With the beginning of March comes a new selection of special spring items from one of the kings of coffee chains in Canada, Starbucks. And when I heard the news, I just had to give them a taste, especially with how big of a fan I am of caffeinated beverages.
Unfortunately I'm one of the few people in Toronto proper who doesn't live 10 minutes from a Starbucks.
So, I jumped on a bus, got off that bus too early and then had to walk another 10 minutes to get to the nearest store to me in Liberty Village — which I learned is not the closest one to me actually, I'm just bad at looking at Google Maps.
After getting lost in Liberty Village (it was only my second time there) I arrived at the Starbucks and ordered three of the spring menu drinks and the classic seasonal cookie.
The staff did that thing where they kept saying my name after I gave it to them for my order. It was a symphony of "Hi, Tristan," "Here are your drinks, Tristan," "Would you like a tray, Tristan?" to make me feel welcome. And, it worked.
Then I got stuck into the seasonal drinks and treat and let me tell you, I had some clear favourites among the bunch!
Dragon Drink Refresher
The Starbucks Canada Dragon Drink Refresher
Taking a sip of this does take you to a tropical, sweet place, which was nice to offset the 2 C Toronto day.
I'm not usually someone who orders an iced refresher drink like this — I'm typically a black coffee type of guy — so the odds were stacked against it from the start.
However, after a few sips I didn't find it that bad. It had a nice sour zip to it, but it's really not something I felt compelled to finish.
It's the kind of drink that's only good for a few sips, in my opinion. It was disappointing to me but if you're into a more tropical refresher, this might be right up your alley.
Strawberry Coconut Refresher
The Starbucks Canada Strawberry Coconut Refresher
As I said, I came in with a bit of a prejudice against refreshers, but I was really pleasantly surprised by this one.
I could even see myself ordering this again once the weather starts to warm up! It was just sweet enough, without being overpowering and the coconut and strawberry flavours were balanced really quite nicely. Sort of a piña colada, with strawberry instead of pineapple.
Overall, really refreshing. For me, this would be a great drink to sip with the sun on my face on a nice spring day.
Iced Toasted Vanilla Oat Shaken Espresso
The Starbucks Canada Iced Toasted Vanilla Oat Shaken Espresso
Far and away my favourite drink I tried, this brand new option is perfectly sweetened, creamy and just all around delicious.
The creaminess of the oat beverage hit just right and the vanilla was just subtle enough to remind me that it came to the party. It's just rich and complex enough for those winter-to-spring transition days.
I will admit that I'm a huge fan of coffee flavours — Coffee Crisp is my favourite chocolate bar — but this shaken espresso drink balances all of the flavours and sweetness really well.
Bias aside, I think this makes a tasty, sweet, creamy morning or afternoon coffee. I can definitely imagine me picking this up again on a day sometime very soon.
I would say if you're going to get one of these drinks, make it the new Iced Toasted Vanilla Oat Shaken Espresso.
Confetti Sugar Cookie
The Starbucks Canada Confetti Sugar Cookie
Oh boy, this was another major winner of bunch. While this cookie was the only foodie treat I tried, I really loved it.
The white chocolate paired great with the lemon-y confetti sugar cookie base. The rich flavours of the glaze tangoed nicely with the more light ones of the cookie.
And, let me tell you, it did not last long once I had my first bite. I'm a bit of a freak when it comes to cookies and this was really surprising given how low my expectations are generally for Starbucks Canada food. This cookie was great and was quick to disappear (because I ate it).
If I was to recommend anything from the Starbucks Canada 2022 spring menu, I give a big fat juicy thumbs up to both the Iced Toasted Vanilla Oat Shaken Espresso and the Confetti Sugar Cookie.
I'd give a thumbs "meh" to both the Strawberry Coconut and Dragon Drink Refresher.