The first thought that always comes to mind whenever Starbucks releases a brand new beverage is usually, “Oooooh! What’s in it?!” Or at least, that’s the case for me — so it’s perhaps unsurprising that I started off today thinking, “Oooooh! What’s in a Starbucks Iced Coconut Milk Macchiato?!” And no, I have no shame. I’m a sucker for a cold coffee treat in the summer; it’s one of those marvelously simple ways to feel totally decadent. Yes please.
First, a few details: Starting Tuesday, July 12 (or, for Starbucks Reward Members, July 11 — which is today, you lucky people, you), the Iced Coconut Milk Mocha Macchiato will be available at Starbucks locations in the United States and Canada. Part of the Starbucks Cold Bar menu, it’s notable for being the first iced espresso beverage created by the company featuring coconut milk. While it’s true that coconut milk at Starbucks isn’t new at this point — the coffee giant began testing it in the fall of 2014 and added it permanently to the selection of milk choices offered in February of 2015 — having a drink built specifically with it in mind is pretty big. You’ll be able to get the Iced Coconut Milk Mocha Macchiato all summer; a 16-ounce Grande will set you back between about $4.95 and $5.25, depending on the market.
OK, yes, all that is well and good — but what’s in the dang thing? In short: Dreamy, creamy, coconut-y deliciousness. Here’s how it breaks down:
1. Chilled Coconut Milk
Duh. It wouldn’t be an Iced Coconut Milk Mocha Macchiato without the iced coconut milk.
2. Espresso
Also duh, because you can’t have an espresso drink without espresso. What makes a macchiato... well, a macchiato is the way the espresso and the milk are combined; in this case, it’s extremely important that the espresso be poured over the milk (not the other way around). When it's done with steamed milk, it results in a little dot of espresso appearing on the surface of the foam — a "mark," if you will. Why does this matter? Because “macchiato” means “marked” — e.g. the milk has been marked by the espresso. Admittedly I’m not sure if espresso marks cold, unsteamed milk in the same way it does the hot stuff, but do with that what you will.
3. Caffeine
For the curious, a Grande Iced Coconut Milk Mocha Macchiato has 150 mg of caffeine.
4. White Chocolate Mocha Sauce
And here’s the last key element of the Iced Coconut Milk Mocha Macchiato: The mocha bit. I appreciate that here, it’s white chocolate mocha; white chocolate is a little more delicate than regular chocolate, flavor-wise, which sounds like it’ll complement the coconut milk nicely.
5. Caramel And Mocha Sauces
If the espresso doesn’t “mark” the cold coconut milk in quite the same way that it does foamy, steamed milk, the finishing touch for the Iced Coconut Milk Mocha Machiatto gets the job done in its stead: According to a press release, “The beverage is finished, or marked, with caramel sauce in a double crosshatch pattern and a swirl of mocha sauce to create five layers of espresso sweetness.” Heck. And yes.
The Iced Coconut Milk Mocha Macchiato will be available at Starbucks all summer long while supplies last. So drink up!
Images: Starbucks; welovedisneyvillains/Tumblr; Giphy (4)
