Tried And Tested: An Honest Review Of Starbucks' Colored Drinks | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

Tried And Tested: An Honest Review Of Starbucks' Colored Drinks

Finding out what the craze is all about

38
Tried And Tested: An Honest Review Of Starbucks' Colored Drinks
Katie O'Leary

Starbucks has ignited its own rainbow with its social media-influenced colored drink collection. You may have seen the hashtags for the drinks accompany a picture of a vibrant colored Starbucks cup on Instagram, Snapchat, or Twitter.

According to US Weekly, comments by Instagram users regarding the drinks have all been of great praise, complete with numerous thumbs-up emojis. Because this trend seems to be growing viral, I decided to try it myself and share my experience for those like me who wonder what all the fuss is about. Spoiler -- not much.

As a disclaimer, I am not much of a tea drinker. I do not stray far from my Bigelow Red Raspberry tea and I can hold on to a single box of it for more than a year. After reading the ingredients for the #PinkDrink, #GreenDrink, #BlueDrink, #OrangeDrink, and #PurpleDrink, I was a little skeptical about whether I would like any of them when three out of the five drinks listed tea as the main ingredient.

Before I went through with my purchase I did some research to see how legitimate this phenomenon was. Most of the time, it seems when one orders from Starbucks' secret menu, he receives a look of confusion from the barista in reply. An article by The Seattle Times claims that the coffee mogul provided baristas with recipes for each of the festive drinks because of their growing popularity among fans and customers. The recipes were posted to Starbucks' Instagram account last week.

Being that the company itself came up with recipes to create its edible rainbow, I decided to go ahead, drag my mom into the car with me, and try one. My brother, who was wise enough to just go with a mocha frappucino, came along for the ride, but said they sounded gross. We're chocolate lovers in my family--not so much into tea.

With that aside however, my mom looked at the recipes and decided on the #OrangeDrink ("Orange mango juice with vanilla bean powder and a splash of coconut milk") while I dared to try the #BlueDrink ("Iced Passion Tango Tea with no water, sub soy milk and vanilla syrup").

Before ordering, I double checked with the barista if she knew what the colored drinks were and she retorted that she would need me to list the ingredients. This made me think that this colored drink craze isn't as big as I thought it was.

The #OrangeDrink looked as it should: the color of orange juice with vanilla beans floating around the ice cubes. The #BlueDrink though, was not #Blue at all. Pictures showed this...


And I got this...

It's more of just a pale, cloudy pink. Definitely not blue. The #OrangeDrink was actually pretty good. My mom's face contorted at her first sip, however, and she described the taste as being very sharp. I tried it just after taking a sip of my #BlueDrink and, in comparison, it tasted like the best thing in the world.

The #BlueDrink was very watery. I could definitely taste the tea, but it seemed like a background flavor--like an aftertaste. It was a cinnamon taste that I would probably enjoy as a regular hot tea, but mixed together to make the #BlueDrink it was nearly tasteless and even difficult to drink.

However, it is difficult to judge as these are drinks not officially on Starbucks' menu and not each location will make it the same. While I will never order the #BlueDrink again, the #OrangeDrink seems like the refreshing partner to your morning bagel. It's something I would consider buying again if I were really in the mood for it, and saved me from swearing off the colored drinks entirely. If I'm feeling really adventurous one day, I may even try a different color. But for now, I think I'll stick to my grande vanilla iced coffee with half and half and sugar.
Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

The Daily Struggles of Being a College Commuter

It's not all morning coffees and singing along to the radio.

678
The Daily Struggles of Being a College Commuter
morethanwheels

I've been in college for four years now. I spent half my time as a commuter and half as a resident so I've experienced both sides of the housing spectrum. One thing I've learned comparing the two is that my struggles as a commuter far outweigh anything I went through while living on campus. Commuters have to deal with the problems school brings along with a slew of other issues; I've filled up my gas tank in the worst kind of weather conditions and napped in random places in public more times than I'm proud to say of. This is a list of some of the most challenging aspects of being a commuter.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

15 Times Michael Scott's Life Was Worse Than Your Life

Because have you ever had to endure grilling your foot on a George Foreman?

3439
Michael Scott
NBC

Most of the time, the world's (self-proclaimed) greatest boss is just that, the greatest. I mean, come on, he's Michael Freakin' Scott after all! But every once in a while, his life hits a bit of a speed bump. (or he actually hits Meredith...) So if you personally are struggling through a hard time, you know what they say: misery loves company! Here are 15 times Michael Scott's life was worse than your life:

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

12 Midnight NYE: Fun Ideas!

This isn't just for the single Pringles out there either, folks

17690
Friends celebrating the New Years!
StableDiffusion

When the clock strikes twelve midnight on New Year's Eve, do you ever find yourself lost regarding what to do during that big moment? It's a very important moment. It is the first moment of the New Year, doesn't it seem like you should be doing something grand, something meaningful, something spontaneous? Sure, many decide to spend the moment on the lips of another, but what good is that? Take a look at these other suggestions on how to ring in the New Year that are much more spectacular and exciting than a simple little kiss.

Keep Reading...Show less
piano
Digital Trends

I am very serious about the Christmas season. It's one of my favorite things, and I love it all from gift-giving to baking to the decorations, but I especially love Christmas music. Here are 11 songs you should consider adding to your Christmas playlists.

Keep Reading...Show less
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments