Starbucks rolled out one last drink before the 2018 holiday season ended, and I was lucky enough to try it. The coffee giant introduced cold foam and tea infusions as part of their 2018 line up and added a new limited-time flavor to the list. You may think with holiday drinks out that Starbucks has finished introducing new flavors for the year, but you would be mistaken. In addition to crafting holiday beverages, one last flavor was added before 2019 began. The flavor is the new Juniper Latte.

I decided to taste it to see what the hype was about.

The latte consists of steamed milk, espresso, juniper syrup and comes with a citrus sugar topping. In addition to a latte, the juniper is also available as a flat white.

What is Juniper?

Juniper berries themselves aren't actually a berry. They are little pinecone shaped needles. The soft parts come together and resemble the skin of the fruit.

Juniper is often used as a flavoring in gin to add a piney taste.

What Does The Latte Taste Like?

The first sip of the latte gives off a citrusy flavor. After a few more sips, I found that the juniper flavor sort of became non-existent and lost within the coffee. I could definitely taste the citrusy sugar topping. I felt like it brought a nice balance to the drink and didn't make it too sweet.

There is a little bit of a piny taste to it, but it's not prominent enough to be too overpowering.

Final Thoughts:

Overall I didn't mind this drink. It's not my favorite of the holiday beverages and I'm not really sure how it fits into the holiday theme. If there was a sample I would try it, however, I don't think I would go out of my way to order. It's one of those things I would rather have a small sip of instead of a big cup.

if I had to give this a rating I would say its somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4/10.