Starbucks Caramel Flan Latte, reviewed

The Caramel Flan Latte is the newest seasonal addition to Starbucks’ menu. The drink is inspired by flan, a delicious custard and caramel dessert. It is aimed at fans of caramel frappuccinos and Caramel Brulee Lattes, according the the baristas at one of my local Starbucks stores. I love flan, especially the dark, bittersweet caramel sauce that tops it, so I thought that this was an interesting idea for a drink. Flans tend not to be too sweet and I was hoping that the drink would have a good caramel flavor without an intense sweetness, even though the baristas did tell me that it was on the sweet side.

I was pleasantly surprised by the latte, as it wasn’t as sweet as I expected it to be. It had a smooth caramel flavor that wasn’t overwhelming and didn’t completely overshadow the espresso in the drink. It was topped with whipped cream and a drizzle of dark caramel sauce that definitely had that bittersweet, dark caramel flavor as opposed to the rich butteriness of the regular caramel sauce. The whipped cream is supposed to be a caramel whipped cream, but I opted for regular whipped cream since I thought that the extra layer of caramel might just be too much for me. The drink is also available as a frappuccino, if you prefer your caramel cold.

I was a fan, but as with most caramel drinks, I wouldn’t mind having this one with an extra shot of espresso to make the coffee flavor of the drink stand out just a little bit more. That said, I’ll definitely think about ordering another Caramel Flan Latte when I’m in the mood for something sweet.