A lavender iced latte? Yes, you did read that correctly. From today any Costa Coffee customer can pop into their local store and pick up the new Vanilla Lavender Iced Whipped Latte. But what does it actually taste like? Well, we got an early taste of the new drink, and their four other new summer drinks (including a tiramisu inspired frappé) and this is what we thought of the new summer menu.
Ok, we of course have to start with the Vanilla Lavender Iced Whipped Latte, which is made from a vanilla lavender-flavour sauce with whipped coffee. It was originally available for two weeks for Costa Club members, but now is available for everyone. So, should you try it? Surprisingly yes.
We were very skeptical about a lavender flavoured drink, with concerns it could be overly floral or sickly sweet. It's first presented with three layers - the lavender sauce at the bottom, followed by milk and then the coffee whip on top. The lavender is more of a muted tone rather than a bright purple, so when you mix it it becomes a more grey/light brown drink.
It actually tasted really nice, it's not too sweet, works well with the coffee and has a flavour most comparable with Parma Violets. While we wouldn't get it everyday, it was definitely a nice drink to have once a week.
And also new to the menu this summer at Costa Coffee is the Tiramisu Frappé, which is made from coffee blended with a rich tiramisu-inspired sauce, topped with Light Whip and cocoa dusting. You can also have it without coffee if you wish, but for us it definitely needs the coffee to balance out the sweetness.
If you prefer a bit more bitter to sweet with your morning brew, then we'd recommend picking up the Tiramisu Iced Whipped Latte, which is a layered iced latte with tiramisu-flavour sauce, topped with velvety whipped coffee. And honestly the whipped coffee is such a game-changer.
Everyone's clicking on...
Also new for light summer refreshments are two new Refreshers. There's the Dragon Fruit and Guava Refresher which has a nice tangy flavour and a classic summer combo of Strawberry, Watermelon and Mint Refresher, which has all those delicious summer tastes of berries to boost your afternoon.
The full new summer range is available in all Costa Coffee stores from today (8 May).
Lydia Venn is Cosmopolitan UK’s Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer. She covers everything from TV and film, to the latest celebrity news. She also writes across our work/life section regularly creating quizzes, covering exciting new food releases and sharing the latest interior must-haves. In her role she’s interviewed everyone from Margot Robbie to Niall Horan, and her work has appeared on an episode of The Kardashians. After completing a degree in English at the University of Exeter, Lydia moved into fashion journalism, writing for the Daily Express, before working as Features Editor at The Tab, where she spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Talk Radio. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of Gilmore Girls and 00s teen movies, and in her free time can be found with a margarita in hand watching the Real Housewives on repeat. Find her on LinkedIn.
