Why You Should Add Sweet Cold Foam To Your Starbucks Refresher
Although many of us associate cold foam with coffee, this topping can be added to any drink offered at Starbucks. Yes, as odd as it may first sound, you can have your Strawberry Açaí Refresher (or any other Refresher, for that matter) topped off with luscious vanilla cold foam.
Adding cold foam to Starbucks Refreshers takes the drink from simply sweet to creamy and smooth, like sherbet in drink form. Beyond that, if Refreshers are usually a little too acidic for your liking, the cold foam helps cut through the fruit's acidity and mellows the drink out. Yum.
Of course, ordering cold foam on a cold drink comes with the added benefit of the foam not collapsing or melting immediately. Even if you love the taste and texture of this topping, you shouldn't mobile order certain Starbucks drinks, like hot drinks with cold foam, if you aren't there to pick them up right away. This topping on your Refresher results in chilled, creamy sips for as long as your drink lasts.
Not everyone is onboard with cold foam on Starbucks Refreshers
Understandably, not everyone will enjoy sweet cold foam atop their fruity Starbucks Refresher. In this case, the naysayers fair points when it comes to their dislike, primarily the fact that mixing dairy and certain citrus fruits can cause coagulation and curdling after consumption. You know, like the infamous curdled cement mixer shot, which uses Irish cream liqueur and lime juice to create a coagulated texture.
In addition to giving your cold foam refresher a potentially off-putting appearance, texture, or taste, the combo of fruit and cold foam can also cause digestive distress in some individuals. According to ABP Live, which spoke to dieticians and nutritionists, the fat in dairy takes longer to digest than fruit, leading to unpleasant symptoms, including heartburn, indigestion, gas, congestion, and even allergy flare-ups. Not everyone will have these side effects after enjoying the combo, but it's worth keeping in mind if you have preexisting sensitivities to certain food combinations.
Other ways to upgrade Starbucks Refreshers
While nothing will give you the same dreamy, creamy experience as adding cold foam to your Starbucks Refresher, you can still give the drink a flavorful boost with other fruits. Available options include freeze-dried strawberries, blackberries, limes, and dragonfruit.
To further amp up the flavor (or if you'd like to avoid rehydrated freeze-dried fruit chunks getting lodged in your straw), you can also request infusions of pineapple, peach, or strawberry juice, which are regularly used to flavor Starbucks teas. All the flavor and no curdling sounds like a win in our book.
You can create countless new drinks by mixing and matching various Refreshers, fruits, and infusions. For instance, you can order a fruit punch-esque drink by requesting a Passion Tea Lemonade with Mango Dragonfruit Refresher, peach juice, and mixed fruit. Alternatively, give your Strawberry Açaí Refresher a gummy bear spin with a splash of peach or guava juice.