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I Tried My Regular Starbucks Latte With 5 Different Kinds Of Milk. There's Only One I Won't Be Ordering Again.
I tried Starbucks lattes with different kinds of milk now that the chain doesn't charge extra.
Jamie Davis Smith
- I tried my regular Starbucks latte with 2%, soy, coconut, almond, and oat milk.
- The only option I wouldn't order again was almond milk, but at least it doesn't cost extra anymore.
- I've been drinking 2% lattes for years, but soy is undeniably my go-to.
I used to pay extra to have my daily lattes made with a non-dairy alternative. At the time, I preferred the taste and often felt better on days I didn't consume as much dairy.
However, the cost of the substitution — often around $0.80 a drink — added up quickly. Eventually, I abandoned the habit and started ordering my lattes with 2% milk.
Luckily, Starbucks stopped charging extra for alternative milks in November, so I decided to give them all another try.
I ordered my standard 2%-milk latte alongside ones made with soy, coconut, almond, and oat milk. Then, I tried them all with and without sugar to compare.
Here's how the lattes stacked up.
Two-percent milk is a classic that's hard to beat.I've grown fond of the 2% latte.
Jamie Davis Smith
I wasn't sure if I'd really taste much of a difference between the coffee drinks, so I also brought along a friend who has received training in discerning tastes from a professional sommelier and recipe developer.
He found the 2% latte boring and lacking "personality." Adding sugar made the taste more interesting, but he didn't think he'd order it again.
I've been drinking lattes made with 2% milk for years, and I wouldn't buy one (sometimes two) daily if I didn't like the taste.
This was almost like the experiment's control group for me — something to compare the others to.
Although it didn't end up being the best of the bunch, it's a good choice for purists like me.
Soy milk used to be my go-to.I used to pay extra to have my lattes made with soy.
Jamie Davis Smith
When I was drinking non-dairy lattes, soy milk was my preferred alternative. I was really looking forward to seeing if it was as tasty as I remembered.
Luckily, it didn't disappoint — I knew I was onto something back then.
My friend described the drink as smoky with chocolate notes. Although I hadn't noticed that before, I'm starting to think the hints of flavor may be why I'm drawn to it.
Sugar detracted from the taste of this one for me, which is also a plus since I'd rather not add it.
The coconut milk made the coffee a little tropical.I love coconut, so this was a win for me.
Jamie Davis Smith
I strongly associate coconut with tropical drinks, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about a coconut-milk latte. However, I was pleasantly surprised.
In my friend's words, the coconut milk had a dry, caramel taste with a slight acidity.
Adding sugar really brought out the coconut flavor, which can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your tastes.
For me, a stronger coconut taste was welcome. However, my friend isn't a big fan of coconut and preferred this drink without sugar.
The almond-milk latte didn't wow me.I'm not going to be ordering another latte with almond milk.
Jamie Davis Smith
I like snacking on almonds and was looking forward to a latte with a nutty taste.
Unfortunately, I didn't like it.
There was a distinct almond quality, but it felt a bit watered down. I didn't think the milk added much flavor to the latte, and my friend agreed.
We both thought that adding sugar would dramatically improve the taste, it didn't.
Once I added sugar, the oat-milk latte was decent.I don't think I'd like the latte without sugar.
Jamie Davis Smith
I enjoy Starbucks' iced brown-sugar oak-milk shaken espresso on warm days, so I was looking forward to seeing how oat milk translates into a hot drink.
Unfortunately, I was a little underwhelmed.
My friend said the oat-milk latte almost had a "cigar-smoke flavor," and neither of us liked that very much.
When I added sugar, the flavor was much better — mostly because it largely covered up the oat milk, making it taste closer to a 2% latte.
There was a clear winner for me.I found a new favorite latte at Starbucks.
Jamie Davis Smith
Although I'll still order it occasionally, the 2%-milk latte is no longer my go-to at Starbucks. After just one sip, I knew I'd be going right back to soy.
The delicious — perhaps chocolaty — flavor is perfect without any added sweetener.
Even though the coconut-milk latte wasn't my favorite drink, it was a close second. The tropical, caramelly flavors really work.
With sugar added, the oat-milk drink was also OK, but I didn't like the almond-milk latte and won't be ordering it again.
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