Starbucks is a timely classic for Solon students to stop for before or after school for a quick bite or beverage.

This year, Starbucks released a loaded menu with new items for spring. Their new drinks feature many pistachio and berry flavors, and even some new matchas. For the drink menu, I tried the Banana Bread Matcha, Cannon Ball Refresher, Iced Double Berry Matcha and the Iced Caramel Protein Matcha.

I tried various food items as well, including a Berry blondie, the Chocolate Pistachio Loaf, the Strawberry Matcha Loaf, the Cookie Swirl Croissant and the Dubai Chocolate Bite.

Beverages

Iced Double Berry Matcha (6/10)

The Iced Double Berry Matcha was an interesting combination of flavors. For reference I normally do like matcha. Not only was it sweet and tangy, but the matcha flavor was bitter. The cold foam itself was a delicious creamy flavor that almost tasted like a berry smoothie. While tasting the drink, I was thinking about how good the cold foam would be on a refresher, but this matcha was just not for me. Overall, I gave it a 6/10.

Banana Bread Matcha (1/10)

This drink was by far my least favorite menu item. The flavors did not combine at all and left almost a spoiled flavor in my mouth. Though the two flavors did not combine well, the banana bread cold foam would be good on a vanilla drink, like an iced coffee or a mocha. I tried to give this drink a few chances, but couldn’t end up coming around to it. Overall, I gave it a 1/10, and it ended up being my least favorite menu item.

Canon Ball Refresher (10/10)

The Canon Ball Refresher was honestly just a classic drink perfect for spring days. It was a perfect blend of the two original refreshers from Starbucks and was amazing for washing down the previous drinks. The flavors really reminded me of a summer day sitting by the pool, and I’d recommend this drink by far. I ended up giving it a 10/10.

Iced Caramel Protein Matcha (2/10)

To be pretty brief, this drink was horrible. It left an aftertaste in my mouth almost the whole time after reviewing the rest of the items, and it just wasn’t pleasant. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who doesn’t like matcha in general because this really accentuated that matcha flavor and made it shine through more. The drink had a pretty chalky texture and left a cheese-like flavor in my mouth that almost coated my throat. Overall, I didn’t enjoy this menu item, and I give it a 2/10.

Food

Dubai Chocolate Bite (2/10)

Honestly, the Dubai Chocolate Bite was a big waste of money. Paying almost $4 for one tiny chocolate bite that was extremely dry and tasted unpleasant was not what I had expected during this review. This food item was definitely my least favorite. The final rating for the Dubai Chocolate Bite is a 2/10.

Cookie Swirl Croissant (8/10)

Though the Cookie Swirl Croissant didn’t really have much of a cookie flavor, it was enjoyable. It was plain and not anything out of the ordinary like the rest of the menu items, where I had to be nervous to try it because of how it looked. It really tasted like a classic croissant, which was enjoyable, and I ended up giving it an 8/10 rating, but it wasn’t worth the new release.

Strawberry Matcha Loaf (9.5/10)

The Strawberry Matcha Loaf was my favorite food item. The sweet and bitter flavors combined and made a delicious pair. The loaf has a sweet strawberry icing on top that I think adds to the taste even more and makes it really pop with flavor. Overall, this was my favorite new food item, and I give it a 9.5/10.

Berry Blondie (10/10)

I really enjoyed the Berry Blondie, but I feel like this is a pretty basic flavor palette. It was the perfect amount of sweet and the perfect size. The only thing I would say is it was a little expensive, costing almost $4 but I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a good, sweet, fruity dessert. Altogether, I thought the flavor profile of the Berry Blondie was the best and I gave it a 10/10.

Chocolate Pistachio Loaf (5/10)

Though I didn’t think I would like this one because I am not the biggest fan of chocolate, I do love pistachio. The pistachio flavor really came through and saved this dessert for me. It wasn’t too sweet and was perfect for that savory dessert craving after having tried so many sugary drinks. Though this wasn’t my favorite desert it did stand out to me as a top menu item. The Chocolate Pistachio Loaf was delicious, getting a 10/10.

Overall, I didn’t enjoy most of the menu items, but the few that I did really stood out to me. I hope others can find menu items that they enjoy or even find ways to customize these items to be special to them. If you ever find yourself by Starbucks look for these new menu items and try a quick sip or bite.