I Just Tried the New Starbucks Off-the-Menu Drink That Tastes Like Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Isadora Baum
Isadora Baum
Isadora Baum is a freelance writer, content marketer, and author of 5-Minute Energy. She can't resist a good sample, a margarita, a new HIIT class, or an easy laugh. She writes for various magazines, such as Men's Health, Women's Health, Well+Good, LIVESTRONG, POPSUGAR, SELF, Health, Cooking Light, Eating Well, and more.
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updated Feb 13, 2020
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Credit: Isadora Baum

Cold brew is my go-to coffee order. So when I heard there’s a new off-the-menu drink for Valentine’s Day that involves cold brew, and some kind of light pink foam that tastes like berries, I knew I needed to try it immediately. Nothing says romance like coffee, amiright?

According to a secret Starbucks Facebook group (Leaf Rakers Society), the drink goes by a few names right now — Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cold Brew, the Strawberry Cold Foam Cold Brew, and the Lovers Cold Brew. (That last one is my fave — “lover” or not currently present.)

How to Order the Drink

There are slight variations but I copied Instagram user @thatknoxvillegirl’s recipe. She included the classic cold brew, two pumps of raspberry, two pumps of white mocha, and then strawberry purée blended into the cold foam on top. I did not go with the chocolate curls on top, but I did the mocha drizzle like she recommended. (Though you could totally go for curls for some added chocolate and crunch!)

It’s on the “secret” menu, so you will need to tell your barista how to make it — and alter it accordingly if you want. Do NOT walk in and say, “Hi, I’d like the Lovers Cold Brew,” as they will have zero idea what you are talking about. 

Credit: Isadora Baum

My Thoughts

The drink itself is super pretty, and it seems like it would taste great, since mocha and strawberry are a dynamic duo. And if you do throw in chocolate, that’s just another amazing ingredient that works well with the two. 

Yet, I did not like it. It was not horrible, but I would not order it again. I do prefer my coffee to be less sweet and plain, but this wasn’t the reason I didn’t like it. I just don’t think it goes well together! Plus, it’s also a little expensive — a tall is around $7. 

In a chocolate truffle, as a chocolate-covered strawberry with mocha drizzle, or a cake, YES. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT. In a coffee drink? No — not for me. It seems like things to enjoy separately. I recommend sipping the mocha cold brew on its own, drinking from the bottom and ditching the foamy top, and then taking your straw to sip JUST the strawberry cold foam puree as is, where you can really get that burst of strawberry flavor. That happened to be delicious! But it didn’t feel like coffee. It felt like a tasty strawberry puréed treat. 

The takeaway? You might like it, and it’s pretty, and it’s not awful — but I think you should go with the basic cold brew with cold foam in the AM to wake up and then order a strawberry smoothie for an afternoon fruity pick-me-up.