My Starbucks order varies, depending on if I’m in the mood for chai, an americano, or a peppermint mocha. However, I always add the same thing to my drink: cold foam. Frothy, creamy, and delicious, cold foam perfectly elevates any drink.
Recently, when browsing the Starbucks app and selecting my usual Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam, I noticed special flavors of cold foam that I had never tried before! Naturally, I made it my mission to taste each type of cold foam and review them in order to determine which is best. The Starbucks barista was a bit confused when I asked for six cups of plain cold foam, but in the end was happy to assist me with my experiment.
Chocolate Cream Cold Foam: 1/10
Starting off on a weak note, the Chocolate Cream Cold Foam was a major disappointment. This cold foam did not taste like chocolate at all; instead, it tasted like undesirable chemicals with an odd hint of artificial coconut. While it was very sweet, it lacked any actual flavor (besides the weird hint of fake coconut). In theory, a chocolate version of Starbucks cold foam sounds delicious, but due to the poor execution, I would not recommend this to anyone. Salted Caramel Cream Cold Foam: 4/10
If you order this cold foam, you will get what you asked for: it tastes exactly like salted caramel. However, it’s far from perfect. At first, the foam simply tastes like a mouthful of salt, and the caramel only appears as an aftertaste. While I only tried this cold foam by the spoonful, I imagine that the salt flavor would overpower any drink that it is added to. Sophomore Paige Nelson had similar thoughts about the Salted Caramel Cream Cold Foam, saying that “the saltiness made it taste like a foot.” This cold foam deserves some points for being so true to its name, but I would never choose to taste this ever again.
Irish Cream Cold Foam: 6/10
Overall, the Irish Cream Cold Foam was unremarkable. The Irish Cream flavor is minimal, but definitely present. While I wasn’t a huge fan of it, I didn’t really dislike it either. Additionally, this cold foam held its airy, foamy texture without melting or becoming liquid the longest out of all six types of foam, which is an impressive feat and important for when you need your drink to last a while. Although I would not order this again, it was by no means bad.
Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam: 7/10
After hating the Chocolate Cream Cold Foam, I was nervous to try another chocolate variation. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised by the Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam. The peppermint flavor dominates the foam, so much so that it could simply be named ‘Peppermint Cream Cold Foam.’ As a fan of peppermint flavoring, I did not mind this–especially if it meant that there was no odd hint of coconut as there had been in the Chocolate Cream Cold Foam. I would not order it on top of any peppermint flavored drink, since the flavors would be too similar. Instead, I think it would be a great addition to standard coffee-based drinks and cold brews.
Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam: 9/10
If you love pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin spice cookies, and pumpkin spice anything, you’ll love this Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam, which perfectly executes the classic autumn flavor that so many know and love. The texture is especially creamy, and the pumpkin flavoring doesn’t taste too artificial. Be sure to grab a drink with Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam before this seasonal item is taken off the menu!
Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam: 10/10
Starbucks’ traditional cold foam flavor proves that sometimes, less is more. This cold foam has a perfect light texture, a nice hint of vanilla, and just the right amount of sweetness to satisfy without overpowering your drink. The Vanilla Sweet Cream flavoring is less bold than the rest of the cold foam flavors, but the subtle notes of vanilla allow this foam to be the most versatile. So, while I might occasionally ask for Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam or Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam in the future to boost my seasonal spirit, I’ll be sticking with the classic Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam as my go-to choice. 
