I admit, I’m a sucker for Starbucks. I also love to try the new concoctions they add to their menus each season. This is especially true when cold brew is in the mix, as it’s my go-to beverage at Starbucks.
When they added Honey Almondmilk Cold Brew to the menu, I was sold. I like almondmilk normally and I’ve been putting it in coffee drinks for a couple of years. Honey, on the other hand, is not something I typically add to coffee. But I decided to try it anyway.
The honey isn’t just honey. It’s Starbucks’s “honey blend” which contains: honey, water, natural flavors, potassium sorbate, xanthan gum, and citric acid. Beyond that, there’s nothing surprising in the drink. Just cold brew, almondmilk, and ice.
When I tried the drink, it was immediately tasted kind of bitter. With coffee being in the drink, that’s not a shock, but the honey blend likely adds to that. The bitterness lasts a bit longer than I am used to when drinking Starbucks cold brew, and I attribute this to the honey blend. It’s not overbearing, and doesn’t ruin the drink.
If you’re not used to cold brew or almondmilk, you might be expecting a sweeter drink. The Honey Almondmilk Cold Brew is not sweet. Don’t go into it thinking you’ll be drinking a Honey Bun. It’s more of a pure honey flavoring that’s added to the drink. The almondmilk is just regular almondmilk. This means it will have some sugar in it, but not enough for me to find the drink too sweet.
I don’t like cream in coffee, so the almond milk was just right for me. The almondy taste was masked by the cold brew and honey blend, but it does break up the intensity of cold brew. Compared to a drink like the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, this is much stronger. In my eyes, that’s a plus.
Overall, I’d give this drink a 7 out of 10. I enjoyed it, and it was a nice variation on cold brew. This would be especially fun for someone with a dairy intolerance who can’t consume cream-based coffee drinks. However, I’d probably rather just have regular cold brew. Nine times out of ten I’d go for a drink without any flavoring. For the one time out of ten, the Honey Almondmilk Cold Brew is a good contender.