You can skip that tired ol’ protein shake — Starbucks is now serving gains in a grande.
Come September 29, your favorite coffee giant is rolling out permanent Protein Cold Foams and Protein Lattes.
Each Protein Cold Foam packs a punch with 15 grams of protein per grande and comes in flavors like vanilla, chocolate, matcha, banana, brown sugar, salted caramel — and yes, even sugar-free vanilla.
Fall fans can also sip seasonal pumpkin and pecan-flavored protein cold foams.
Each protein-boosted latte — made with 2% protein-packed milk — will have anywhere from 15 to 36 grams per grande, giving your morning brew a gym-worthy glow-up. As of now, the protein latte flavors are unknown.
According to the Seattle-based coffee chain’s global chief brand officer, Tressie Lieberman, the new protein beverages “tap into the growing consumer demand for protein in an innovative, premium, and delicious way that only Starbucks can deliver,” as per a recent press release.
The news of Starbucks’ Protein Cold Foams and Lattes is stirring up a caffeine-fueled debate online.
As seen on X (formerly Twitter), fans and skeptics alike had plenty to say.
Some are curious — and cautiously optimistic. “Wonder how the flavors will taste with the new protein twist,” one user wrote.
“Cold foams are my go-to—this sounds perfect. Starbucks [is] always finding ways to mix it up.”
Others, however, aren’t impressed. “Starbucks rolling out protein lattes & cold foams this month. No thanks — I like my coffee to taste like coffee, not a science fair smoothie. If you want culinary gymnastics, go to ‘Diary Queen’ and leave my double espresso alone,” another quipped.
And then there’s the brutally honest commentary: “30g of protein and 300g of sugar the best of both worlds,” one user joked, accompanied by a laughing emoji.
Some are intrigued by the science of it all. “I will admit I want to try Starbucks cold foams w extra protein which I read they’re test marketing,” another X user confessed.
“But more from a taste and texture perspective and the chemistry of how they’ll suspend the protein in the foam.”
But way before protein ever hit the foam, Starbucks had its own epic gamble brewing — the now-iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte.
It may be hard to believe, but the beloved drink almost never made it off the drawing board.
Back in 2003, the coffee company was brainstorming fall flavors and, according to PSL “father” Peter Dukes, pumpkin wasn’t exactly topping the charts.
There were “chocolate beverages and caramel beverages,” he told People, but pumpkin-flavored items weren’t popular at the time.
Market research even rated pumpkin drinks low on purchase intent — though everyone admitted it was unique.
Undeterred, Dukes and his team pushed the fall-forward concoction through a series of taste tests, mixing espresso with bites of pumpkin pie in a lab decorated to feel like autumn (even if it was spring).
They tinkered with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves and debated names, eventually ditching “Fall Harvest Latte” in favor of something clear and cozy: the “Pumpkin Spice Latte.”
The PSL officially hit stores in October 2003 and slowly, sweetly, became the caffeinated cult classic it is today.
Now back for the season, Dukes says the PSL is more than coffee: it’s a “warm blanket in front of the fireplace…sitting around the Thanksgiving table with family and friends.”
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