My Starbucks Early Spring 2026 Menu Review

Late winter brought a flood of early spring ingredients to Starbucks' menu: a new chai recipe, coconut foam and syrup, and the return of lavender cold foam for your chai and lattes. The Iced Ube Coconut Macchiato looked particularly intriguing, and since I still had some gift card money left over from Christmas, I decided to review a few drinks and the limited-edition Frog Cake Pop.

As always, this is an honest, non-sponsored review of Starbucks menu items. I ordered and reviewed the drinks as-is without alterations. Starbucks drinks are famously sweet, so if you're worried about the sugar content, I advise asking the employees to use less syrup in your order.

Ready for spring? Let's get started.

1. Iced Ube Coconut Macchiato

Iced Ube Coconut Macchiato offers layers of ice, milk, espresso and toasted coconut syrup, topped off with ube cold foam and coconut flakes. If you're not familiar with ube, it's a Filipino purple yam that appears in a variety of sweet and savory dishes. Since coconut is another popular ingredient in Asian drinks and desserts, this seemed like the perfect pairing for the ube-flavored cream.

I was looking forward to trying the ube foam more than any other ingredient, but when I took a sip, the espresso overpowered the foam and minimized its impact. Luckily, the milk eased the bitterness and gave the espresso a rich, velvety flavor that reminded me of bookstore coffee shops, like the ones you used to find in Borders.

Most of the coconut syrup lingered at the bottom of the cup. The flavor was a little artificial (I wondered how this drink would've fared with coconut milk or cream), but it added a tropical fruitiness that paired surprisingly well with the warm espresso. Coffee is usually an "autumn" drink, but this recipe gave it a summery twist.

I wasn't a huge fan of the coconut flakes--the crunchiness detracted from the drink's creamy texture--but overall, this was the best Starbucks order I'd had in a while. The milk, espresso and coconut syrup blended together perfectly to create a cool, refreshing treat. The only downside is that I wish the ube flavor were stronger instead of a mild afterthought.

2. Iced Lavender Cream Chai

The concept behind Iced Lavender Cream Chai sounded fairly simple: iced chai and milk with a cap of lavender-flavored foam. Before the release, Starbucks had revamped their chai recipe to create a new blend that includes cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and honey. This change has been controversial, with many guests complaining that their chai is too watery.

Maybe it varies across different stores, because I had the opposite experience. The spices in this drink were almost a little too strong, leaving a faint burning sensation in my throat. While the lavender foam added earthy, floral notes, the taste was too mild to make a real impact.

Still, I enjoyed this drink. It's cool and refreshing, and lavender pairs surprisingly well with the toasty chai spices. However, a lot of people aren't fans of the new recipe, and you'll have to request more syrup if you prefer a sugary drink.

3. Iced Lavender Cream Matcha

Iced Lavender Cream Matcha looked like another straightforward drink: Starbucks' usual matcha recipe, but with a cap of lavender foam. As you can see from the photo, the baristas skimped on the foam when they made my drink. The lavender cream was in there, but it took some effort to find.

With a floral flavor that reminded me of freshly washed linens, I thought the lavender was a decent pairing for the matcha, which had a smooth, sweet flavor and a bitter aftertaste. Still, like the chai, it didn't add anything mindblowing. Lavender syrup probably would've made a bigger impact.

This beverage is also heavy on sweet syrups, and at times, I felt like I was drinking a matcha-flavored milkshake. It's a nice, creamy treat, but if you're a matcha purist, I'd probably skip this one.

4. Toasted Coconut Cream Cold Brew

Toasted Coconut Cream Cold Brew pairs iced coffee with vanilla syrup, toasted coconut flakes and toasted coconut cream cold foam. While other caps tend to melt into the drink, this cap maintained a solid white layer that dripped into the coffee, creating whitish streaks like a painting.

This drink looked appealing, but the coffee was so overwhelming that I didn't enjoy it as much as the other menu options. If you're a coffee lover, you'll probably appreciate the warm, toasty flavor with dark chocolate notes. Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the bitterness and wished the drink included milk or cream. I guess I should've ordered a latte.

The vanilla syrup was hard to detect, probably due to the coffee's intensity. While the foam had a milky coconut flavor that gave the recipe a little fruitiness, it had the same problem as the rest of the cold foams: you can't really taste it unless you're actively looking for it.

Ultimately, the marketing might focus on the tropical ingredients, but the cold brew is the real star of this drink. I'd recommend this one to anyone who's looking for iced Starbucks coffee with a touch of the tropics.

5. Frog Cake Pop

Frogs are my favorite animal, so I was delighted to see a Frog Cake Pop on the menu. This limited-edition treat features vanilla-and-buttercream cake covered in chocolate icing. As someone who prefers denser desserts, I'm not a huge cake fan, but this treat won me over.

On the first bite, the cake had a strong, sweet flavor with a hint of vanilla. Instead of the light, airy pastry that I'd expected, the cake was dense and chewy, creating a satisfying experience. I couldn't taste the chocolate in the icing, but the cool, smooth texture gave this dessert more dimension.

This treat doesn't hold back on the sweetness, so I advise taking small bites instead of trying to eat the whole pop at once. This snack would probably pair well with one of Starbucks' sweeter drinks, such as an iced mocha or Frappuccino. These frogs won't be here long, so grab one while you can!

Have you tried any of these offerings? What's your usual Starbucks order? Let me know in the comments.