Introduction

The sun’s shining, flowers are beginning to bloom, and your favorite EPHS reporters are back now that Starbucks re-released last year’s Spring drinks along with an additional new drink and snack; it doesn’t get any better than this, at least for us. But, unfortunately, according to USA Today, the release of these items is being accompanied by the discontinuation of some of Starbucks’ other drinks because “either they weren’t commonly purchased, [were] complex to make, or were similar to other beverages on the menu” (“Starbucks is removing some drinks from its menu in March“). So with that, let’s say rest in peace to the Espresso Frappuccino, Java Chip Frappuccino, Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino, Iced Matcha Lemonade, and many more. Honestly, we don’t know how to deal with these losses, so if anyone wants to send us a Chai Latte, we wouldn’t be too opposed! 

Now onto the price component, which actually seems to be the only topic of our articles. This is our third Starbucks article and for each one we spend $30-$40. With a quick Google search, we can conclude that we’ve collectively spent approximately $90-$120 on the Starbucks articles alone. Do we know how much that could buy? Honestly, not that much in this economy. Anyway…let’s get into what you really came for: the Real Review.

Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha

Your prayers have been answered; today we will only review three drinks as opposed to our usual six. We started with the Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha. Mmm, doesn’t that just sound like dirt? This will really kick start that diet we’ve been putting off, I bet. Let’s start off with the calories, to put it into a health perspective: a tall begins at 290 calories, which is kind of a lot for a flower and some grass put into a blender, but I digress…a grande is 380 calories, and a venti is 470 calories. Now our favorite part: the prices! A tall blossoms at $5.45, a grande continues its growth with $5.95, and a venti blooms at $6.45. Honestly, it’s a little expensive for something I could make in my backyard, but what can we do? Nothing. We can’t even stop ourselves from buying. It’s starting to become an addiction, but at least we’re prospering in something. Next, the ingredients, the real inside scoop…well, three in this case: 3 scoops of Matcha Powder, Lavender Cream cold foam, Oatmilk, 3 pumps of Classic Syrup, and ice. Surprisingly, we are met with caffeine in this flower bed, a tall beginning at 30 mg of caffeine, a grande continuing its trend with 55 mg, and a venti ending at 75 mg.

I, Iris, rated it a 6.5/10. The drink itself had a very smooth texture. The matcha isn’t the best I’ve had- definitely a little grassier than most but not enough to complain about. The real kicker was the lavender cold foam; it was soft and plushy, though I didn’t know what to expect with the flavor. I was definitely a little shocked. It reminded me of the lavender essential oils my mom would put on me when I was younger because I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t think it was bad at all, just not necessarily good. I probably wouldn’t order again, but never say never.

I, Emilia, rated it a 7.5/10. For someone who doesn’t drink matcha, I enjoyed this drink. I honestly thought it’d taste more earthy, but thankfully, Starbucks kept it neutral. I was quite fond of the taste, from the matcha to the lavender cold foam on top, which paired nicely together. From its visual characteristics, like the pastel colors, to its flavor, this drink is the literal embodiment of spring. I could already see myself sipping on this drink while strolling through the flower fields.

Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte

Next, we tasted the Iced Lavender Oatmilk Latte; Starbucks really went all out with the lavender this year, and, quite frankly, it’s nauseating. Looking into the calories, there are significantly less than our previous drink: a tall starting at a reasonable 160 calories, a grande increasing to 210, and a venti settling at 290. We can’t complain since that’s the same amount that a size tall in the last drink contains, yikes. Onto our favorite…the prices: a tall is $5.25, a grande $5.75, and a venti $6.45. If you see us in person, just know we’re smiling through the pain of our depleted bank accounts. Anyway, this drink, just like any other, is caffeinated: a tall has 85 mg, a grande 170 mg, and a venti 255 mg; that explains our insomnia. Thanks, Starbucks. Inside, this drink contains a Blonde Espresso shot, 2 Espresso shots, Oatmilk, ice, and 3 scoops of Lavender Power because what’s spring without a drink that tastes like essential oils?

I, Emilia, rated it an 8/10. I found both the smooth texture and creamy flavor paired well together, creating a satisfying sipping experience. The hints of lavender brought me back to like 6th grade when my mom would make me sleep with a diffuser full of lavender essential oils every night, but in all honesty, the flavor wasn’t too strong and really faded into the background, at least in my opinion…not complaining though. I could most definitely see myself re-ordering this drink- its flavor isn’t too pungent, giving it universal appeal and a good rating.

I, Iris, rated it a 7.5/10. The drink itself was very smooth and very milky, covering the light coffee flavor. It tasted very similar to the matcha with the same essential oil aftertaste but very much toned down. I would likely order again. 

Iced Cherry Chai

Many say that the best is for last, but that was far from the truth in our case. For our finale we tried the Iced Cherry Chai. We’ll keep the intro short for this one; you know it’s hard for us to discuss traumatic events.  You’d assume the caloric value was the worst part as just a tall was 370 calories, a grande was 440 calories, and a venti was 570 calories, but wait until you hear about the flavor, which was excruciating; we’d probably prefer being burned alive. It sounded yummy, so, naturally, our hopes were high with the Cherry Cream cold foam, 2% milk, 3 pumps of Chai, Cherry Crunch sweet toppings, and ice, but, boy, were we quickly shot down. The price and caffeine for a tall begins at $5.45 and 70 mg, a grande is $5.95 and 95 mg, and a venti is $6.45 and 145 mg.

I, Iris, rated this drink (if it can even be classified as that because, personally, I would call it an abomination to society, but to each their own) a 2/10. I was expecting to be delighted by this drink, but it tasted like Valentine’s Day in middle school and had a similar after taste of disappointment. I attempted to feel out the texture but the flavor was so pungent that I was simply left nauseated. It was so sweet and the slight taste of cherry airheads completely took over the yummy chai. The 2 points were given out of pity, which I sure wish I had after that discrimination to my taste buds. 

I, Emilia, rated it a 3/10. I had high expectations for this drink, especially because it’s a chai, one of my favorites…those expectations were not met whatsoever, though. The initial sip is straight cold foam, which hits you with an overly sweet and artificial-like cherry flavor. They missed their opportunity for redemption with the actual chai itself. I found that the cherry was too strong and gave the drink an odd flavor, leaving me nauseous and disappointed. I would not recommend it.

Conclusion

Despite us only trying three drinks, this experiment had lots of ups and downs and twists and turns, especially in our stomachs. Let’s give you a quick rundown of our favorites: both Emilia and Iris settled on the Iced Oatmilk Lavender Latte as their top pick, Emilia rating it an 8 while Iris a bit more critical with her 7.5 rating. You’re already familiar with our favorite, so let’s discuss our, by far, least favorite: the Iced Cherry Chai. Some call it a drink, we call it a biohazard. On a more serious note, this drink was genuinely unbearable. Its artificial and overly sweet flavor made it way too overwhelming to sip on casually. Therefore, your takeaway should be to never order this abomination, unless you’re curious of course…we don’t judge. If you made it to the end, thank you so much for your time. We had so much fun writing this article and can’t wait to see you in the next Real Review!

Works Cited

• Encinas, A. (2025, February 24). Starbucks is removing some drinks from its menu in March: See the full list. USA Today. Retrieved February 29, 2025, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2025/02/24/starbucks-removing-drinks-menu/80041504007/
• Featured menu. (n.d.). Starbucks. Retrieved March 10, 2025, from https://www.starbucks.com/menu/featured/