Starbucks introduces new Strato Frappuccinos — what are they?

Starbucks has introduced a whole new dimension to its menu: layered drinks.

Starting July 8, the coffee giant will add its new Strato Frappuccino Blended Beverages to menus nationwide. The word “strato” is the Italian word for layer, and these drinks layer different Frappuccino and cold foam flavors and colors.

Strato Frappuccinos were one of the first beverages to be tested through Starting 5, the Green Siren’s recently introduced program in which five coffeehouses test new menu items before rolling them out nationally. A banana-flavored protein cold foam is currently undergoing this process.

Starbucks employee Susan Engdahl helped create the drink and says it’s the “perfect time” for it, as it’s the 30th anniversary of the blended beverage.

Here’s what comes in each drink:

• Salted Caramel Mocha Strato Frappuccino is a blend of chocolate and caramel, made with mocha sauce, Frappuccino roast coffee, milk and ice, and is topped with a layer of salted caramel-flavored cream cold foam and a zigzag of caramel drizzle.
• Strawberry Matcha Strato Frappuccino is a blend of reformulated unsweetened matcha, classic syrup, milk and ice, layered with strawberry-flavored cream cold foam.
• Brown Sugar Strato Frappuccino combines Frappuccino roast coffee, milk and ice, is layered with brown sugar-flavored cream cold foam and topped with cinnamon.

The coffee chain also noted that starting July 8, its Starbucks Artist Collaboration Series returns to its cafés, featuring designs by Nigerian American artist and print and textile designer Shadé Akanbi. Her works can be seen on cold cups and a ceramic tumbler.

How do the drinks taste?

All three drinks are great, but one flavor stood out from the rest.

Their texture is rather intriguing to the tongue: Cold foam layers inside the drink offered a cool and smooth reprieve from the sweltering day in Richmond, Virginia, where I was. It feels like a grown-up version of a Frappuccino, one with a diploma from Texture University.

The Brown Sugar Strato Frappuccino tasted kind of like Cinnabon’s coffee drink, which has a very nostalgic flavor for me. A solid drink.

Next up, the Strawberry Matcha Strato Frappuccino started off with a strong matcha flavor, and then the strawberry foam comes in, tasting like a melted, less-sugary Strawberry Shortcake Bar. Not quite my vibe, but fans of not-too-sweet treats may enjoy this one.

The Salted Caramel Mocha Strato Frappuccino is, like Beyoncé covering Dolly Parton while on a flying horseshoe, mothering and doing it flawlessly.

By far my favorite of the three, this drink’s mocha flavor is perfectly complemented by the salted caramel-flavored cream, and its velvety texture is super appealing. It’s like a frozen chocolate milk with a caramel ribbon. I liked this one so much that after the tasting, when we were given a second tray of the drinks to photograph, I asked to take this one to go.

With more than 40,000 stores worldwide, the company is a famous roaster and retailer of specialty coffee.

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