Starbucks' Spring Menu Brings An Iconic Filipino Flavor To Macchiatos

Starbucks' winter menu has only been out for a few weeks, and some of us have yet to try the Dubai chocolate drinks. (Our reviewer gives them two thumbs up.) Even so, we're already looking ahead to what's in store for spring. According to Starbucks, lavender's coming back, yay! Lavender latte debuted in spring of 2024, and we hope they'll return to the menu every year much like the swallows to Capistrano. This year, however, lavender drinks won't be the only purple ones on the menu since Starbucks will also be introducing its brand new Iced Ube Coconut Macchiato. This drink is as photogenic as can be, with a creamy white bottom, a layer of coffee brown, and then a purple topping. There's even a sprinkling of what appears to be toasted coconut on top.

This drink, along with the rest of the spring menu, will be available beginning on March 3. Two other coconut drinks, Toasted Coconut Cream Cold Brew and Toasted Coconut Latte, are going to be joining the permanent lineup and will be available to order any time of year; but for now, the ube macchiato is billed as being a limited-time offer so it'll probably be gone by summer. If it proves popular, though, Starbucks may consider bringing it back or even adding other ube drinks to the lineup. Ube is native to the Philippines, so Starbucks Philippines probably has a few in its recipe collection. In fact, last summer it offered a Birthday Confetti Ube Cream Frappuccino that looks like it would be just as delicious as it is beautiful.

Ube-flavored things have been quite trendy the past few years, but it's still not what you'd call a mainstream flavor yet. If you've yet to encounter it, ube is a type of yam that comes from the Philippines. One of its most distinctive characteristics is its purple color. Granted, ube isn't always purple; white and cream-colored varieties also exist.

On its own, ube has a somewhat nutty flavor akin to pistachio with a hint of vanilla. The sweetness is subtle, though, so it can be used in savory dishes as well as sweet ones, much like the orange yams we're used to. It works well in soups, can be added to hummus, and even used to make colorful purple pasta. When mixed with sugar, milk, and butter, it turns into a jam called ube halaya that is often used to flavor desserts like ice cream, cakes, and cookies. Ube halaya also features as an ingredient in ube lattes, so although we don't have the ingredient list, it's possible that Starbucks may be using something similar to flavor its Iced Ube Coconut Macchiato.