Is it getting hot in here or is it just Starbucks’ new spicy drink lineup? Yes, you read that right. Starbucks is getting spicy! Just in time for the warm spring weather, Starbucks has released three new Spicy Lemonade Refreshers and a Spicy Cream Cold Foam. Read on for everything you need to know plus our honest review and ranking of the Starbucks Spicy Lemonade Refreshers and the Spicy Cream Cold Foam.
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What are the Starbucks Spicy Lemonade Refreshers?
Spicy is so hot right now. And by that, we mean it’s trending. According to Starbucks and Google search data, the term swicy (which is a portmanteau for sweet and spicy) has seen many search spikes over the past five years. From hot honey to spicy margaritas, Gen Z and Millenials can’t get enough of the sweet and spicy combo. Starbucks saw this and decided to fuel the fire by turning up the heat on their popular lemonade refreshers.
The Spicy Lemonade Refreshers are available in three flavours — Spicy Strawberry, Spicy Dragonfruit and Spicy Pineapple. Each drink features the sweet flavours of fruit, real chunks of fruit, zesty lemonade and Starbucks’ new Chili Powder blend to add a kick. Here is our ranking of the new drinks from our least favourite to favourite.
Related: We Rank the New Starbucks Frozen Lemonades From Best to Worst
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Spicy Pineapple Lemonade Refresher
Pineapple and passionfruit flavours are shaken with ice, pineapple pieces, lemonade and Starbucks Spicy Chili Powder Blend to create this bevy. In general, we are not the biggest fans of pineapple-flavoured drinks so it didn’t shock us that this was our least favourite new Starbucks menu item. We were getting more of a spicy and sour mix rather than sweet, so it was not a flavour combo we would typically go for. However, we did find this the least spicy of the three new offerings, so if you feel like you can’t take the heat, the Spicy Pineapple Lemonade Refresher might be for you.
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Spicy Strawberry Lemonade Refresher
The Spicy Strawberry Lemonade Refresher consists of strawberry and acai shaken with ice, strawberry pieces, lemonade and Starbucks Spicy Chili Powder Blend. This one was sweet, thanks to the strawberry, while the lemonade offered zesty tartness to offset the sweet and spicy. This drink turned up the heat a bit more than the Spicy Pineapple Lemonade Refresher and we actually thought it was the perfect amount of spice. Although this one was not our number one favourite, in terms of flavour, we do think this is the one we’d most likely order again. It was mildly spicy and had the perfect blend of spicy, sweet, tart and zesty.
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Spicy Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher
With mango and dragonfruit flavours shaken with ice, dragonfruit pieces, lemonade and Starbucks Spicy Chili Powder Blend, the Spicy Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher comes out on top for us. This was definitely the spiciest of the three and had our eyes watering. We also loved the combination of the tropical mango and dragonfruit with those spicy notes from the spice blend. We felt like we were on a tropical vacation! If you want to add a different kind of kick, we think this drink would be incredible with a shot of gin or tequila. Now that is spicing it up!
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What is the Spicy Cream Cold Foam?
In addition to the new Spicy Lemonade Refreshers, Starbucks is heating up thanks to the new Spicy Cream Cold Foam. The new Spicy Chili Powder Blend is combined with the classic creamy cold foam for a unique sip on top of your favourite iced beverage.
How does the Spicy Cream Cold Foam taste?
We tried the Spicy Cream Cold Foam on top of cold brew and we loved how it gave the coffee a kick. Cold brew can often be quite strong, so adding cold foam creates some sweetness. The Spicy Cream Cold Foam is perfect with that. Some sips are mild, some are sweet and some are hot hot hot! It’s kind of like playing roulette every time you sip your coffee.
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How much are the Starbucks Spicy drinks?
Depending on your region, a grande Spicy Lemonade Refresher retails for about $6. The Spicy Cream Cold Foam can be added to any of your favourite cold drinks for an additional $1.
Where can I find the Starbucks Spicy drinks?
You can order the Spicy Lemonade Refreshers and the Spicy Cream Cold Foam in-store or through the Starbucks app.