I Taste Tested The New Lavender Drinks On The Starbucks Spring Menu—Here's My Honest Review

Does Starbucks have discounts?

Yes, Starbucks has discounts often. They usually depend on the day and time you visit, or seasonal offerings that the chain decides to promote. You can easily find Starbucks deals in the Starbucks app, and check back here for current offers!

What is the cheapest thing to get from Starbucks?

If you still want a drink (but want to spend the least amount of money), a kids-sized steamed (or cold) apple juice is the cheapest thing to get from Starbucks at $2.25. Typically, any kids-sized drink will save you some dough!

How does Starbucks Rewards work?

You earn 1 Star per $1 spent at a Starbucks location with Starbucks Rewards after scanning the Starbucks app and paying with cash, debit card, credit card, or select mobile wallets. You can earn 2 Stars per $1 spent after making a purchase with a preloaded Starbucks Card linked to your Starbucks Rewards account as well. Once you earn enough, you can spend those Stars on freebies like a drink customization, a hot brewed coffee, or a handcrafted drink like a latte!

1. Look out for flash deals

Starbucks regularly runs deals that depend on the day and time you visit – you just have to check in the right places. More often than not, they’ll be posted on the Starbucks app.

Right now, they’re offering several deals for May 2024:

• 50% off one handcrafted beverage on May 17, 24, and 31 only from 12-6pm local time
• Personalized offers released in the Starbucks app on May 13, 20, and 27 only

Plus, new Starbucks Rewards members who join during the month of May will will receive 50% off any handcrafted drink during their first week as a member. All they have to do is download the app, join Starbucks Rewards, and click the ‘New Members Get 50% Off’ link!

2. Use Starbucks Rewards

• 25 Stars earns you a free drink customization
• 100 Stars earns you a free brewed hot or iced coffee or tea, a bakery item, or a packaged snack
• 200 Stars earns you a free handcrafted beverage or hot breakfast item
• 300 Stars earns you a free sandwich, protein box or a bag of coffee beans
• 400 Stars earns you free Starbucks merch (select items only)

If you’re a regular customer, signing up for Starbucks Rewards will definitely pay off! Learn more here.

3. Opt for a personal cup

When you use a personal cup at Starbucks, you receive a $0.10 discount. For regular visitors, those savings can rack up! Furthermore, if you're a Starbucks Rewards member, using a personal cup, you'll receive 25 Stars. Now, you can use a clean (this is key!) personal cup in Starbucks cafes, in the drive-thru, and even when you order ahead on the app.

4. Don't forget about birthday rewards

Starbucks deals also include birthday freebies, in which you’ll get one free handcrafted beverage, OR one free food item, OR one free ready-to-drink bottled bev.

All you have to do to take advantage of the free Starbucks is register for a Starbucks Rewards account and ensure your birthday date is associated with your account, then once the big day comes, show it to your barista. They’ll take care of you!

Summer-Berry Refresher

I got my hopes up for the new Refreshers with fruity boba. In hindsight, the long-awaited hype was not worth it. By itself, the Summer-Berry Refresher tastes just like blue Gatorade. Sorry not sorry.

The boba was expected to be the saving grace of this drink, but I was left wanting more after sipping down my first few pearls. The raspberry-flavored popping boba pieces supply a fun texture, but they’re not super flavorful. You also don’t get a great serving size based on the ratio of the drink.

Maybe it was just the location I went to, but though I was given the special wide boba straw, I couldn’t use it with the lid that came with my drink. My Refreshers were handed to me with the signature Starbucks sipper lid – which is too small to fit the new straws. Just a bit annoying, especially if you plan to drink this in the car or on the go!

Summer-Berry Lemonade Refresher

I sipped theSummer-Berry Lemonade Refresher sans boba first. It definitely has more flavor than the OG, but it’s overwhelmingly lemonade-y. The zesty lemonade really overpowered the berry Refresher flavor, so much so that you can’t quite taste the berry.

I might recommend ordering this bev with a light amount of lemonade, so the flavors balance out more harmoniously.

Summer Skies Drink

Okay, y'all – the Summer Skies Drink redeems the rest of the Refreshers. Essentially, it’s the Summer-Berry Refresher with a splash of coconut milk, a la the Pink Drink. I think it’s my favorite of all 3 of them!

It’s creamy and mildly sweet, which works out wonderfully. With the boba, it’s definitely giving milk tea, which I – as a boba fiend – very much appreciate. Though I like the drink itself, I still wish the boba delivered a more berry-like flavor.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cold Brew

Well, yes! The White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew is – dare I say – the best thing on this year’s Starbucks summer menu. It’s so good. I typically associate nuttier coffee flavors with fall, but this bev has changed my mind. As much as I appreciate a sweet treat, this cold coffee was a nice reprieve from the all-new Berry Refreshers I had sipped beforehand.

This new menu item is great for those who don’t like a ton of sweetness — the bitter cold brew contrasts exceptionally well with the sweet white chocolate macadamia-flavored cold foam. It gets even better (my tasting notes read: “so very delicious”) when you stir in the cold foam with the coffee.

I also enjoy the little crunchy cookie crumble bits on top. While the popping boba (Starbucks is calling ‘em pearls) falls flat, these sprinkles actually enliven the drinking experience!

Orange Cream Cake Pop

New cake pop just dropped! And it’s everything. The hard shell that coats the tiny ball of cake in this treat is extremely satisfying. When I bit into it, it had an indescribable (in a good way) kind of crunch to it. And while the exterior is harder, the cakey inside is very moist. I wasn’t surprised at how good the texture was since most of Starbucks’ cake pops are scrumptious. That’s that for the texture…

As far as the flavor goes, I expected more of the Orange Cream Cake Pop. Sure, there’s a slight orange flavor – it’s not too overwhelming – but this skewered snack is definitely heavier on all things vanilla-y and downright sugary. It almost tastes like an orange Dreamsicle.

All that being said, I’d still order the Orange Cream Cake Pop over and over and over again if I just want a lil’ something.

Pineapple Cloud Cake

I didn’t get to try the Pineapple Cloud Cake yet since the location I went to had sold out (a good sign, perhaps)! According to Starbucks, it’s “an airy cake filled with layers of pineapple cream, pineapple spread and whole fruit pieces with a sweet drizzle topping.”

Yesterday, Oprah announced her book club's 105th pick On OprahDaily.com and CBS Mornings, where she appeared with author Colm Tóibín to discuss his newly released book Long Island. She had nothing but praise for the novel and said, "I was captivated. Tóibín builds the story around a woman whose life changes seemingly overnight with the news of her husband’s infidelity. It opens the door to her own secrets, grappling with choices she made long ago, urging her to break free from the silences she built around her life. A wonderful page-turner to start your summer reading.”

On OprahDaily.com and CBS Mornings, Oprah Winfrey excitedly shared her book club's 104th pick: The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin. In a touching video, Oprah can be seen surprising Hardin in what feels like a "full circle moment." While trying to process her book being chosen as Oprah's next book club pick, Hardin can be heard saying, "I'm just overwhelmed right now. I'm so grateful."

It's a memoir that details how Hardin's past addiction to opiates caused her to make dire decisions that led her to serve jail time. Not only that, but Hardin eventually finds a way to show herself grace as she reconnects with her children and becomes an ally for other women who are incarcerated.

For a sneak peek of what you can expect in the novel, read an exclusive excerpt on OprahDaily.com!

Long Island by Colm Tóibín

Long Island tells the tale of Eilis Lacey and the discovery of her husband's infidelity. Things start off well enough with Eilis and her husband Tony Fiorello living near his family. The family spends a lot of time together and it feels like they have a quintessential bond that can't be broken.

But when Eilis discovers that a man's wife is carrying Tony's child and they don't want anything to do with the baby, she begins to start looking at her own desires as well as the things she's kept secret for the sake of her marriage. She ends up journeying to a familiar place to rediscover herself and it ignites an inner flame that she thought she lost.

The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin

According to OprahDaily.com, here's the reading schedule for The Many Lives of Mama Love that'll take place on Oprah's book club's Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok channels.

Week #1: Chapters 1–8

Pages 1 to 103

Discussion begins on Saturday, March 9.

Week #2: Chapters 9–14

Pages 105 to 206

Discussion begins on Saturday, March 16.

Week #3: Chapter 15–End

Pages 207 to 304

Discussion begins on Saturday, March 23.

Be sure to grab your copy of The Many Lives of Mama Love so you can join the discussion!

Let Us Descend

Also listed on the Amazon top books list, Let Us Descend is a masterful tale that views slavery through the lens of a young girl who makes powerful discoveries as along her journey. When Annis is sold by her father — a white slave owner — she finds herself thrust into a world at a sugar plantation. Guided by otherworldly spirits, she finds herself coming to terms with who she is despite her circumstances.

"Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver Has Something Big To Celebrate

Last year on Instagram, Oprah's book club announced that Demon Copperhead by Barvara Kingsolver was celebrating a longstanding run on the NYT Bestseller list. This is surely a testament to the way Kingsolver weaves emotion into her written work for readers to feel.

Read our synopsis of "Demon Copperhead" below!

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

It comes as no surprise that Demon Copperhead continues to give a name and face to the perils the young face while growing up. In this case, Demon is learning to come to terms with his upbringing along with the feeling he's not being seen.

Wellness

Oprah's latest book club pick is written by the talented Nathan Hill. Hill paints a picture of the how the idealistic view of marriage and life can feel out of touch with reality. After falling in love during their college days, Jack and Elizabeth are shocked to discover things feel vastly differently decades later. Forced to either turn from each other or peel back layers of hidden things they've never addressed, they make a decision that'll change the course of everything they've known.

Bittersweet by Susan Cain

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

With the odds seemingly stacked against them, siblings Kiara and Marcus do what they can to survive while also helping a young neighbor. However, a chance encounter with a stranger grants Kiara with a job that helps sustain them — until she's caught up in a web of secrets that begins with an investigation. Found out what fate has in store for her in Nightcrawling.

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker

Robert Kolker takes a look at how six of the Galvin children were diagnosed with schizophrenia while the other four weren't. Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family details how a 'perfect' example of a nuclear family grappled with secrets and mental illness, something that sounds all too familiar.

Olive, Again byElizabeth Strout

Olive is all at once stubborn and lovable in Olive, Again. From an odd birth experience to her reluctance to accept an inheritance, Olive's life goes through a series of ups and downs that readers will be able to resonate with.

Wild byCheryl Strayed

In a different take of Eat, Pray, Love, young Cheryl decides to go on a hike of more than a thousand miles after the death of her mother and dissolution of her marriage. Her journey is one of self-discovery and healing all at once.

Sula by Toni Morrison

Two friends, Nel and Sula, have a strong bond that takes them through many stages in their lives. But when a betrayal rocks their friendship, they find themselves on opposing sides. Learn what their outcome is in Sula.

House of Sand and Fogby Andre Dubus III

Living with roommates can prove to be tricky but one thing's for sure - stories and lives often intertwine. House of Sand and Fog weaves a tale of strangers whose lives do just that and then some.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

The Poisonwood Bible follows the Price family, led by devout Evangelist Nathan, as they travel to the Congo in 1959. Determined to save souls, Nathan's fierceness and stubborn nature lead to tragedy that changes the trajectory of the women in his life.

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

When Astrid's mother is sentenced for committing murder, she faces herself immersed in the foster care system in Los Angeles. As the things she faces changes from each home she's placed in, Astrid comes of age and somehow finds her footing.

The Pilot's Wifeby Anita Shreve

The Way of Integrity: Finding The Path to Your True Self by Martha Beck

Martha Beck paints a case of what it means to live a life that aligns with our true self in The Way of Integrity: Finding The Path to Your True Self. She also shares what happens when we fall out of that alignment but offers attainable ways to figure out who we really are.

Bewilderment by Richard Powers

When astrobiologist Theo Byrne finds himself coming to terms with his wife's death and their son's troubled behavior, he finds himself willing to do whatever it takes to get him the help he needs. Faced with a chance to try a neurofeedback treatment that features the brain patterns of his late wife, Theo decides it's worth trying in Bewilderment.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

Reverend John Ames decides to write to his son about his family's history - particularly that of his father and grandfather in Gilead. It's a tale that weaves together spirituality, wisdom and more.

More titles on Oprah Winfrey's Book Club List:

• The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
• Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
  
• That Bird Has My Wings by Jarvis Jay Masters
  
• Finding Me by Viola Davis
  
• The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
  
• The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris
  
• Home by Marilynne Robinson
  
• Lila by Marilynn Robinson
  
• Jack by Maryilnne Robinson
  
• Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson
• Deacon King Kong by James McBride
  
• American Dirt: A Novel by Jeanine Cummins
  
• The Water Dancer: A Novel by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  
• Becoming by Michelle Obama
  
• The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton
  
• An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
  
• Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
  
• Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle
  
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
  
• Ruby by Cynthia Bond
  
• The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
  
• The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
  
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
  
• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
  
• Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
  
• Say You're One of Them by Uwen Akpan
  
• The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
• A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
  
• The New Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
  
• Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
  
• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
  
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
  
• The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier
  
• Night by Elie Wiesel
  
• A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
  
• Light In August by William Faulkner
  
• The Sound and Fury by William Faulkner
  
• As I lay Dying by William Faulkner
  
• The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
  
• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
  
• The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
  
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
  
• Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
  
• East of Eden by John Steinbeck
  
• Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
  
• A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
  
• The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
  
• Cane River by Lalita Tademy
  
• Stolen Livens by Malika Oufkir and Michėle Fitoussi
  
• Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio
  
• We Were The Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
  
• Drowing Ruth by C/hristina Schwartz
  
• Open House by Elizabeth Berg
  
• While I was Gone by Sue Miller
  
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
  
• Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell
  
• Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
  
• Gap Creek by Robert Morgan
  
• Vinegar Hill by Manette Ansay
  
• River, Cross My Heart by Breena Clarke
• Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
  
• Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes
  
• The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
• Jewel by Bret Lott
  
• Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
  
• What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage