Hit or miss? Netizens review Starbucks' new Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso
Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso is available in all Starbucks stores for a limited period of time.
Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, Starbucks’s latest addition to its summer menu, is a spicy flavored drink that is sure to keep your tastebuds and temperature satiated all summer long. The drink is inspired from the traditional rice water Mexican horchata and will be available in all Starbucks stores for a limited period of time starting May 20.
The drink derives its palette from a traditional Mexican horchata- a non-alcoholic drink, traditionally made by grinding soaked tiger nuts which later transformed into using a sinful combination of rice, water and cinnamon instead. Ricky Gonzalez, part of the beverage development team at the coffee giant, kept the drink’s origins and variations in mind when he chose to go with the latter option. The drink uses the Starbucks Blonde Espresso flavor in combination with their new Horchata syrup made with cinnamon, vanilla and some grains of rice along with a dash of oatmilk, ice and cream.
“Everyone has a different version of horchata, and for a lot of people it can be very personal,” says Gonzalez. “It’s a privilege to try to take those pieces to create our own take on the beverage in a way customers will enjoy. For people who grew up with horchata, hopefully it takes them to a place or a time where they enjoyed it. For those who aren’t as familiar, I hope it will be an introduction to a delicious flavor.”
For Gonzalez, creating this drink was a trip down memory lane as he recalled his childhood experiences of relishing the drink. “In the central California neighborhood where I grew up, horchata was everywhere—on street corners, in convenience stores, and on the menu at most Mexican restaurants we visited. Every Sunday, we would have a family meal at a Mexican restaurant, and horchata was always a treat for my brother and me. It was icy, sweet, and spiced with cinnamon. It’s both comforting and refreshing,” he says.
The drink’s comparatively thicker texture will require a spoon instead of plain swirling to tastefully blend all the flavors which include the perfect amount of sweet and espresso mixed together. Though the pricing for the drink of the summer will differ as per location, it likely won’t be a big difference compared to your regular go-to demand at Starbucks.
Fans and critics of Starbucks’s latest addition took to social media to deliver their review of the drink.
The new menu also features some new summer berry refreshers along with a strawberries and cream cake pop. The latest addition to Starbucks’s iconic iced shaken espresso line, however, is one item you’d want to tick off your summer bucket list at the earliest.
By Stuti Gupta
