I Tried Starbucks' Limited-Time Strato Frappuccino Menu

There’s nothing better than a frozen drink to cool you off on a warm day. Even though Starbucks scaled back its menu earlier this year, the cafe just added three new Frappuccino drinks to quench your thirst this summer. For a limited time, fans can order layered versions of Starbucks’ most popular blended bevvies called Strato Frappuccinos.

Starbucks introduced its first strato, or layered, drink for the Fourth of July. The Firework Frappuccino featured a blended version of the brand’s Summer Skies Drink with a vanilla sweet cream cold foam on top. Starting July 8, you can now order a Brown Sugar Strato Frappuccino, a Strawberry Matcha Strato Frappuccino, and a Salted Caramel Mocha Strato Frappuccino, while supplies last.

What makes these Frappuccinos different is the cold foam on top, instead of traditional whipped cream. It allows you to customize your drink and create something totally different with the added layer of flavor. (Let’s be real here, customizing is what Starbucks does best.)

Intrigued by these three new drinks, I had to order Starbucks’ Strato Frappuccinos on launch day, and below is my honest review of each frozen treat:

The Brown Sugar Strato Frappuccino ($6)

This is for the Summerween girlies. The Brown Sugar Strato Frappuccino has a blended coffee base with the Brown Sugar Cream Cold Foam and a sprinkling of cinnamon powder on top. This really tastes like a frozen version of Starbucks’ Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, and gets me so excited for fall flavors to make a comeback. This is as sweet as you’d expect, but the cinnamon adds a nice spice to even it out.

This was probably my second fave of the three, and something I’d order again. It makes me want to watch Hocus Pocus and shop for pumpkin decor. My one issue with all the strato drinks is that Frappuccinos are hard to sip, which is what you need to do in order to taste the cold foam with it. A regular iced drink is able to get through the thick foam to provide a nice combo, but the blended bevvy is too thick. Most of my early sips were just cold foam (and a lot of cinnamon powder). As pretty as it is to have layers, I highly suggest getting a straw and mixing everything together after taking your initial foodie pics.

Rating: 4.5/5

The Strawberry Matcha Strato Frappuccino ($6)

This was my favorite of the three. The Strawberry Matcha Strato Frappuccino combines Starbucks’ blended matcha with a perfectly pink Strawberry Cream Cold Foam on top. This is the most gorgeous of the three, and perfect for Wicked fans and “guava girls”. Even after mixing my drink with a straw, it became a gorgeous swirl of pink and green — which really do go well together.

As far as flavors go, this is a simple and delicious strawberry matcha. It’s light, sweet, and so refreshing. I can’t wait to order this again.

Rating: 5/5

The Salted Caramel Mocha Strato Frappuccino ($6)

This may have been my least favorite of the three, but the Salted Caramel Mocha Strato Frappuccino is a tasty treat. It reminds me of a brownie with a caramel baked in, or Starbucks’ discontinued Chocolate Caramel Muffin (which I’m begging for the brand to bring back). It’s like a frozen dessert.

It is on the sweeter side, and I got a mouthful of only caramel drizzle the first time I tried sipping it from the top, so this definitely needs a good mix after taking your pic. As much as I love the idea of cold foams adding extra flavors to Frappuccinos, there’s got to be a better way to drink these.

Rating: 4.25/5