I Tried Starbucks’ New Plant-Based Drinks & This Is What They Tasted Like

Starbucks just dropped two brand new coffee drinks that are going to get non-dairy folks excited. The new Starbucks drinks are perfect you're bored of ordering a straight-up soy latte. They're getting really creative with their more vegan-friendly options, but what do they actually taste like?

We set out from our Vancouver office to get our hands on the latest plant-based offerings to find out.

The last time Starbucks came out with new drinks was right before the holidays at the end of 2019.

Their "Irish Cream" drinks were great for coffee-lovers and weren't as obviously festive as a peppermint mocha. 

The new drinks for 2020 are the Almondmilk Honey Flat White and the Coconutmilk Latte. It's difficult to actually order the Almondmilk Honey Flat White correctly for the first time because it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

The drinks are joining the menu permanently so there's no rush to try them before they go away.

Both beverages are made with their Blonde espresso which is a lighter roast than their traditional espresso. The flavour is brighter and cleaner than the average espresso roast and it's a good pairing with both Almond and coconut milk.

I tried both of their new drinks and this was my honest takeaway:

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Pictured on the right: Coconutmilk Latte. Pictured on the left: Almondmilk Honey Flat White.

The drinks did not arrive picture-perfect. A flat white, for example, should have that classic white dot in the centre rather than a swirl of froth.

Overall, both coffees are winners in my eyes. For non-dairy coffee drinks, they're surprisingly different.

If you're curious to try them for yourself, you could always go catch their BOGO happy hour deal where their drinks are buy one get one free.

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The Coconutmilk Latte had a great coconut flavour without the heaviness.

The blonde espresso in the drink brings out brighter, nutty notes in the coffee rather than the heavy, darker, caramel of their traditional expresso.

This one is definitely more of a milk-forward drink and might not satisfy the true coffee drinker.

It's also pleasantly sweet, not overpowering as you might expect. 

The Almondmilk Honey Flat White was my favourite of the two. Each time I took a sip, I thought, "damn, that's good."

The honey flavour is strong but not too sweet. I don't love the texture of almond milk for a drink like a flat white but it still works.

At first, it might taste a bit sharp or sour but it's actually the perfect blend of bitter coffee and sweet honey.

The aftertaste is perfectly sweet and smooth, probably because they’re using ristretto shots of espresso. This is more of a coffee-forward drink rather than the Coconutmilk Latte.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Narcity Media.