly smooth, no funk, but, it had a deepness to it (that, uh, could have been from being kinda old ...).  Overall though, a nice cup of coffee, and a decent use of my 50 stars, particularly for the massive size (since, 50 stars gets you a coffee, no matter the size).

***+.

Sweet Cream Cold Foam. $1.
(on the side).

Cold foam is such the rage these days, so I decided to finally try it out, but opted to get it on the side, just in case I didn't care for it.  I randomly picked the Sweet Cream version, not really knowing the difference.

I later learned that regular cold foam is just nonfat milk and vanilla syrup that is blended with specific setting on their blender to fluff it up, but the Sweet Cream cold foam uses a mix of 2% and heavy cream, plus vanilla syrup.  The seasonal Pumpkin cold foam also uses the higher fat dairy, and this time, pumpkin syrup.

Anyway.  It is kinda cool stuff.  Fluffy and light, like whipped cream, but not quite the same, and, in this case, very sweet, since it has the vanilla syrup in it too.

I see how it could be nice to cap off a cold coffee drink, if I was into dairy in my coffee (which I'm generally not).

***.

Cold Brew, No Ice, Venti.
Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam (on the side). $6.25 or 135 Stars.

"Handcrafted in small batches daily, slow-steeped in cool water for 20 hours, without touching heat—Starbucks® Cold Brew is made from our custom blend of beans grown to steep long and cold for a super-smooth flavor."

Since I planned to drink this over several days, I asked for no ice and the vanilla sweet cream cold foam on the side.  My barista filled my cup ALL the way up in both cases, which was certainly going above and beyond - normally the cold brew would have plenty of ice in it, and it would just have a dollop of the foam.

The cold brew was fine - fairly intense, dark roast Starbucks style, but good, and I enjoyed it both warm and cold (although I did actually add a little water to dilute it a bit).  Not remarkable, not bad. ***+.

The vanilla sweet cream cold foam was lovely to add as a float on top, but also, I used a big scoop on my bread pudding that night, and it was great - sorta like a softer, sweeter whipped cream, if that makes any sense.  ****.

Nitro Cold Brew. Tall.

"Our Nitro Cold Brew is created when our signature Cold Brew (slow-steeped for 20 hours) is infused with nitrogen as it pours from the tap. Nitrogen infusion creates microbubbles, giving the coffee a cascading, frothy texture. The result is a velvety-smooth coffee with a subtly sweet flavor and a rich, creamy head of foam."

The head on this really was impressive.  Perfect microbubbles, really.  Sure, it didn't last long, but I really enjoyed the froth, and liked to sip this without the lid, and yes, even if that meant I got a froth mustache.

The nitro cold brew didn't taste much different to me than the regular cold brew however.  Yes, it had the head, but otherwise there was no noticeable difference.  Like the regular cold brew, I enjoyed it warm or cold, and diluted a bit.

***+.

Nitro Cold Brew (Grande). $5.75.
Chocolate Cold Foam (on the side). $1.25

"Our small-batch cold brew—slow-steeped for a super-smooth taste—gets even better. We're infusing it with nitrogen to create a sweet flavor without sugar and cascading, velvety crema. Perfection is served.  Topped with a silky, chocolaty cream cold foam."

Another day, another nitro cold brew.  I went for the largest size available, intending to drink it over two mornings.  For nitro cold brew, Starbucks does not allow venti.  The cold brew was good - very smooth, exactly as described.  Deep, intense coffee.  You can almost *feel* the  caffeine hit in here -  280 mg, compared to 205 mg in the same size non-nitro cold brew, or only 165 mg in a grande iced coffee.    ****.

The chocolate cold foam I asked to have on the side, not really intending to use it with my drink, but rather, to put on top of my dessert.  I was surprised by how sweet it was, definitely too sweet to really enjoy on its own, but I do see how it would nicely infuse a coffee beverage sipped through it.  The chocolate flavor was quite good, and it was very frothy, but, very sweet overall.  ***+.

Decaf Pike Place Roast. Venti. $3.45.
Add 4 shots decaf. +$4.

If you are a Starbucks rewards member, you know that a drip coffee (any size) is a 50 star item, while any espresso drinks are 150 stars.  For me, since I just get an Americano most of the time, this makes getting regular drip coffee when I'm redeeming stars considerably more attractive - 3 drinks instead of just one, although, obviously, not freshly prepared since drip coffee is batch brewed. 

The more interesting bit is that you can do whatever modifications you want for no additional stars - you can add shots, add cold foam, etc, modifications that themselves can easily cost more than the drink itself (or cost 25 stars each on their own).  To take full advantage of this, I ordered the largest size (venti) and added 4 extra shots to it ($1 each or 25 stars each normally), and intended to just add my own hot water to water it down and turn it into multiple servings.  So, 50 stars only, for a $7.45 drink.

When I arrived to pick up my order (I ordered on mobile), I was told that they did not have any decaf brewed, and I was offered an Americano instead.  I said sure, after confirming they wouldn't charge me more stars for it.  So now, I was getting a $8.25/150 star drink for just 50 stars, AND it was freshly made.  Even better.

How was it?  Well, obviously VERY strong, since I added the extra shots, but it worked perfectly to bring it home, add my own hot water, and have decaf to drink all afternoon long.  I don't think it is that great of coffee, not very complex or interesting, but, it doesn't have any decaf funk, and didn't taste stale.  I certainly would not pay $8.25 for this, but, for 50 stars (that I had won), it was fine.  ***. 

Extra Pistachio Cold Foam. $1.25.
Extra Caramel Brulee Topping. $0.50.

"Silky, pistachio cream cold foam."

Starbucks continues to capitalize on the cold foam fad, with new drinks topped with different flavors of cold foam coming out every few months.  In the winter of 2023, this was pistachio.  The recipe uses the regular vanilla sweet cream base (heavy cream, 2% milk, vanilla syrup) and adds pistachio sauce to it.  You can add it on to any drink for $1.25 (or, as I did, for free when redeeming stars for any other drink).  I also added the caramel brulee topping to try it out (usually $0.50.).  I asked for these on the side so I could really try the cold foam, and not have it masked by my drink.  

The cold foam had much less of a pistachio flavor that I was expecting.  It was mostly just sweetened cream, with a very very mild nutty flavor on the finish.  I wanted more pistachio, but, the flavor was still good, and the texture was great.  This is not whipped cream exactly, it is thicker and richer in a way, even if you'd expect it to be less heavy as a "foam'.  Like all the cold foams, it works best on top of a cold drink, where it can kinda float on top, and you get a little with each sip if you drink carefully.  If you put it on a hot drink, it just melts in, like whipped cream would on hot chocolate.  I also love using it on top of a thick slice of toasted brioche.  I was happy to try this one, and even if I wanted stronger pistachio flavor, it was still a favorite of the ones I have tried.  ***+.

The caramel brulee topping was basically fairly large size shards of caramel-y sugar.  Crunchy, sweet, and enjoyable.  I'm not sure I'd want them on my coffee normally, but, on top of the aforementioned toasted broiche, it absolutely worked.  ***+.

Extra Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam. $1.25.
Extra Chocolate Curls Topping. $0.50.

"Silky, chocolaty cream cold foam."

Another day, another cup of flavored cold foam, this time, I went for the peppermint chocolate, and to really seal the deal, added chocolate curls on top.  On the side from my beverage of course.  This one uses the regular sweet cream cold foam base, adds malt powder, and peppermint syrup.  

The foam was the same lovely texture as always, rich and sweet.  I didn't taste the peppermint, but the mild cocoa flavor was nice.  Not in your face chocolately, but, reasonable.  ***.

The dark chocolate shavings were delicious, and I appreciate that "extra" really meant extra here. ****.

I'm not sure I'd want this foam and shavings on a coffee (hot or cold), but it was delicious to dunk strawberries into, and use on top of toasted brioche to make a custard soaked fancy toast.

Update Reviews, 2019 - 2021

For my previous reviews, check out the collection:

• Exclusive drinks at Starbucks Reserve, with more time intensive brewing techniques, and generally better results
• The sometimes satisfying pastries that you know are mass produced and have crazy long shelf life, but can't help by grab sometimes
• Yogurts, for when you are trying to be "healthy"
• Desserts, masquerading as drinks, known as Frappuccinos
• Sandwiches, including breakfast ones, for when you want "real food" and find yourself at Starbucks
• Seasonal offerings, of course I'm looking at you PSL
• A bunch of assorted drink reviews, below
• And ... a super minimal original review, from way back when

Tall Iced Americano in Venti Cup, Decaf, Ristretto, Marshmallow Whip, Cinnamon Dolce Sprinkles, Cinnamon Powder, Vanilla Powder. $2.25.

It was S'mores Frappuccino "season", and I wanted the amazing marshmallow whipped cream. But it was a hot day, and I wanted something refreshing, and I didn't want something super heavy. Such a conundrum. So what's a girl to do? Yup, get an iced Americano, and top it with the whipped cream (and other yummy things ...)

I ordered through the mobile app, and noticed the option to have the shots ristretto, so I opted for that too.

I really enjoyed my creation. The flavor of the americano really shocked me, particularly for decaf. Maybe the ristretto made a difference? Maybe i just got lucky? It was complex and really not bad at all.

And then … the marshmallow whip. Swoon. That stuff is just delicious. Honestly, I’d gladly get an entire cup of just it. Hold the coffee. Just give me the whip.

And then the cinnamon dolce sprinkles, cinnamon powder, and vanilla powder, for a little extra fun.

This was perfect for the weather, perfect for my mood, and I'd gladly get it again.

Venti Clover Reserve® Nicaragua La Laguna Farm. $6.

"Lemon-lime citrus flavors with hazelnut and caramel accents, brought to you by the Valladarez family in Dipilto, Nicaragua."

I *ordered* the Reserve Nicaragua La Laguna Farm, made on the Clover.  I picked it specifically after reading all the tasting notes for the current selection, and felt it was the best match for my interests, hazelnut and caramel accents?  Sure!

When I got there, and my order was handed over however, I was told, "Oh, we are out of the Nicaragua, we haven't had it for a long time, but I made you another Reserve instead.  Its African too."

Sigh.  Double sigh.  And also, if they have been out of it for a long time, why did the mobile app allow me to order it?  Starbucks is actually usually pretty good about this, its frustrating actually, how often a store is out of what I want to order, but, at least I can see it in the app, and generally just pick another store that has it.

I was in a rush, hence my pre-order, so I didn't take the time to investigate more, and just accepted my fate.  It *was* a birthday freebie after all, but I had put a lot of thought into it.

Anyway, it was actually quite good.  I think it was probably the Zambia Isanya Estate, as I think the others were Hawaiian and Jamaican.  The Zambian one was described as having "citrus & baking chocolate" flavors, which I'm glad I didn't taste, as I don't care for citrus.  Instead, it was just a rich, very smooth coffee.

I was pleased with this, and I really do think the Clover can be worth it.  It had a remarkably smooth finish, zero touch of acidity or bitterness.

Sweet Cold Brew Whipped Cream
Cascara Topping / Cinnamon Dolce Sprinkles on the side. $0.50.

"Cold Brew White Chocolate Mocha Dark Caramel Whipped Cream."

"Whipped cream that's infused with cold brew, white chocolate and dark caramel. "

When I saw the option to add "Sweet Cold Brew Whipped Cream" as a topping, I just couldn't resist.  If Starbucks has a new flavored whipped cream, you know I need to try it.  Even when it contains caffeine.  And I always adore the cascara topping and cinnamon dolce sprinkles.

But I really didn't want it on my Clover brewed Reserve coffee, that would be ... just wrong.  There is no way to specify toppings "on the side" in the app, but, you can ask for this in the store.  I certainly wasn't expecting such a generous serving of whipped cream!  Yes, she gave me a full cup of whipped cream.  There is nothing else in the cup.

The description when I added it on just said "Sweet Cold Brew Whipped Cream", but I quickly tracked this down to the new whipped cream for the summer Frappuccinos, listed in the ingredients as "Cold Brew White Chocolate Mocha Dark Caramel Whipped Cream".  How's that for a mouthful?  A descriptive one, at least I guess!  "Sweet Cold Brew" summed it up a bit better.  It also carried a warning that it had caffeine, which I appreciated, and, promptly ignored ("it can't be that much ... " said the voice in my head).

It was good.  The flavor certainly had a mocha aspect to it, but it wasn't intense in your face espresso flavor.  It also wasn't too sweet, as I thought it might be from the dark caramel.  Nor too chocolately.  They did somehow balance these things out.  It was, well, tasty whipped cream.  Likely great on a Frappucino.  Or, um, by the spoonful, with crunchy sweet cascara topping and cinnamon dolce sprinkles, as I very much enjoyed it.

Tall Iced Americano in a Venti Cup, Decaf, Marshmallow Whip. $3.25.

I got delayed at Logan airport, and decided to recreate my drink once again.  However, ordering through the app was not enabled because of the airport location, and so it felt too complicated to add all my modifiers (ristretto, cinnamon dolce sprinkles, powders ...), so I kept it simple and just added the marshmallow whip.

It wasn't as good. The decaf was fine, but not as complex as my memory of the ristretto version just a week earlier.  Was it different beans? Different skill of barista?  Or just the fact that it wasn't ristretto?  I don't know.  It was fine, but, not great.

The marshmallow whip was again delicious, and I had a lot more this time since the barista used a domed lid.

The airport location was a full $1 more expensive than the one in town.

Venti Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea Latte
Soy, 2 Scoops Matcha Powder, Marshmallow Whip. (August).

"Bright citrus and rich China Chun Mee green tea base gets a hint of spearmint for a combination where refreshing meets refreshing." + "Smooth and creamy matcha is lightly sweetened and served with steamed milk. A perfect zen." + "Organic vanilla soymilk" + "Marshmallow-infused whipped cream."

Another year, another birthday reward to use.  I normally opt to make decadent Frappuccinos and maximize the value of my freebie that way, but, this year, San Francisco decided to celebrate Fogust in real style.  The weekend of my birthday was cold.  Dreary.  Moist.  I didn't want an icy beverage.  I wanted something warm and comforting.

I was not in the mood for just getting a coffee though, even a nice Reserve roast, even a Clover.  Nor was I in the mood for a milky sweet espresso drink.  And then I realized, I've never had had a Starbucks matcha.  But ... I also knew they switched to a matcha powder that is 50% sugar (rather than adding in sweetness separately), and it crazy sweet.  I like soy milk with my matcha, and they use sweetened vanilla soy milk.  I feared the result would be too sweet (which, everyone says).

So I did some research, and found a recommendation from a barista on Reddit. Use one of the Teavanna green teas as a base.  Have it made as a tea latte (Starbucks can do this, even though they only list the English Breakfast and London Fog as tea lattes on the menu).  Add half the matcha powder.  You get a more complex green tea flavor, still some matcha-ness, creaminess, and, it isn't too sweet.  This sounded great to me, even though I couldn't order through the app (no way to transform a different tea into a latte).  And, because I saw it was still offered, I added on some marshmallow whip.  Because I love that stuff.

I was really satisfied with the result.

The tea flavor really was quite complex.  I appreciated the citrus and the mint tones (in fact, I often add peppermint syrup to a matcha anyway).  I appreciated that it did taste like green tea AND matcha.  The matcha was just strong enough to add a pleasant bitter undertone.  It was creamy from the soy milk.  And, swoon, that fluffy sweet marshmallow whip I just adore.

This was a total success, and I'd gladly get one again.

Cold Brew. No Ice.  Tall. $3.25.

"Handcrafted in small batches daily, slow-steeped in cool water for 20 hours, without touching heat—Starbucks® Cold Brew is made from our custom blend of beans grown to steep long and cold for a super-smooth flavor."

Starbucks has been really, really pushing the cold brew drinks lately, and now offers a very wide range of items (cold brew or nitro cold brew, with many different syrups and toppings).  Every store boasts signs for them, and the cold brew taps are prominent inside the store.

I finally decided to try it.  I went simple, and classic.  Cold brew.  No cold foam, no caramel syrup, nothing.  I wanted to taste the cold brew on its own first.

I also got it without ice, since I was planning to try a sip immediately, but otherwise walk home with it and enjoy it in my warmer environment (it was not exactly a warm day, and, although I did grow up in New England, I do not drink iced coffee in the winter!), so I didn't want it to dilute, and hey, I had plenty of ice at home.  I actually wasn't expecting them to fill it up to the brim, I wasn't trying to "hack" Starbucks to get even more coffee for the same price, but hey, not a bad thing.

I took my first sip, and was quite pleased.  This was some serious coffee.  It was intense, and that was a good thing.

The word "velvety" immediately jumped to mind.  It ... almost tasted thick.  So smooth.  Intense flavor.  I loved it.

I drink a lot of bottled cold brews, but this was really in a league of its own. Maybe from being on tap, maybe from being fresher, I don't know, but it was smooth, rich, and very, very good.

I also have since found that I can get a bigger size, save half, and enjoyed it the next morning, warm or cold, and it is still great.  And yes, it tastes good warmed as well (I do it in microwave, at reduced power, and it seems to work!)

Cold Brew with Salted Cream Cold Foam.  No Ice.  No Caramel Syrup.  Trenta. $5.45 or 150 Stars.

"Here's a savory-meets-sweet refreshing beverage certain to delight: our signature, super-smooth cold brew, sweetened with a touch of caramel and topped with a salted, rich cold foam."

The next time I ordered a cold brew, I was using my star rewards, which cost the same amount (150 stars) no matter the size.  So, uh, yeah, I got a Trenta, the biggest size available, and, honestly, totally ridiculous.  I felt silly holding it.  This thing had ... 320 mg of caffeine!  My plan was to drink some when I picked it up, but mostly save it for my morning cup (cold or warm) over the next 3 mornings.  I opted for no ice, so it wouldn't water down.

I also opted to try one of the "fancier" cold brew options, again, more expensive with dollars, but not with stars.  Why not have some fun with it?  Starbucks has two different topped versions, but I was able to rule out the "Cold Brew with Salted Honey Cold Foam" fairly easily as I just don't like the idea of honey and coffee together.

But I loved the idea of "salted cream cold foam", so went for that one.  I didn't want the extra caramel added that comes with it, though, so I had that left out.  The regular recipe for a grande is 4 pumps of syrup, for this size, it was 7.  I have a hard time considering that "a touch of caramel" as described!  With the caramel, this would also clock in  36 grams of sugar, which, for what looks like a pretty basic cold brew with just some topping, is far, far more than what I was looking for in the morning.   Also, I love the taste of the deep rich cold brew, and I didn't want it masked by the caramel.  I'm glad I made this decision.

The cold brew was again really just good.  Strong, smooth, not acidic, just, well, quality cold brew.  And the salted cream cold foam?  This was actually "Salted Vanilla Sweet Cream" according to the ingredients, not quite "salted, rich cold foam" as described.  It was *delicious*.  It was sweet, it was salty, it was thick, rich, cream.  For some reason, I was expecting a lighter foam, like the "cloud" they use in some of the newer drinks, not a thick cream.  I thought it would be lighter than whipped cream, and this was much heavier, more like the toppings on bubble tea drinks actually.  Which I adored.  Sweet and savory, and so so good.

This drink, as ordered, would be 340 calories, 21 grams of fat (even the grande is 230 cal / 14 grams fat), but some portion of the calories are the sugar from the caramel syrup.  Still, the fat and rest of it is definitely that decadent "foam", so, beware if you are wanting a lighter option.

I adored this, and would definitely get it again.  I do wish I could get the topping on the side though, so I could save the cold brew without the cream in it, to better utilize for several mornings.  And even to have some without, just deep rich dark cold brew, and only add in sweet decadent foam as I crave it.  But that is just me optimizing for maximum reward for my stars, and a drink to last me a couple days.  If I got a normal size, I'd still leave off the caramel syrup, but I'd get the "foam" if I were in the mood for a treat.

Original Review, 2013

Last week, I posted about the frappuccinos from Starbucks.  I've also reviewed other things a few other times.  But, it seems like time for an update on ... hot beverages!

Tall White Chocolate Mocha, Decaf, Soy, Whip.  $3.55.

Described as: "Espresso with white chocolate flavored sauce and steamed milk. Topped with sweetened whipped cream."

I've never really been a mocha drinker, much less a white chocolate mocha drinker, but I had a really delicious one from Sugar Cafe on a cold, blustery day, and had been craving one ever since.  So, I decided to try one at Starbucks.

It was very disappointing.  It didn't have any flavor at all.  I couldn't taste the espresso, and would have believed you if you told me it didn't have any in it.  I also didn't taste white chocolate, just some subtle sweetness.  Nor did I taste soy.  I have no idea how all the flavors cancelled each other out so dramatically, but they did.  The whipped cream on top was pretty standard.

It also was barely lukewarm.  Meh, meh, meh.  Would not get again.

Tall Tazo Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte, skim, 1/2 sweet.  $2.95.

It as a cold, rainy day, and we were driving back from Tahoe.  I wanted something warm and comforting.  We stopped for gas, and there was a Starbucks next door, so I decided that even though I haven't really liked any of the coffee or espresso beverages at Starbucks, there must be something there that could cheer me up.

I scanned the menu, and saw tea lattes.  I hadn't ever noticed them before, as I don't generally order tea when I'm out (it just seems crazy to pay several dollars for a tea bag and water!), and the tea lattes were under the general tea section.  I haven't ever even had a tea latte before anywhere, but they seemed like a reasonable idea.  I figured it was basically just a really milky tea.  I sometimes like tea with a fair amount of milk, and this seemed like a way to add more milk and not cool down my drink.  Sounded good to me.

I didn't want caffeine, so went for the rooibos.  I was a bit surprised when he mentioned that it normally came with 3 pumps of syrup.  I was expecting just a tea bag and some steamed milk, not extra sweetness added.  I'm glad he mentioned this, as I decided to get it with only 1.5 pumps (his suggestion), and I can't imagine it being sweeter.  Seriously, why is everything so ridiculously sweet at Starbucks?  I like sweets, ok, I LOVE sweets, but the default version of everything there is just way, way too sweet!

When I looked the drink up at home later, I saw the description: "an infusion of rooibos, steamed milk, syrup, vanilla and cinnamon, topped with velvety foam."  Aha, yes, syrup.

Anyway.  I liked this drink far more than I expected to.  It reminded me of the milk teas I drank in Japan - sweet, milky, and totally comforting.  It really was exactly what I was in the mood for.  The tea itself was a decent enough rooibos, and it held up to the milk well.  It was sweet, almost too sweet, and the full 3 pumps would have likely been nasty.  I'd definitely consider getting one of these again, and I'd be sure to remember to ask for perhaps just a single pump!

[ Update: On a recent ski trip, again to Tahoe, my ski bus stopped at Starbucks.  I wanted a comforting warm drink, so again went for the Rooibos Tea Latte, since I know I don't love Starbucks coffee.  I remembered thinking it was too sweet, so I asked for half sweet.  It still wound up too sweet for me, and then I re-read my last review, and saw that I wanted it less sweet the next time.  Whoops.  I really need to learn to read my own reviews :)  Next time: 1 pump.  Or maybe unsweetened, and I can just add a little if necessary from the condiment station.  Also, price went up, $3.15 now. ]

Tall Iced Decaf Skim Caramel Macchiato. $3.55.

"Espresso combined with vanilla-flavored syrup, milk and caramel sauce over ice."

I need to stop taking recommendations.  I stopped in on a hot day, and the women taking my order raved about their new hazelnut macchiato (which I did have at a later time, and actually, it was quite good).  Why didn't I have it on this visit?  Well, she then told me she was out of hazelnut syrup, but that the caramel one was good too.  I remembered drinking the hot version of this back before I drank coffee, and thought they were crazy sweet ridiculous drinks.  But she said the cold one was perfect on a hot day.  Spoiler: it wasn't.

This was an incredibly boring drink.  Basically, a glass of skim milk, slightly bitter coffee flavored, with some thick caramel stuck to the bottom of the cup.  I guess there was vanilla syrup in there too, but I didn't taste it.  The only redeeming quality is that it wasn't overly sweet like most Starbucks drinks.  The caramel was tasty, but even when I tried to mix it in, I failed.  Serious meh.

Read More...

Starbucks: the Pastries!

Update Review, late 2024-2025 Tastings

Everyone's Favorite - Bantam Bagels 2-Pack.

"An Everything Bagel stuffed with chopped vegetable cream cheese. A flavorful twist on a classic bound to reawaken your taste buds."

I know that when they first came out, Bantam Bagels were a very big deal.  One I totally didn't care about.  Yes, I like a good bagel, and yes, I like cream cheese, but, I'm fairly particular about the ratio of cream cheese to bagel, etc and I didn't really see the point.  The convenience win of having it all ready to go in one bite-ish just wasn't one I really wanted in my life.

But I eventually tried them.

They were ... fine?  The bagel was a fairly average bagel.  Soft inside, lightly crisp outside.  Minimal everything seasoning.  Basically grocery store bagel quality.  Not memorable, but not offensive.

Inside was the cream cheese, veggie flavored.  It too was "fine".  Some bits of chopped veg, decently veggie flavored, decently creamy.  Not a lot of it though, definitely not for you if you are a high cream cheese to bagel ratio type.  It was a bit odd to have the warm cream cheese in the center.

It *was* convenient to eat, and I see the appeal as a grab and dash item, but not one I generally need in my life.  I'm glad to try it, and I'd eat another, but wouldn't seek them out.  3/5.

Pineapple Cloud Cake.
(Seasonal Special).

"An airy cake filled with layers of pineapple cream, pineapple spread and whole fruit pieces with a sweet drizzle topping."

Tropical fruity desserts like this aren't really my thing generally, but I was craving cake, and the cream filling inside drew me in. It was ... ok.

The flavors definitely were tropical, and it reminded me of pineapple upside down cake. The pineapple spread on top was sweet and obviously pineapple forward, little bits of chopped pineapple. The cake itself was quite boring, a bit dry, and just not really my style of cake. The cream filling was definitely my favorite element (no surprise really), and there was a decent amount of it. But overall, eh, not my thing.

I passed it off to my mother who liked it more than I did, although she too thought the cake was dry, and she wanted whipped cream to top it off. 2.5/5.

Blueberry Streusel Muffin. $3.75.

"A golden-brown muffin with juicy blueberries and notes of vanilla, finished with a cinnamon-streusel topping."

I had some Starbucks stars expiring, and decided to use the opportunity to try a new baked good.  Most of the pastries looked pretty sad, but the blueberry muffin somehow called out.  My research also showed that people seem to like it (although it was changed a year or so ago, which of course means there are plenty of people outraged by the change).  I also asked the cashier if she liked it, and she said it was one of her favorite items.

I got it not heated up, and stashed it for breakfast the next day.

At room temperature, it was a fairly average, pretty processed, pretty sweet, moist enough, muffin.  Which I expected.  The streusel on top was minimal and soft.  The berries inside were large, juicy, plump, and really quite wonderful bursts of flavor, but they had sunk to the bottom.  Basically, average.  Not what you'd want from a real bakery, better than a hotel buffet.  3/5.

I heated it in the toaster oven a bit, and it was much better.  The flavors just popped a bit more, the texture improved a bit. 3.5/5.

I enjoyed the muffin, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it again.  It is a smaller size (non-jumbo, more normal), and clocks in 370 calories, 27g sugar, 18g fat.  Definitely veers into cake or cupcake territory with the sugar level.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake (Frozen). $3.95.

"Buttery, moist, coffee cake swirled with a cinnamon-sugar blend and finished with a crunchy streusel topping."

Apologies for the photo as this was frozen when I took the photo (I asked for it still frozen so I could take hit home and have it a while later).

I wasn't very into this.  It was fairly moist, but I found it just way too sweet.  The base cake was sweet (and fairly processed tasting) and the cinnamon-sugar swirl throughout was just sooo sweet (and sooo cinnamony).  The streusel top was even more sweet (and cinnamon).  So, just over the top sweet for me, even when I served it warm and topped with ice cream and blackberries, I couldn't get past how sweet (and too strong cinnamon, really) it was.  Eh.  Not for me.  2/5.

Cheese Danish (unheated). 3.95.

"Flaky, butter croissant dough with soft, warm cheese in the center."

Wow.  This was a really cheesy danish.  I was surprised by just how dominant the cheese element was, and how much flavor it added.  The cheese in question is neufchatel (e.g. fancy cream cheese).   It was really tangy, and just pretty intense. It didn't look like there was tons of it, but it was plenty.  I actually think this may be the most flavorful (cheese-wise) danish I've ever had. So, make sure you are craving cheesecake vibes in danish form if you get this.

I brought this home to heat up later, so I got it unheated.  The danish pastry itself was unremarkable.  It got nicely crisp, and tasted fresh enough, a bit surprising given that it is a mass produced and frozen item.  Not on par with local bakery fresh obviously, but not bad at all.

For a real bakery, I'd call this a 3/5, highly average, but for a place like Starbucks, it really deserves a bit higher of a rating.

Unicorn Cake Pop.
(Seasonal).

"The Starbucks Unicorn Cake Pop is a limited-edition treat featuring vanilla cake with confetti sprinkles, coated in white chocolate icing, and topped with a tiny unicorn horn. It's a whimsical, bite-sized dessert designed to appeal to fans of the unicorn trend. "

I've had mixed success with Starbucks cake pops in the past, really quite enjoying the chocolate one, and extremely disliking the birthday cake one.  The unicorn seemed more likely to go the way of the birthday one (both vanilla cake base and white chocolate coating), but hey, it was cute and fun so I gave it a try.

It was indeed much like the birthday cake one, however, it actually, in my opinion, was considerably more birthday appropriate (the regular birthday one is just a vanilla cake pop with some sprinkles on the outside, this one had funfetti cake as the base cake, so there were sprinkles inside too).  In terms of flavor, it was definitely just vanilla and sweet, particularly with the sweet white coating on it too.  Not quite cloying sweet, but, getting there.  Definitely best paired with a black coffee, I can't imagine having it alongside any kind of sugary drink.  

The texture was about the same as other Starbucks cake pops, very dense, very moist, a bit odd, but, I knew to expect it.  It wasn't greasy/oily inside like the birthday one, which is much of what I had disliked with that one.

So, overall, definitely not one I'd seek out like the chocolate one, but I didn't mind finishing it, but again, definitely needed a black coffee alongside.  3.5/5.

Update Review, 2022-2024 Tastings

I don't generally seek them out, but sometimes I encounter baked goods from Starbucks (usually because I have some stars to spend that are expiring!).  While my previous encounters have mostly been fairly "meh", I found a few items in the past two years that I've actually enjoyed.

Blueberry Scone. $2.95.

"A traditional scone with blueberries, buttermilk and lemon lovingly handmade to remind you of everything wholesome."

Seriously meh.  This is not really a scone.

I certainly didn't taste the buttermilk tang.  It was crumbly, but not in a good way.  Blueberries were hard.

*+.

Chocolate Cake Pop. $2.75.

"Chocolate cake mixed with chocolate buttercream, dipped in chocolatey coating and topped with sugar sprinkles create this wonderfully reimagined dessert on a stick."

Ok, so I generally don't like cake pops.  I *want* to like cake pops, I mean, I like cake, I like buttercream, I like chocolate or white chocolate coating, but ... they always let me down, no matter how fresh, no matter how nice of a bakery they come from.  Just usually so strangely moist-gummy inside, and just not that pleasing to eat.  I generally resort to dunking them in milk, like you might a cookie, and reminding myself that I don't like cake pops.  Sometimes I warm them up, so the chocolate coating melts in, and it just becomes a warm gooey chocolate cake, and then I serve a la mode.  But at that point, it is far from the intended easy to grab and eat cake pop form!

But this ... this I liked.  It was crazy rich, very sweet, and intensely chocolately.  The coating was dark chocolate, a sweet style, but dark, and really satisfied my chocolate craving.  The inside was moist, cookie-dough like texture, but somehow it didn't bother me like cake pops often do.  It was super chocolately and sweet too.  I loved the crunch from the few sprinkles on the outside.

It paired remarkably well with a black coffee, alternating small bites and a sip of coffee to counterbalance the sweet rich overload.  I think it would go great with a glass of milk, or dunked into whipped cream too.

I was shocked that I liked it as much as I did, maybe I was just in the mood (which, to be fair, I really was!), but, I'd gladly get these again.

****.

Birthday Cake Pop. $2.75.

"Vanilla cake and icing, dipped in a pink chocolaty coating with white sprinkles—a celebratory confetti of birthday joyfulness.'

After loving the chocolate cake pops so much, I next went for the birthday cake ones.  I forgot I had tried these before, long ago, when the price was more than $1 less! I didn't particularly like it then, and found it too sweet.

But given how much I adore the chocolate ones, I was still excited to try the birthday one again.

And ... yeah, I didn't care for it. The sweetness wasn't really the issue, I liked the sweet white chocolate coating quite a bit, but, the inside is what I didn't enjoy.  It was dense, a bit oily almost, and not cake-like, nor gooey, and strangely moist.  I didn't like the texture, and didn't like the taste, it was pretty plain.  Coating, good, inside, meh, and kinda the reason why I have historically not really enjoyed cake pops.

*.

Cookies & Cream. $2.95.

"Chocolate cake blended with creamy, sandwich-cookie buttercream and cookie bits, dipped in white-chocolaty coating and finished with dark-chocolaty cookie crumb."

Next up, I went back in the chocolate direction, with the cookies & cream.  Now, I don't generally like Oreo-adjacent items (nor Oreos themselves), but, they were out of the chocolate ones when I visited, and I still wanted to get my chocolate fix.

This one was ok.  The inside was not quite as moist as the others, although still quite rich.  Good chocolate flavor, but, it did also indeed taste like Oreo, due to the style of buttercream mixed in, which just isn't a compelling flavor for me.  The white chocolate coating was a good thickness, creamy, sweet, and yes, fairly rich too.  It wasn't quite as overpowering here as with the vanilla cake, as the chocolate helped balance it.

Overall, for me it was an average item, ***, but if you like cookies and cream, I suspect you'd enjoy this more.

Chocolate Chip Cookie. $2.45.

"This scrumptious, satisfying cookie love will uplift your day—sweet chocolate chips embedded in a thick, chewy goodness of our favorite dough make this an absolute must-have."

Who thinks of cookies when they think of Starbucks?  No one, right?  And certainly not me, the girl who generally doesn't care for cookies all that much.  But ... every once in a while I really crave one, generally either cold/frozen and dunked in milk or coffee, or warm and topped with ice cream or whipped cream.  And when I do want a cookie, it doesn't need to be fancy.  I like it a softer style, and a sweet style, and I want nice big chunks of quality chocolate, but, it certainly doesn't need to be homemade. Sometimes the overly sweet processed kind have a charm to them.

This cookie entirely met my expectations.  It wasn't wholesome tasting, but actually, it didn't have anything too crazy in it.  I liked the sweetness from brown sugar in addition to the regular white sugar, and the use of both milk chocolate chunks and semi sweet chips.  It was reasonably soft, and the chocolate was reasonably well distributed.  I'd prefer bigger chunks, but, this was pretty standard.  A great cookie?  Nah.  One to go buy again?  Probably not.  But it was fine, and even better warm.  ***.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin.  $3.25.
(Seasonal).

"This moist perfectly spiced pumpkin muffin—topped with sweet cream cheese filling and a sprinkling of chopped, spiced pepitas—offers a delightful balance of salty and sweet."

Pumpkin spice season.  I tend to hate it.  Sure, I appreciate a pumpkin pie, but pumpkin spice all the things ... yeah, not really for me, particularly as nutmeg I tend to only like in small doses.

But one day, while craving carrot cake or something similar, I saw the pumpkin muffin and it just jumped out.  Plus, the slightly rustic look with the bits of pepitas on top almost made it look less processed and packaged than it was ...

The muffin was decently moist, although clearly not freshly baked, and the crumb structure was fairly closed.  It tasted subtly of pumpkin, some slight spicing, but nothing aggressive.  The cream cheese filling was really just a dot on top, as it said, "topped with", not "stuffed with" or "filled with", so if you were expecting something closer to a cupcake, this was certainly not it.

Basically, pretty generic, non-offensive, but not particularly good, at room temp.  **+.

But I brought it home, heated it, added a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel and ... that transformed it.  Warm pumpkin spice cake, a la mode, sweetened with the caramel?  Really quite satisfying. ***+.

Pumpkin Loaf Cake (Seasonal). $3.45.

"A gently spiced bread with pumpkin flavors and pepitas gives you a tasty way to celebrate a seasonal favorite."

I picked this one day after really craving pumpkin cake, not really something I knew could happen, but, my mom was going to make her pumpkin roll cake, got busy, and failed to do it.  My brain was fixed on pumpkin cake.  I knew the pumpkin cream cheese muffins were pretty good, but decided to mix it up a bit and try this, having forgotten that I did indeed try it as a sample once years ago.  My plan was perhaps to eat it as a morning item, or, do as dessert warm a la mode if necessary.

This item entirely met expectations.  That is to say, it was a bit stodgy, had a highly preserved taste, and the seasonal spices were a bit too strong for me early in the morning (which, is when I was having it, alongside my morning coffee).  It also was fairly sweet, sugar is literally the first ingredient, and that pushed pretty far in the "cake" department rather than morning bread, but, at the same time, it had no icing, frosting, etc.  I did like the little bit of crunch from pepitas on the top.  Warming it up brought out the spices more in some ways, but also kinda softened them.

I saved half and heated it up later for dessert, and served it a la mode and with fresh blackberries.  As a warm cake I liked it more, and the ice cream balanced the spices, but this still isn't an item I particularly want more of.

Somehow, this pretty small slice of cake has more calories than the larger pumpkin cream cheese muffin, which certainly seemed more decadent to me.  

***.

Cranberry Bliss Bar. (Seasonal). $16.25 tray or $3.25 each.

"A blondie cake with dried cranberries, finished with a layer of cream-cheese icing flecked with orange zest and a sprinkle of dried cranberries—a holiday extravaganza of undeniable yum."

I got these mostly for my mom, as they sounded like something she'd really enjoy - cranberries and orange are her thing!  

I got a full tray, so I was able to try one as well.

It was good, for what it was.  The blondie was moist, it did have pops of cranberry studding it, and the lightly orange cream cheese icing complimented it well.  The icing was sweet, but it didn't overpower, as the layer of icing was thinner than the blondie base.  The dried cranberries on top made it look pretty and added a touch of chew.

Overall, a good item, it made me wish I liked cranberry and orange flavors more.  My mother, and aunt, both enjoyed them.

***+, but a **+ given my tastes.

Sugar Plum Cheese Danish (Seasonal). $3.65.

"Cream-cheese filling surrounded by a fluffy danish, topped with a spiced sugar plum spread—a dreamy combination of flavors that will inspire visions of this holiday delight long after your last bite."

Ah, the sugar plum cheese danish.  An item I'd never pick, although I've seen so many people rave about it.  My skepticism was quite high, given that I wasn't particularly fond of the regular cheese danish, and it didn't look particularly good.  I mean, after all, it is a mass produced frozen and thawed danish ...

But the masses, and in particular those who actually *work* at Starbucks insist this thing is fantastic.  I opted to not have it heated up, since I wanted to take it home to have for dessert later.

I tried a bite before warming, and wasn't particularly impressed.  It was much like a danish from an airline, the pastry soft and not flaky, clearly not fresh.   It seemed to have some sugar on the exterior, that was slightly melty and sticky from being wrapped in plastic.  The plum spread was flavorful, and there was plenty of it, but, unless I was a captive audience on a flight ... this pastry is just not something I'd care for.

But heating it made all the difference, which I suspected (the sbux folks are pretty clear that you need to heat it, and they even recommend 500* convection oven at home for 2 minutes to make it just like they do in cafe - I went for 450* convection for more like 3-4 minutes and it seemed like the right temp/time).  The top got crispy, nearly caramelized from the aforementioned sugar goo, making it have a slight resemblance to a kouign amann.  Is this intentional from the sugar sweat?  I have no idea, but it really worked.  It still wasn't fresh, buttery, flakey pastry of course, but the slightly doughy-dense buttery warm pastry with crispy caramelized exterior worked.

The filling was really quite generous, both the cream cheese and the plum spread.  The cream cheese filling was creamy, smooth, rich, and complimented the sweet, fruity plum spread well.  I wouldn't necessarily say, "oh, that's sugar plum!", but, it was a clear fruit flavor different from a generic berry goo, slightly reminding me of apricot.  It is made with plum puree, along with plenty of sugar and corn syrup of course, and light seasonal spices (nutmeg, clove).

Overall, once warm, yup, this was really a nice item, a shocker for a packaged thawed frozen item.  I paired it with ice cream, but it wasn't really necessary.

****.

Update Review, November 2020

As I've mentioned before (reviews below), I have a strange relationship with pastries from Starbucks - I get them very rarely, maybe once a year honestly, and have some items I really do love, but most leave me feeling gross.  And yet, I do still keep trying things, or getting those damn scones again, because, well, I love baked goods too much, and they are always right there on display.  #marketingWorks. 

But this review isn't for something that I sought out, it came to me (for reals!).

Old Fashioned Glazed Doughnut.

"A doughnut glazed with delicious sweet icing."

Ok, who goes to Starbucks for donuts?  Basically, no one.  I've seen them in the case for years and always thought they were kinda hilarious.  Donuts need to be ... fresh-ish at least.  And I know all Starbucks pastries are frozen.

So I've never opted for one, despite being fond of donuts.

And then a co-worker brought them to the office.  If it was being *brought* to me, *placed* in front of me, I couldn't say no right?

Ugh, I should have.

It was actually even ... worse than I imagined.  Heavy, dense, strangely moist on the outside, strangely dry and stale inside. I tried to at least like the "delicious sweet icing", but to no avail.  This was horrible.  The least fresh tasting donut I've probably ever had in my life. *.

Even more amazing? It was is a totally normal size simple donut, and is somehow 480 calories.  How do they even do that?  Mmm, oil.

Update Review, November 2015

Starbucks is known for many things, but quality pastries, even after the La Boulange integration, is not really it. Yet, as you may recall from my earlier review, I'm strangely fascinated by them. I know they aren't high quality. I know they arrive at Starbucks frozen. But ... I enjoy the scones, even though they leave me feeling totally gross.

So, I gambled, and tried another item. I moved out of the comfort zone of scones, past the quickbreads and cake pops I never liked, and zeroed in on the croissant style items. Regular croissants, chocolate croissants, morning buns, and cheese danishes were my options. And honestly, they all looked awful. Flat as pancakes, not flaky. But for some reason, I still went for it. And, just the scones, I'm glad I did. I don't get it.

Cheese Danish.

“A flaky pastry folded around reduced-fat cream cheese.”

It didn't remotely live up to the description of a “flaky pastry”, as the dough wasn’t remotely flaky nor laminated nor layered, but, it wasn’t awful. If you think of it more like a donut, it works. It had that slight cloying oiliness about a donut that makes your gut hurt a little just thinking about it, but it wasn’t too bad. And as long as you didn’t expect light, flaky croissant dough, it wasn’t offensive. Although, it was flat as a pancake.

The cheese filling was creamy, generous, and moist. Overall, truly not awful.

I got it to bring home, so at first I had it cold, so I can’t comment on how it transforms warmed up by their magic machine. Then I moved it to my own toaster oven, again, not a true reflection of how it would come served at Starbucks. My toasting wasn't a great move - the top got crispy, perhaps a bit flaky, but not really. The filling got creamier, which was nice, but, overall, it was the wrong move, and I actually liked it more cold.  Low ***.

Original Review, September 2014

I know Starbucks isn't novel to anyone.  I'm sure you've been there.  Most likely however, it has been for the drinks, which I've reviewed before.  Perhaps for a frappuccino, which I've also reviewed before.  Or, maybe for one of their famous seasonal offerings, which I've also reviewed.

But have you been to Starbucks for ... the food?  Yes, Starbucks isn't known for their food, but when they purchased La Boulange a while ago, they revamped all of the food offerings, trying to turn more into a "bakery".  Except, you know, a bakery where all the baked goods are mass produced in off-site baking centers and shipped to the stores.  When they first introduced the items to stores, they required that you have them warmed up.  You can read all about the reasons why ... but I don't recommend it if you ever want to eat any of these things.

Anyway, you know I've never really been impressed with the La Boulange bakeries themselves, nor their breakfast catering, so what chance did I have to like the even more mass produced items?  Little chance for sure, but you know me, curiosity finally got the best of me.  I can't resist baked goods.

Scones

Starbucks now carries only three scones, two are regular size creations from the new La Boulange line, but the tiny little vanilla scones still remain from their original lineup.  I have of course tried, and compared, all three.

Petit Vanilla Scone. $0.95.

"Our moist, fluffy petite scone is made with real vanilla beans and natural vanilla extract. It's a bite-sized treat that’s big on flavor."

Back when I commuted regularly, I rode a shuttle from the Civic Center Muni station.  On the very rare days that I wasn't frantically dashing to catch my bus, I'd hit up to Starbucks to grab a coffee, and sometimes, a treat.  I always went for the cute little petit vanilla scones.  I remember really liking them.

I recently ventured into Starbucks and wanted something sweet to accompany my drink.  I saw that even though most of the baked goods had been replaced by the La Boulange offerings, the petit vanilla scones remained untouched.  Yes!

Described as, "a moist, bite-sized scone flavored with natural vanilla extract and real vanilla beans."

The scone looked exactly the same as I remembered, and I see no indication online that the recipe has changed at all, but ... I didn't like it.  Maybe I changed.

First, it wasn't really a scone.  It was strangely soft and fluffy.  A scone shouldn't be a brick obviously, but it also shouldn't be a cake.  The flavor of the cake itself was completely boring.  It did have visible little black flecks, which I guess were vanilla bean, but I didn't taste vanilla.  At least it wasn't burnt?

On top was vanilla icing, very sweet.  Too sweet.

This scone offered nothing, other than its reasonable $0.95 price.  I sorta wish I hadn't tried it, and let it stay in my memory as the great treat it once was. *+.

La Boulange Blueberry Scone.  $2.45.

"A traditional scone with blueberries, buttermilk and lemon."

After the disappointing vanilla scone, I decided to try one of the updated scones from La Boulange.  This was an interesting choice on my part, since I haven't really liked any baked goods from the real La Boulange bakeries, so why would I like the less fresh ones at Starbucks?

Answer: I really was craving a scone.

I also forgot that they heat up all of the La Boulange offerings, without asking.  I was planning to get it to go, and eat it later, but once it was warm, I had to try it right then.

I was amazed when I opened the bag, as the aroma coming out of it was pure blueberry.  It was incredible.

Because it was heated up, it was really moist, and not hard, like a scone normally is.  This threw me off a bit at first, it seemed far more like a cake or muffin than a scone really.  But once I tasted it, I stopped caring about the fact that it wasn't really a "scone".

While I didn't taste the lemon that was supposed to be there, the buttermilk was fantastic.  It had such a great tang to it.  The blueberries were fairly plump and moist, and added a lot of flavor, however, they weren't very well distributed throughout the scone, and many bites did not have any.  But the buttermilk really made it a winner.  I also appreciated the large sugar crystals on top for additional sweetness and crunch.  It was also well cooked, not burnt anywhere.

What would have made this really amazing would be some jam to spread on it.  One thing I always really appreciate at La Boulange is that they have housemade jams available at the condiment station to jazz up any of their offerings.  I can't imagine Starbucks incorporating this into their stores, but it really would work well with this scone.

$2.45 was a pretty standard price for a scone, and it was a large size.  I liked this far more than I ever expected to, and would actually get another.  ***+.

La Boulange Cranberry Orange Scone. $2.45.

"A traditional scone with cranberries, orange zest and cranberry spread."

After the shocking success of the blueberry scone, on my next visit, I decided to branch out and try the other variety of La Boulange scone: cranberry orange.

In the case, it looked hard and not very appetizing, but, the blueberry one surprised me before, so I still tried this one.  This time, I was asked if I'd like it warmed up, and since I was planning to consume it right there I said yes.  Starbucks really has worked some magic with their heating machines, as it was handed over to me in what seemed like only 30 seconds, totally nice and warm.

It was also totally and completely gross, but in an almost ok sort of way.  Let me attempt to explain this one.

Since it was warmed up, it was very moist and doughy.  The center was almost raw even.  How was this possible, when moments earlier it was a solid lump?

It was loaded up with cranberries, which were very tart.  I'm not really sure why I even thought I'd like this, since I don't like tart cranberries. Mine didn't seem to have any of the cranberry spread in the description or photos from Starbucks, which I think is for the best, since I wasn't loving the cranberry.  It did also have a touch of orange to it, again, not something I really like, so I'm not sure why I choose this.

The scone was consistently cooked, no burnt or dried out edges, but the base flavor was quite boring.  No tang like the blueberry one.  It did have nice large sugar crystals on top for some crunch.

This thing was really quite fascinating.  The bottom and the sides were quite boring, not very flavorful, and kinda cakey, not at all what I think of as a scone.  The whole thing seemed not fresh and loaded with preservatives.  But that gooey inside was actually really addicting, even though it was sorta like raw muffin batter.  I devoured it. ***+.

And then, I felt ridiculously sick afterwards.  I can't say for sure it was the scone, but ... it sure seems like it.  I won't be getting another, gooey center or not!

Quickbreads

Besides the scones, the rest of the La Boulange baked goods at Starbucks look really unappealing.  The muffins always look soggy.  The croissants and danishes look worse than what you see in a generic grocery store.  The rest of the "breakfast" menu is rounded out by a few coffee cakes and quickbreads.  The coffee cakes were turned into mini loafs, rather than slices, as part of the La Boulange re-vamp, which apparently has outraged fans of the old style.  The quickbreads, pumpkin or banana, remain slices.

Pumpkin Bread.

"A gently spiced bread with pumpkin flavors and pepitas."

I am never a fan of quickbreads, no mater where from, but Starbucks had samples out, trying to entice customers to give the new La Boulange items a chance.  Of course I had to try.

It was just a basic pumpkin bread, with crushed pumpkin seeds on the crust.  The pumpkin flavor was not very strong.  It was pretty dry.  It was however, very spiced.  Too spiced.  Too much nutmeg perhaps?  I did not like, and would never purchase. *.

Desserts

And finally, my favorite category: desserts!  Not that Starbucks has a lot to offer here, just a couple cookies, a rice crispie treat, and pound cake.  Then again, I consider a majority of their "drinks" desserts anyway, so it isn't like it is hard to satisfy your sweet tooth at Starbucks.

Birthday Cake Pop.  $1.50.

Sometime in the past year or so, I had a cake pop that I really loved.  But for the life of me, I can't remember where it was from.  The most cake pops I've had have been from Sweet Lauren, but I haven't ever really liked those.  I really want to like cake pops though, as eating desserts on sticks just seems way too fun.  Let me know if you have recommendations for any!

Anyway, while I did research on Starbucks baked goods selection, I kept finding mentions of their cake pops.  People seemed to legitimately like them, which is more than I can say for most of their other food offerings.  In particularly people mentioned the chocolate ones, but I haven't been able to find those anywhere.

So I went for the one I could find, the "Birthday Cake Pop", described as "vanilla cake and icing, dipped in a pink chocolaty coating with white sprinkles."

It was a pretty standard cake pop.  The pink colored white chocolate shell was far too thick, resulting in one-note sweetness.  A little of this would have gone a long way, and it was exactly the type of white chocolate that gives white chocolate a bad rep, just so, so sweet.  I liked the crunch from the sprinkles it was dipped in, and wished there were more of them.

Inside was the cake, in classic cake-pop form, it had the icing mixed into the cake, creating a very dense, moist interior.  It wasn't particularly vanilla flavored.

So overall, not a winner, and far too sweet.  It would have probably paired nicely with a strong, bitter black coffee, but that isn't exactly what Starbucks is known for either.  If they added some actual vanilla flavor to the cake, thinned out the shell layer, and dunked it in more sprinkles, perhaps it would be a decent pick.  The idea is right, the execution just wasn't stellar. *+.

$1.50 price was fine for the small treat.

Madeleine.

Starbucks doesn't offer these anymore, but I tried one at some point.  I'm really not sure why.

This was totally unremarkable, although, I'm not sure what would make a good madeleine, they just aren't interesting in general.

It was fairly flavorless.  Kinda oily.  Obviously baked a long time ago, individually wrapped to last a while.  Meh. *.

Read More...