This PureWow review says Starbucks is starting spring early and doing it with a very specific flavor direction. Instead of leaning only on florals, the chain is pushing toasted coconut, ube and returning lavender drinks across a menu that feels more playful than usual.
Quick takeaway: The reviewer was most impressed by the Iced Ube Coconut Macchiato, praised the Toasted Coconut Cream Cold Brew as a subtle year-round winner and was least excited by the lavender matcha combination, which she found too floral.
What Is New
According to the article, the first wave of Starbucks’s spring menu launched on March 3 and includes returning lavender drinks, the Toasted Coconut Cream Cold Brew, the Toasted Coconut Latte and the Iced Ube Coconut Macchiato. The piece also says chai is now more customizable because the tea base and sweetener are separate components, allowing customers to adjust sweetness and spice more precisely.
PureWow also notes that on April 7, Starbucks plans to add the Iced Mango Cream Matcha and Iced Mango Cream Chai as permanent menu items, while the Iced Ube Coconut Cream Shaken Espresso will arrive for a limited run. That makes the rollout feel more like a multi-stage spring launch than a one-day drop.
The review makes it clear that coconut is the real backbone of the spring menu, even more than lavender.
Best Drink
The clear favorite is the Iced Ube Coconut Macchiato. The reviewer says its purple cold foam is not just eye-catching but seriously flavorful, describing the combination of espresso, toasted coconut and ube as tropical, lightly nutty and reminiscent of taro-style desserts without becoming overly fruity or sugary.
That description is what gives the drink its appeal in the article. It sounds refreshing and cozy at the same time, which is a smart place for a spring seasonal drink to land.
Year-Round Winner
The Toasted Coconut Cream Cold Brew also gets strong praise. PureWow says the toasted coconut syrup and cold foam will now be available year-round, and the reviewer likes them because the coconut taste is subtle and balanced rather than sunscreen-like or overwhelmingly sweet.
For black cold brew drinkers, this sounds like the sleeper hit of the menu. The article suggests it deepens coffee flavor gently instead of turning the drink into dessert.
Most helpful nuance: The review does not say every spring drink will work for everyone. If you like sweet, creamy drinks, the Toasted Coconut Latte may be more appealing, while people who enjoy earthy or herbaceous notes may still like the lavender matcha even though it was not the reviewer’s favorite.
The least successful pairing in the review was lavender with matcha, mainly because the floral and grassy notes felt too perfume-like together.
Other Standouts
The article also mentions the Pink Cannon Ball Drink, a new twist on the earlier Cannon Ball concept, blending lemonade, Mango Dragonfruit and Strawberry Acai Refreshers with coconut milk for a smoother, creamier take. The reviewer frames it as a softer option than the original fruit-punch-like version.
Overall, the review presents Starbucks’s spring 2026 menu as more creative than predictable. Coconut gives the lineup warmth and structure, while ube adds novelty and lavender brings back a flavor that already has a fan base.
