Starbucks Smoked Butterscotch Latte, reviewed

Yesterday, Starbucks released two new drinks for their spring menu: the Smoked Butterscotch Latte and the Teavana® Citrus Green Tea Latte. I heard good things about the green tea latte, but I’m more of a butterscotch fan myself and was looking forward to giving that one a try the next time I was in a store.

The latte is made with a butterscotch syrup that has a hint of smoke to it. Butterscotch is essentially caramel that is made with brown sugar and butter, and you can taste both clearly here. If you like butterscotch, the drink is very good. It has a real butterscotch flavor that comes through the creamy latte without being too sweet. You’ll get hints of the smoke on the finish of the drink, but the butterscotch is more dominant. At first, I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get more smoke, but soon realized that a subtle flavor was much better than a latte that tastes like barbecue. The drink comes with whipped cream, but I would recommend skipping it. The whipped cream dampens the flavor of the smokey butterscotch and, without the creamy topping, the drink has a surprisingly sophisticated flavor.

If you want to try an at-home version of this drink, consider making my Salted Butterscotch Latte.