Starbucks’ New Items Are A Delicious Way To Hit Your Protein Goals

A person’s coffee order is typically a deeply personal preference, especially when it’s a Starbucks order. Even with its wide-ranging menu of options, it can be easy to stay in your comfort zone and keep going back to what you know. Whether it’s a non-fussy classic or an 11-line customized concoction, it’s admittedly hard to break the habit once you’ve settled in. But every so often, Starbucks will offer up a subtly revolutionary add-on to its menu that just might get you out of your comfort zone.

This month, the ubiquitous coffee chain is launching a brand new set of products with its Protein Beverages. And you won’t even have to wait: These new menu items will go live as of the morning rush on Sept. 29 at all locations across the United States and Canada as part of the year-round menu. As the name suggests, these will add a significant protein boost to your morning (or afternoon pick-me-up) beverage, thanks to a fortified Cold Foam or a Protein Latte.

Last week, I was invited to a bustling Starbucks location in Manhattan to sample these additions before they went live to the public. As an admitted no-frills coffee drinker, I was genuinely impressed by how well these new items worked with a wide range of beverage flavors. Here’s what you can expect when your local barista hands you one of these new drinks.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Never one to slack on innovation, Starbucks has developed at least two brand-new ways to enjoy your brew with a nutritional boost: Protein Lattes and Protein Cold Foam Drinks. As the name suggests, the products are made using a premium whey to deliver a significant boost of protein, with some combinations reaching up to 36 grams per 16-ounce grande serving.

The inaugural lineup includes a set of dedicated drinks, including Iced Vanilla Cream Protein Latte, Chocolate Cream Protein Cold Brew, and the brand-new Iced Banana Cream Protein Matcha on the cold foam side. For the Protein Lattes, there’s a Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Matcha, Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Latte, Protein Matcha, and Vanilla Protein Matcha, which are all available either iced or hot.

But don’t worry if you’re not sold on those combinations: Customers can also add Protein Cold Foam to their beverage of choice (for $2 at most stores) in vanilla, sugar-free vanilla, chocolate, matcha, salted caramel, brown sugar, a brand-new banana-flavored option, and a plain no-sugar-added foam for an added 15 grams of protein per grande drink. You can also opt to add Protein-boosted milk (which is batched in-store each day by baristas using 2% milk and whey) to any hot or cold beverage for $1. This will get you 12 to 16 brands of added protein, depending on the beverage and any customizations, but it’s not available in any drinks where dairy milk is not part of the recipe.

I started the tasting lineup with a sip of Iced Vanilla Cream Protein Latte, and was immediately impressed. As anyone who has ever picked up a rigorous post-workout supplement routine will understand, I was expecting to be immediately overwhelmed by the chalky, roasted challah-like flavor of whey protein. Instead, what I got was a beautiful coffee beverage with a rich, creamy head that added to the silkiness of the latte with each sip. When I then realized the drink in my hand could get me 26 grams of protein, I was nothing short of floored.

I then moved on to the Chocolate Cream Protein Cold Brew, sporting a frothier chocolate head that looked more like a frappe than a typical coffee drink. Perhaps because of the cold brew base, I immediately realized this might become a new order for me, as the barely sweet foam topper mixed with the bitter black coffee below to create a nearly perfect balance (along with 19 grams of protein).

But if I’m being honest, my favorite of the group (and maybe even the entire tasting) was the new Iced Banana Cream Protein Matcha. While it probably won’t become my everyday order, I was blown away by how perfectly the two flavors complement one another, hitting the tongue with a velvety texture and begging for another sip. If there’s a more enjoyable way to get 24 grams of protein into your daily intake, I’d be surprised.

I started the next lineup (which was served to me iced) with a sip of the Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Latte, and was glad I did: Here was that rush of whey flavor I was expecting, upfront on the palate and lingering through the finish. This was my least favorite, finishing with that all too familiar dull faux sweetness that has never hit my palate the right way. Still, at 27 or 29 grams for the iced or hot version, respectively, it was far from the worst way to get a decent dose of protein. While I wasn’t able to try the Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Matcha Latte, I’d be willing to wager that flavor combination is worth the 28 to 36 grams of protein you get in a grande.

Once I moved on to the Protein Matcha Latte, I realized I had found yet another potential new order. The silky texture and bright, grassy matcha completely masked any hint of whey flavor (to the point where I had to ask if they had served me the right drink), even though it was packing 28 grams of protein (or 36 in the hot version). With the Vanilla Protein Latte as my kicker, I was left feeling like I was finishing on a high note, thanks to the delectably rich flavor profile that tasted like a perfectly balanced dessert — that is, if desserts could have 27 to 29 grams of protein.

With all of the flavor combinations available in the new items alone, I was still curious how a no-frills coffee drinker like myself might take advantage of this potential protein boost. Luckily, I was able to sample the Plain Protein Cold Foam add-on served over my typical go-to cold brew. The thick, moussy head looked more like a properly poured Guinness in a coffee cup when it got to me before feathery wisps of the white foam began to work their way into the obsidian-colored coffee below.

It was in that instant that I realized I might’ve found a new favorite coffee order at Starbucks. The unsweetened cold foam provided the perfect counterbalance to the bitter cold brew as they mixed with each sip, making a drink I already know and love even better. I was also pleased to find that this format also almost entirely masked any whey flavor, even in the aftertaste. Even beyond being an enjoyably delicious coffee, it’s also maybe one of the easiest ways to get 15 grams of protein I’ve ever tried.

As someone who rarely adds anything more than ice to their black coffee order, the idea of ordering a latte or a foamy add-on to my coffee has long felt like a decadent, occasional treat. But it didn’t take me too long into the new Protein Latte and Protein Cold Foam lineups to realize that Starbucks was seriously onto something.

While the prospect of extra protein alone might make these drinks a more likely order option for me in the future, I’ll probably still be enticed to break my staid go-to order of black coffee for another one of these delectable beverages — especially the Iced Banana Cream Protein Matcha Latte. But even then, the ease of adding on the Protein Cold Foam or Protein-boosted milk means there are now ample opportunities to try this in practically any format you’d like. Personally, this feels like a winning formula for Starbucks that will probably get me coming back more often.