Starbucks' New Drinks Are Inspired by a Nostalgic Summer Flavor — Here's My Honest Review
It oddly works.
Image Courtesy of Starbucks
Following the influx of banana-flavored drinks, 2026 is continuing its fruity focus. Starbucks is declaring orange cream the flavor of the summer, releasing a new array of drinks inspired by the childhood favorite flavor.
What's on Starbucks’ Orange Cream menu?
Orange cream is the latest flavor to be roped into the “newstalgia” trend.
"For many people, orange cream is associated with the feeling of summer," Kris Murray, Starbucks Senior Product Developer, said in a press release. "It can evoke childhood nostalgia and familiar moments like enjoying freezer pops, peeling oranges or spending time outdoors during the summer moments.”
While the idea of coffee with orange may be a headscratcher for some, topping orange juice with a shot of espresso is already a thing, known as “bumble coffee” or an “espresso sunrise.”
According to Murray, the Starbucks team tested several citrus to find the right orange taste, settling on a combination of tangerine and mandarin flavors.
Starbucks’ Orange Cream menu features five new drinks:
- Orange Cream Cold Brew: Starbucks cold brew topped with orange cream cold foam.
- Iced Orange Cream Latte: Blonde espresso, milk and ice with orange-vanilla flavors.
- Iced Orange Cream Matcha: Matcha, milk and ice, topped with orange cream cold foam.
- Iced Orange Cream Chai: Spiced chai, milk and ice, topped with orange cream cold foam.
- Orange Cream Frappuccino: Sweet orange-vanilla flavors blended with milk and ice, poured over a layer of whipped cream.
When will Starbucks’s Orange Cream menu be available?
The summer Orange Cream menu will be available for a limited time starting July 28.
What else is new at Starbucks?
Timed with the launch of Orange Cream, the coffeehouse is also releasing new merchandise evoking the fun of summer road trips. The collection is in collaboration with Dandy, a Southern California-based brand known for its travel-inspired hoodies.
Sabrina Choudhary
My honest review of Starbucks’s Orange Cream drinks:
I tried three of the drinks at a media preview in New York last month.
The cold foam struck the right balance, capturing the nostalgic orange cream flavor but keeping the adult palate (not too sweet or overpowering). It complemented each drink I tried in a surprising yet delightful way. As someone who never would’ve ordered an orange cream drink of my own volition, I’ll be coming back for more. Here are my thoughts:
- Orange Cream Cold Brew: Think of a stereotypical American breakfast. Do you smell fresh orange juice and a pot of coffee brewing? That’s what this tastes like. The acidity of the orange and coffee blend well, and the bright, sweet cold foam cuts the coffee’s bitterness. A refreshing summer drink to start your day.
- Iced Orange Cream Chai: The spiced chai and citrus come together to resemble orange pekoe tea or a spiced Christmas drink. Sweet and wonderfully delicious.
- Iced Matcha Orange Cream Latte: The earthiness of the matcha naturally complements the fresh orange. The cold foam buffer may even win over some matcha skeptics.
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