We Tried The New Starbucks Cold Brew Flavor (And The Frappuccino’s Better)

Of the elusive fan-favorites at Starbucks that fans beg and beg to return to stores, I can’t think of any more prominent than the S’mores Frappuccino. It’s been years since it was last seen on menus, yet this summer it returned nationwide. In typical Starbucks fashion, though, they didn’t just bring back a the Frappuccino, they expanded on the flavor’s success by adding another menu item to its collection.

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The addition of the S’mores Cold Brew to the Starbucks menu is an exciting proposition, but it has a high expectation to uphold. Since the S’mores Frappuccino is such a favorite, then the cold brew must be an instant hit, too, right? Well, we here at Sporked will be the judge of that. When the new drinks hit stores, we eagerly tried them to let you all know what the fuss is about.

Our Verdict

I would say overall, the drink is pretty decent. I mean, it is still Starbucks cold brew so a lot of the drink’s desirability lies with whether or not you’re a fan of their standard cold brew in the first place. In a true cold brew fashion, it is more acidic than a regular drip coffee or espresso. But I’ve grown accustomed to the taste of Starbucks’ cold brew over the years and this drink upheld that same quality.

The syrup added to the cold brew is a marshmallow syrup―and I’ll be honest, it was a little bit underwhelming. The thing about marshmallows is that they really don’t have much of a taste other than just being sugary. So the flavor of the cold brew wasn’t that profoundly different than their regular sweetened cold brew.

As for the topping, the cold foam was nice and fluffy, giving it that marshmallow-like texture, and in a sip with the graham cracker crumb and chocolate drizzle, it really did taste like a little mouthful of s’mores coffee. But the cold foam on its own again didn’t really taste particularly like a marshmallow. And what it did taste like was more artificial than anything else. The drink really wasn’t bad, but they have far stronger cold brew showings on their menu right now. And between the Frappuccino and the cold brew, the Frappuccino is definitely the stronger showing.