We Ranked Every Drink on the Starbucks Menu

The weather is warming up across the country as we move into spring, and Starbucks is pouring up a slew of refreshing iced treats. There are currently 34 drinks on its ever-changing menu, and infinite ways to customize them. But, admit it: you've probably only had a fraction. Despite my embarrassing math SAT score, even I know a fraction of 34 isn't a lot, so to help you break the chains of habit, I've compiled this constantly updated ranking of every single drink on the Starbucks menu. Perhaps you'll read it and find something new you want to try. Or perhaps you'll think I'm wrong about everything. Let's find out together!

But first, a few ground rules:

• While you might be able to order drinks not found here, please note that this is limited to items that specifically appear on the in-store Starbucks menu boards. The list will be updated frequently to reflect menu changes.
• I've included the hot and iced versions of drinks (such as the coffee) only when Starbucks lists both on its menu. Otherwise this ranking would be very long and very boring.
• I didn't customize the drinks in any way, so that I could experience them as Starbucks intended.
• All the drinks' nutritional info is based on a 16-ounce Grande size.

34. Strawberry Acai Starbucks Refreshers

I'm deathly allergic to strawberries, which is 99% of this drink. But I put aside my severe allergic reaction to strawberries and took a sip of this. It was great! JK, I never tried it. If Superman were a skinny Delawarean, strawberries would be his kryptonite.

33. Pink Drink

If you want to enjoy this Strawberry Acai Refreshers drink with coconutmilk, go forth! It looks delicious! But sadly, I cannot partake. (Read my blurb on Strawberry Acai.)

32. Very Berry Hibiscus Starbucks Refreshers

I’m not saying I broke out into hives when I read the name of this drink, but I’m not saying I didn’t either. I’m going to name the actual blackberries used in the making of it. It also has white grape juice concentrate and green coffee extract, if you’re into that sort of thing.

31. Iced White Chocolate Mocha

I like a hot White Chocolate Mocha on a cold, gloomy day. It warms the soul, and it’s a nice change of pace from plain old mochas. But to me, this doesn’t have the rich, white chocolate notes that I want from a Starbucks drink. It’s a flat drink (and not the good kind, like the exceptionally tasty Flat White). That’s probably because it’s cold. I think it depends on what you expect from white chocolate—after drinking this, I’ve determined that I want it to warm me up, not cool me off.

30. Starbucks Cold Brew

This is fine. It tastes perfectly smooth. But there are so many fun variations on this drink—especially where it’s topped with cold foam—that to order this might actually be a waste of a trip to Starbucks.

29. Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew

This drink contains 330mg of sodium. Perhaps they should rename it SALTED Caramel Cream Cold Brew to make people more aware of the tidal wave of salt coming their way in each sip.

28. Cinnamon Dolce Latte

I can’t help but feel like this should be a drink on the holiday menu. Nothing against a cinnamon dolce topping every once in a while, but it just feels like that time has passed, Starbucks!

27. Honey Oatmilk Latte

For anyone who wants to switch up the non-dairy milk in their daily Starbucks drink, this honey-tinged latte featuring Oatly oatmilk is a solid option. But since you only have one mouth, you should save it for an even better oatmilk drink option on the menu, and it’s coming up later in this ranking.

26. Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino

How can a Frappuccino with both mocha (!) and cookies (!) be ranked 26th? When it’s an unforgiving sugar bomb that makes me want to text my dentist, “I’m sorry for drinking this.” Strangely, the Mocha Frapp has about the same amount of sugar, but tastes way, way, way less cavity-inducing.  

25. Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino

I’ve been vocal in my disapproval of all things caramel at Starbucks. And yet, this isn’t a bad way to feature caramel flavors in a drink—the vanilla whipped cream, coffee, and dark caramel sauce all work well in concert. My one gripe is the “crunch” aspect of the drink. At no point did I get the joy of crunching on a “crunchy caramelized topping.” There’s certainly a layer of something on the whipped cream, but if you’re imagining some sort of Honey Bunches of Oats type jam on the top of this Frapp, you won’t find it here.

24. Iced Caramel Macchiato

Easily the cream of the crop of the iced caramel drinks. Espresso-forward with a hint of vanilla sweetness. The caramel comes in the form of Starbucks’ sweet, buttery sauce—added last in a crosshatch pattern on top. It’s my favorite caramel drink overall.

23. Cappuccino

Going to Starbucks and ordering a cappuccino is like going to a Starbucks and... ordering a cappuccino. What are you doing?! There are Frappuccinos and Mango Dragonfruit drinks to order!

22. Almondmilk Honey Flat White

I was psyched to try this one, but after a couple sips I kept wondering, “When am I going to taste the honey?” There’s a little honey mid-sip and in the finish, but it’s entirely too subtle, which is not something you can often say at Starbucks. One surprise is how well the Flat White works with the almondmilk.

21. Caffè Americano

Starbucks coffee greatly benefits from a splash of milk and a little sugar. And you know what? When I drink this, I miss those ingredients. 

20. Dark Roast

This roast changes over the course of the year, but when I go into the ‘Bucks I’d rather drink something like a Mocha Frappuccino.

19. Blonde Roast

This roast also changes seasonally. It’s tasty, but it makes me want a Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew.

18. Medium Roast

This roast is always reserved for Pike Place. This is my favorite of the drip coffees (though in the afternoon, there's a location near me that switches to pour-over). Starbucks says it has “subtly rich flavors of cocoa and toasted nuts.” It makes me want a Caffè Mocha.

17. Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino

Nutritional info: 370 calories, 53 grams sugar

I think I used to be more of a vanilla person growing up, but now I'm squarely in the chocolate camp. 10-year-old me would've lost his mind over this. Significantly older, current me (who has successfully gone through puberty!) thinks this is vanilla overload.

16. Nitro Cold Brew

Starbucks cans this drink and sells it in supermarkets and convenience stores. It’s tasty! So what’re you doing ordering this in one of its coffeeshops?! Go nuts and get it topped with vanilla sweet cream.

15. Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso

The Doubleshot on Ice is a near-perfect coffee offering from the colossal mermaid, so the idea of adding almondmilk and chocolate malt powder into the mix seemed like a good idea on the surface. The execution leaves a lot to be desired, as I’m not sure anyone at Starbucks wanted to develop a drink that tastes like watery chocolate milk someone accidentally spilled coffee into. One unfortunate aspect to the drink is that it was released on the same day as an Oatly-infused Shaken Espresso. Oatly also produces a chocolate oat milk that—given the right recipe development—could be delicious with a shot or two of espresso. Get on it, Starbucks.

14. Flat White

While this tastes like a glass of warm milk with coffee flavoring to me, it actually has plenty of espresso—two ristretto shots and steamed whole milk. Whatever's in it, it's delicious. You also get a smooth and not-at-all bitter coffee finish. So much warm milk you'll want to go to bed after drinking this. Also, my colleague was shown how Starbucks makes these, which is pretty cool.

13. Mango Dragonfruit Starbucks Refreshers

This is not a drink so much as a beacon in a cup with ice and a straw. It says to everyone who walks by you, "I just bought a wine-colored drink from Starbucks that has fruit in it!" It begs to be Instagrammed. Oh, and there are seeds from the dragonfruit (and actual dragonfruit!) floating around in there. You can't miss them. The flavor is tropical as the look and name of the drink promises. Despite the fact that dragonfruit has its fruitprints all over this, mango is what lingers on your palate before fading away. But that photo you posted to Instagram? That, my friends, stays forever.

12. Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew

It's incredible what a little splash of Starbucks' sweet cream can do to elevate its regular cold brew. That sweetness cuts through the bitterness, but isn't overpowering. As an added bonus, it's pretty trippy to watch the cream spread out in the ultra-dark coffee.

11. Dragon Drink

This drink looks like a secret menu drink based on a Hello Kitty color pattern. And it tastes like it looks -- saccharine sweet, but with a not unpleasant mango and coconut milk finish. It's more mango-forward than you'd expect for something that looks like this to be. Perfect for mango lovers and fans of a Lilly Pulitzer aesthetic.

10. Kiwi Starfruit Starbucks Refreshers

Look down at this drink and you might find yourself wondering: What are those black spots doing in my beautiful, key lime-hued drink? Why, those are chunks of kiwi, friend! But before you start flashing back to hating orange juice with pulp back in your younger days, know that this is a different drink altogether. It’s crisp, sweet and tropical, and you won’t even mind encountering those tasty kiwi bites. And while starfruit gets top billing along with kiwi here, know that it’s the kiwi flavors that’ll linger delightfully on your palate. 

9. Star Drink

The new naming convention at Starbucks is one word followed by the word Drink. Behold: Pink Drink, Dragon Drink, and now, Star Drink. Star differs from the Kiwi Starfruit Starbucks Refreshers on one aspect—it takes the summery drink and adds a layer of rich coconutmilk for even more tropical flavors. And it benefits greatly from the addition of the milk. The kiwi and the coconutmilk blend beautifully. Sipping on something this fruity from Starbucks makes me wonder if they’re secretly turning into a Jamba when no one’s looking.

8. Honey Citrus Mint Tea

Can you imagine if you were the first person to ever order a Jade Citrus Mint green tea mixed with Peach Tranquility tea, hot water, steamed lemonade, and honey? Well, someone did (was it you???), it got posted to the internet, ordered a billion more times, and now it’s on the menu. I didn’t invent it, but I’m glad someone did because this is a wondrous tea concoction that benefits from the delightful interplay of lemonade and honey. And drinking it when you feel like a cold is coming on feels like a smart idea.

7. Chai Latte

I used to order this chai before I'd go in to work an early shift at Barnes and Noble. This was a decade ago, back when people were still reading books made out of paper. That chai gave me the energy to correctly alphabetize all the Margaret Atwood novels. The drink hasn't changed since then, and after drinking one, I'm pretty sure I could still remember to shelve Alias Grace before The Blind Assassin.

6. Iced Pineapple Matcha Coconutmilk Drink

Sometimes I’ll read the description of a Starbucks drink and have a visceral reaction to it. “Our premium matcha green tea shaken with flavors of pineapple and ginger along with coconutmilk and ice…” made me certain I was going to regret taking a huge sip. But the pineapple ginger syrup laced into this cold treat makes all the difference, brightening up the earthy notes of the iced matcha. And with 80mg of caffeine, it gives you about a cup of coffee’s worth of energy to power you through an afternoon slump.

5. Caffè Latte

Steamed milk, espresso. You get a layer of foam on top. I love when the foam hits your top lip, supporting it like a little milk pillow as you draw warm espresso into your mouth. I'm a little shocked I liked this more than some of their flavored lattes, especially considering my well-documented childlike love for sugary flavors, but this simple drink delivers.

4. Nitro Cold Brew with Sweet Cream

Like the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew, but even creamier, thanks to the addition of nitro cold brew. If you’re watching your sugar intake, there’s also a little less sugar because it removes the vanilla syrup. But don’t worry, you still get vanilla sweet cream in this sucker.

3. Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso

Plain old oat milk is delicious in coffee. But the oat milk that Oatly produces is next-level, and it’s an ideal pairing for Starbucks java. If you’ve never tried Oatly before, expect waves of creaminess that don’t overpower the strong coffee and brown sugar notes with a hint of cinnamon. We dare you to find a non-dairy milk aftertaste in this drink, one that’s ruined many an iced almond or soy milk latte. With only 13 grams of sugar and 255mg of caffeine (that’s about 2.5 cups of drip coffee!), this drink squarely fits in the category of Perfect Afternoon Drink to Make Sure You Don’t Fall Asleep During Your Boss’s Mandatory 4 pm Zoom.

2. Iced Peach Green Tea Lemonade

This is delightfully peachy. It's like taking a bite of a peach and then eating a few spoonfuls of sugar to help that peach go down, just like Mary Poppins told us (we're paraphrasing). I taste absolutely no green tea whatsoever in this, and I don't mind it much. Tastes like a plain old peach lemonade. Is that even a widely available thing? It is now.

1. Caffè Mocha

Ooo, adult hot chocolate! I want to fill my bathtub up with it, cover myself in marshmallows, and spend the day... sitting in the tub eating marshmallows. Is this drink a movie on Cinemax at 2 am? Because it has positively sinful mocha notes. And it’s the best dang drink at Starbucks right now.

Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email and subscribe here for our YouTube channel to get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun.