It’s a new year and Starbucks is celebrating with a new drink. The coffee company has brought back its winter menu to keep you warm in the cold. With that also comes a new permanent menu item, and a first for the brand. Read on to find out what is new and what is returning to the Starbucks menu for winter 2025 plus our review.
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What are the winter drinks at Starbucks?
Returning to the Starbucks menu for the winter are their Pistachio drinks. Both the Pistachio Latte and the Pistachio Cream Cold Brew have made a comeback for winter 2025. Returning to the food side is the heart sugar cookie and the Valentine’s cake pop. Sounds like winter is about to be sweet! Especially since a new drink and two new food items are joining these returning favourites. The new items include a cortado, maple mini pancakes and a Belgian liege waffle.
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Does Starbucks have a cortado?
They do now! For the first time in almost 10 years, Starbucks is introducing a new core hot espresso beverage to the menu and it is the cortado. A cortado is an espresso-based drink with an equal ratio of milk to espresso. It is also made with ristretto shots of espresso, which are espresso shots made with less water and a shorter extraction time. This leads to a richer and more concentrated coffee flavour in the espresso, plus more caffeine. Sounds like we have our new go-to drink before a night out! That’s because a cortado is equal parts espresso and milk and it is only available in a short size and hot.
Starbucks is celebrating the launch of its new drink with a special twist on the classic cortado and that is the Brown Sugar Oat Cortado.
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What does the Brown Sugar Oat Cortado taste like?
If you are a fan of the Iced Brown Sugar Oat Shaken Espresso but crave a hot take on it, you will surely like this. It is sweet and smooth, thanks to the brown sugar and ristretto shots. The cinnamon on top adds a hint of spice that blends well with the other flavours. We like this take on the cortado because it is not as intense as drinking a shot of espresso or plain cortado, but it still has a wonderful espresso taste. Finally, we love that the Brown Sugar Oat Cortado only comes in a short size. It gives you that kick of caffeine without a large drink, so it’s short and sweet!
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What is the difference between a cortado and a flat white at Starbucks?
How much is the Starbucks cortado?
Depending on your region, a short cortado retails for about $4 and the Brown Sugar Oat Cortado retails for about $5.
Where can I find the Starbucks cortado?
You can order the Starbucks cortado in-store or through the Starbucks app.