I Tried Starbucks' Winter Menu & Found That *New* Me Espresso

New year, new me espresso. To help fuel your 2025, Starbucks is introducing its first-ever cortado drinks *and* bringing back some fan-fave flavors from seasons past.

The all-new winter 2025 beverages, available starting Friday, Jan. 3, include the Cortado ($5), which is equal parts espresso and milk. The standard Spanish caffeinated beverage is in between a flat white (more milk) and macchiato (more espresso), with a balanced blend of the two.

Though you can always customize your sip with different syrups and flavors, Starbucks is spicing things up with its own Brown Sugar Oatmilk Cortado ($6). The sweetened and non-dairy version comes with steamed oat milk, brown sugar syrup, and a sprinkling of cinnamon on top. It has the same elements of Sabrina Carpenter’s Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso at Dunkin’, which is a limited-time iced espresso drink with brown sugar and oat milk.

Along with the cortado, Starbucks’ Pistachio Latte ($6) and Pistachio Cream Cold Brew ($6) are returning on Friday (but only for the winter season, so get ‘em while you can). As Elite Daily’s resident coffee connoisseur, I got to try the two new cortados, as well as the beloved Pistachio Latte, before the winter 2025 menu drop, and here’s my honest review of all three:

The Cortado

The balance of milk and espresso made this a really smooth sip. I tend to prefer macchiatos because I like having more espresso than milk, so I was worried that the cortado might be too light in flavor — but that wasn’t the case at all.

It was a bit foamy, but I didn’t feel like I was cheated out of my coffee (which is how I feel whenever I order a cappuccino). Plus, the equal parts milk and espresso made this a less acidic sip, which is really nice for sipping on first thing in the morning.

Don’t expect anything too exciting flavor-wise, though. At the end of the day, this is just steamed milk and espresso.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Brown Sugar Oatmilk Cortado

If you’re looking for something exciting, I would suggest trying the Brown Sugar Oatmilk Cortado. This is a cinnamon sugar-flavored version of Starbucks’ new cortado, and my favorite of all the winter menu drinks I tried.

The brown sugar syrup and cinnamon on top really elevated the espresso, making this a creamier sip. Even though this is only available hot, it’s inspired by the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, which is the perfect dupe for Dunkin’s Sabrina Carpenter drink. Now, *that’s* that me espresso.

Rating: 5 out of 5

The Pistachio Latte

The Pistachio Latte ($6) is a returning menu item for 2025, but this was my first time trying it. As a fan of pistachios, I had high expectations since this is a fan fave. Even though I really enjoyed the pistachio flavor, it was a bit too sweet for me.

This tasted more like warm pistachio ice cream than like you’re eating nuts with your coffee. I did get the hot version, which is typically sweeter, so maybe that probably tipped the scales a bit. When I got home, I added some ice to water down the flavor and really enjoyed that version more.

If I were to order this again, I would get an iced pistachio latte, but what I really want to try next is a chai with a pistachio cream cold foam.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

In addition to the new drinks, Starbucks is introducing a Spicy Falafel Pocket, which might be a great savory snack to go along with such a creamy sip.