The new Juniper Latte at Starbucks: A deep dive
About one minute after Halloween ended, Starbucks began their annual holiday takeover, vanquishing all traces of pumpkin spice and covering every square inch of their shops with bold red, non-denominational cheer. Yearly staples like the eggnog latte and peppermint mocha made a return, along with a bizarre new entry: the juniper latte. The coffee giant rolled out several new seasonal beverages this year including the Unicorn Frappuccino and Witch’s Brew, the latter of which boasted a whopping 59 grams of sugar. The new juniper drink departs from these earlier launches, whose vibrant-coloured base and sprinkle-topped whipped cream mountains were made for Instagram feeds. This more-adult brew is a standard latte with a pump or two of juniper-flavoured syrup. Juniper plants, which resemble rosemary herbs with small blue berries, are best known as a primary ingredient in gin. But don’t plan to ring in the New Year with this creamy concoction just yet. While the brand’s official marketing describes the taste as pine-citrus, in reality the aroma is more closely reminiscent of herbed focaccia. Each mouthful is a battling combination of mint and rosemary with undertones of espresso, reminding the consumer that under the frothy milk and slightly artificial traces, this is indeed a coffee beverage. If you’ve ever found yourself perusing fresh herbs in the produce aisle while sipping caffeine and wishing you could combine the two experiences, this brew is your dream. Others may wonder why the corporate giant chose the unique taste for their newest holiday addition. Social media reviews have been mixed, though company PR folks must surely prefer the chatter over the yearly outrage over its iconic red cups, which experience elevated levels of scrutiny each season, despite their increased efforts to create the most inoffensive designs possible. Perhaps this year’s patterns – there’s a green cup! – are a subtle homage to their newest plant-based flavor. Regardless, if you’re desperately seeking festive flavours, it would be best to skip this novelty brew and grab an old classic.
