For the past several weeks, the flavors of fall have been trickling out of Starbucks stores nationwide while wintry favorites like peppermint make their way in.
In addition to the tried-and-true favorites like peppermint mocha and caramel brulee, the chain also debuted a new holiday concoction, and if you're an "always iced even when it's 30 degrees out" kind of gal like I am, it will make you very happy.
The Irish Cream Cold Brew is the latest cast member on the Starbucks holiday lineup. The name might sound familiar, as the drink is a close relative of the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew that made a major name for itself this fall and gave the PSL a run for its money.
While the departure of the PCCB has left a gaping hole in my heart (my local Sbux ran out a few weeks ago), I got up the strength to try filling it with something new.
I was a little skeptical when I asked the barista what she thought of the drink and she said "It's... interesting!" That's like when someone says "They're... nice!" about a person. There's a lot unsaid behind that adjective, and it probably ain't flattering, ya know?
The Irish Cream Cold Brew consists of cold brew with Irish cream syrup and vanilla sweet cream foam. Similar to the consistency of the PCCB, the ICCB is a deep brown color topped with a thick dollop of pillow-like foam that slowly seeps its way down into the rich coffee. (You can see how much the color of the drink changes in these photos, from when I first snapped a pic inside the store, above, to when I captured it again upon my arrival home, at the end of this post.) The beverage is topped off with a generous sprinkling of cocoa powder.
This evolving consistency is something I loved about the PCCB, so I was glad to have the same experience. It gives you the creamy texture of a latte without all the milkiness (thanks to the slowly descending foam), but with the strong taste of cold brew (from, you know, the cold brew).
In addition to the rich coffee flavor, the ICCB is incredibly sweet, bringing to mind the taste of vanilla ice cream. It reminded me of a root beer float, or perhaps more accurately, affogato. It definitely has more sweetness than spice, but thanks to the cold brew, that doesn't mean it lacks a kick. A grande clocks in at 185 mg of caffeine, making it an appropriate beverage to fuel your holiday shopping. It has 19 grams of sugar and 200 calories (compared to the PCCB, that's the same amount of caffeine but a bit less sugar and cals).
I definitely don't adore it the way I did the PCCB, but I think I would order it again. The barista was right, it is... interesting. But that definitely isn't a bad thing.
I'm really glad to see Starbucks innovating when it comes to iced drinks. I can always count on my favorite iced lattes, but as a cold-drink devotee, it's nice to see the brand making iced coffee a priority when it comes to developing new concoctions, especially in the winter months when it seems like creating fun new iced drinks would be the last priority.
So, three cheers for the Irish Cream Cold Brew!
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