If you haven't been living under a rock for the past few days, you know that Starbucks just introduced two new summer drinks: the Iced Vanilla Bean Coconutmilk Latte, and the Salted Cream Cold Foam Cold Brew. While both sound delicious--and have received rave reviews from fans--what really caught my eye was the "Cold Foam" identifier. I was abroad in South America when this new additional option was added to the Starbucks menu, and now feel like I'm missing out: what exactly is this foam, and why are people obsessed with it?
Similar to usual coffee foam, which is concocted out of steamed milk and is a staple in drinks you can get at any coffee cart, the cold foam at Starbucks is nonfat milk that is blended until it reaches a whipped, fluffy consistency, sort of like making a meringue or whipped cream, only for coffee. That foam is then poured on top of whatever drink you fancy, and while the cold foam was originally introduced with three specific drinks (the Cold Foam Cascara Cold Brew, the Cold Foam Cascara Nitro Cold Brew, and the Cold Foam Starbucks Blonde Iced Cappuccino), you can order the foam with any drink you want!
I wanted to be fully acquainted with the cold foam before writing this article, so I took a trip to Starbucks and ordered the newest member of the Starbucks drink family, the Salted Cream Cold Foam Cold Brew. The drink itself is sweet and delicious (go try it!) but it was the foam that really blew me away. It was like whipping cream, only more fun and drinkable through, not a straw, but a fancy lid. And, dear reader, I loved it. Consider me a cold foam fan from now on!
