Starbucks Just Released Their New Fall Food And Drink Menu — Here's My Honest Review As A Former Starbucks Barista
Hi! I'm Dannica, and I was a Starbucks barista and trainer for four years. That said, I think it's safe to say that I know a thing or two about Starbucks drinks — especially when it comes to PSL season.
My Roman Empire is when a customer ordered a PSL and asked for 24 pumps of pumpkin sauce. Like, ma'am, just get a pumpkin pie at this point.
So, if you, like me, have been heavily anticipating the end of summer and the transition into fall, I have some great news for you: PSL season has ARRIVED, with Starbucks adding NEW drinks and food items to the menu nationwide!
The new drinks for the first fall launch (yes, I said first) are the Iced Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai and the Iced Honey Apple Almondmilk Flat White. Meanwhile, the new food item is the raccoon cake pop (which is vanilla-flavored).
Here are the new fall menu items from 2023 that are returning this year:
• Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Latte
• Iced Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso
• Baked Apple Croissant
(Unfortunately, to the fox cake pop stans, the raccoon cake pop is taking its place this year.)
But wait! Let's pause for a sec, because Starbucks isn't just releasing those two new(ish) drinks this fall. Later in the season, two new drinks will enter the coffee arena: the Iced Oatmilk Pecan Crunch Latte and the Salted Pecan Cream Cold Brew. Mind you, in my fall menu review last year, I said there should be a pecan-flavored drink. Not insinuating anything, but in the words of Cardi B: that's suspicious...that's weird.
To be fair, Starbucks did used to have a maple pecan flavor, but still.
But until the release of the new pecan drinks, we're going to focus on the stars of this review: the Iced Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai and the Iced Honey Apple Almondmilk Flat White. Now, these aren't technically new drinks because the apple brown sugar syrup and honey blend syrup are not new to the Starbucks scene. The apple crisp flavor was introduced back in 2021, and since then, Starbucks has pushed it into being one of the main fall girlies of the seasonal menu (watch your back, pumpkin spice). Nonetheless, I'm here to try these drinks and give you folks an honest review of whether or not they're worth spending your hard-earned money on them. Let's start!
🍎 ICED APPLE CRISP NONDAIRY CREAM CHAI: Despite not technically being a new drink (you could've definitely ordered this in the past couple of years), I can't blame Starbucks for continuously adding chai variations to the official menu because all of them I've tried totally slap. In this case, the Iced Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai (what a mouthful) features an iced chai made with oat milk and topped with an apple brown sugar and vanilla-flavored non-dairy foam.
OK, so even though I just said that all of Starbucks's chai variations have been, in my opinion, a hit, I was a little skeptical about tasting this drink because my relationship with the apple brown sugar syrup hasn't always been the best. And when I say that, I mean I absolutely hated it when it first came out. But then Starbucks tweaked the recipe in 2022, and the apple crisp flavor started its redemption arc.
First sip:
WOWW. Much like how I felt about the apple crisp drinks last year, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the apple cream chai!
First of all, let's get into this nondairy foam that's used. Admittedly, I haven't been keeping up with the Starbucks loop, so I was quite surprised when I found out that they released an *actual* vanilla-flavored non-dairy foam, making it easier for people who have a non-dairy preference to order. So, TBH, love that for us non-dairy drinkers.
The vanilla foam (which is a blend of soy and oat milk) paired with the apple brown sugar flavor created a sweet and cozy concoction that compliments the slight spiciness of the chai in the best way.
I was initially worried the apple flavor would be too overpowering. For those who aren't familiar, the syrup has a cinnamon, caramel-y flavor to it that I think is good in subtle amounts but becomes wayyy too overbearing when used in slight excess (but that's just me). But alas! The vanilla balanced it out delightfully, and though it was 94 degrees outside, it felt like autumn inside my car just for a moment.
• You like drinks on the sweeter side• You're looking for a dairy-free option• You like apple, cinnamon, and vanilla flavors• You loveee chai
Ultimately, I thought this drink was a smash! And since it doesn't contain any espresso, it's perfect for those who don't like the taste of coffee or who like caffeinated teas and want to try a fall menu item. However, if you DO like the taste of coffee and want to try this drink, or you need a caffeine boost, you can always ask for this drink dirty and add a shot or two (or three, if you truly need it).
(BTW, you can also get the regular vanilla sweet cream cold foam if you don't want non-dairy. Just ask your barista to add two pumps of brown sugar syrup to it!)
🍎 ICED HONEY APPLE ALMONDMILK FLAT WHITE: I think flat whites are completely underrated, so color me ecstatic when I saw that a flat white officially made the fall roster! This drink features the Starbucks honey blend syrup, blonde espresso, almond milk, and, like the chai, an apple brown sugar foam.
I got you!
If you're unfamiliar with what a flat white is, it's similar to a latte but with a couple of differences — mostly having to do with the coffee-to-milk ratio.
At Starbucks, flat whites are made with one more shot of espresso than usual. For example, a grande latte typically comes with two shots of espresso, while a grande flat white comes with three. An iced venti latte at Starbucks comes with three shots, so an iced venti flat white would come with four.
Additionally, Starbucks makes their flat whites with ristretto espresso shots, meaning less hot water and time are used to pull the shots. This results in a more concentrated shot but with a slightly sweeter finish.
Not just that, but Starbucks flat whites are, by default, made with blonde espresso, which is a lighter roast. I always, always got my Starbucks espresso drinks with blonde because, to me, it's smoother, more mellow, and has a more balanced flavor than the signature espresso.
So, when you put it all together — the ristretto blonde shots of it all — you get a beautiful, not-so-bitter, well-caffeinated flat white.
First sip:
Flat white stans, RISE!
Let me just cut straight to the point and say that this drink was absolutely delicious. As I mentioned earlier, even though the honey blend syrup and apple brown sugar syrup already existed, I genuinely never thought to pair the two together, so I have to give credit where credit is due!
The flat white is made with almond milk by default (though you can customize the drink to whatever milk you want) with honey blend syrup in the drink (you can ask for honey packets instead, though).
In a grande, the drink has three blonde ristretto shots and is then topped with the same gorgeous apple brown sugar non-dairy foam we saw earlier on the apple cream chai. And honestly?!?! It's straight goodness all around.
Though there are technically three flavors going on in this drink (honey, apple brown sugar, and vanilla from the foam), what I like the most about it is that it doesn't taste like it. Because of the additional espresso shot, it marries everything together and doesn't make the drink taste overly sweet.
The honey flavor was truly delightful and matched so well with the subtle hints of caramel the apple syrup had going on, and the foam added a wonderful texture and light mouthfeel. It's giving very demure, very mindful!
• You like blonde espresso
• You like apple, cinnamon, caramel-y, and honey flavors
• You're looking for a non-dairy option
• You're looking for something well-caffeinated
Also, I will add that because it's a non-dairy foam, it doesn't foam as well as its sweet cream foam counterpart, so don't expect it to be 100% the same consistency!
Not going to lie, I'm quite impressed with the first leg of this year's fall drop! I thought both drinks were really good, and I would recommend them over a PSL any time and any day (no shade)! However, I probably won't be getting them any time soon, considering it's practically still summer. That, and I'm heavily anticipating the pecan drinks! That said, maybe I'll see y'all soon!
What do you think about the first fall drop menu items? Do you have a favorite fall drink? Do you think Starbucks is ever going to release their fall menu during actual fall?? Let me know in the comments!
