TikTok Starbucks drinks are a dime a dozen these days, but are they really worth the hype?
In order to give a properly thorough look into these “secret menu” items, we bravely ordered four of the most viral Starbucks drinks and graded them on a scale of one to five, based on three factors: taste, the likelihood of a sugar crash and how annoying the drink was for the barista to make.
Some of these drinks are seriously complicated, and the occasional Starbucks customer will make headlines for their over-the-top orders. In 2019, Starbucks had to apply modification limits on its app because people were allegedly adding modifiers like syrup, purées and espresso shots more than 12 times to a single drink.
“People seem to be as extra as they possibly can be through the app because they don’t have to sound stupid asking us for all the mods,” a Starbucks employee told Insider at the time of the announcement.
So we approached our investigation with a little bit of hesitancy. As someone who is perfectly content with a regular cup of coffee, I anticipated absolutely hating everything I tried. To learn what actually happened, watch the video above or keep reading.
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The TikTok Drink
The name of this drink gets right to the point — this is a drink by and for TikTok. True fans know the move is to order a Venti-sized strawberry açai refresher with scoops of strawberries and blackberries. The pièce de résistance is to ask for a “matching size scoop of ice.”
This one was very sweet — but not sweet enough to induce a headache. It tastes weirdly nostalgic, and I can’t exactly explain why. Major points for this being super easy for a barista to make.
Final score: 3.5/5
The Strawberry Cheesecake Frappuccino
@creigsilimon Strawberry Cheesecake Frappuccino
♬ original sound – Creig SilimonOrder a strawberry frappuccino w/ vanilla bean, white mocha, cinnamon dolce #starbucks #foryou #fyp #secretmenu
This monstrosity is very thick. It’s a Venti-sized strawberry frappuccino with three scoops of vanilla bean powder, four pumps of white mocha sauce and three pumps of cinnamon dolce syrup.
I vaguely enjoy the creativity that must’ve gone into making this, but I hated it. Just get a strawberry frappuccino at this point.
Final score: 2/5
The Pink Drink
I have no idea what a Pink Drink is, but it’s an established order at Starbucks — meaning, you can just search “Pink Drink” on the app and get it. The TikTok version swaps out coconut milk (the default) with heavy cream and adds three scoops of vanilla bean powder along with whipped cream.
I really don’t get this one, and I still don’t know what “Pink Drink” means. It doesn’t taste like strawberry or anything, and the consistency was way thinner than I was expecting, so I was caught off guard.
Final score: 3/5
The Skittles Frappuccino
I had low expectations for this because of the Strawberry Cheesecake Frappuccino. This version shares the same base of strawberry frapp, this time with four pumps of vanilla syrup and one-and-a-half pumps of raspberry syrup with, of course, whipped cream on top.
In a shocking twist, this was by far my favorite drink. This legitimately does taste like Skittles, and I found myself still sipping even after I was done reviewing. It’s pretty simple when it comes to modifications and didn’t make me feel like I had singlehandedly eaten a pint of ice cream afterward.
Final score: 5/5
The Winner
Out of these four wildly popular drinks, the Skittles Frappuccino is really the only one worth getting. Treat yourself to one the next time you’re craving something sweet in the middle of the day. And remember to thank your baristas!
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