Starbucks Caramel Protein Latte

The Starbucks Caramel Protein Latte costs £6.75 for a Tall and carries 209 calories in a Grande along with 24.4g of protein, which is more than any other drink Starbucks UK sells. Signature espresso, milk and sugar free caramel syrup go in the cup, and a protein cold foam sits on top.

The foam is what makes it work. Protein powder stirred into a hot drink turns grainy, so Starbucks whips it into a cold foam instead and floats it, which keeps the texture smooth and puts most of the protein in the top third of the cup. Drink it without stirring and the first mouthfuls are thick and sweet; stir it through and the whole thing evens out into something closer to a regular latte with more body. The caramel is sugar free syrup rather than sauce, so it reads as buttery rather than sticky.

The numbers explain who it is for. 24.4g of protein in a Grande against 13.8g of sugar and 209 calories puts it in gym territory rather than treat territory, and it beats a Grande Caffè Latte on protein by more than two and a half times for around 60 more calories. Caffeine holds at 89.1mg through Tall and Grande, rising to 133.6mg in a Venti. It is also the most expensive hot latte on the menu at £6.75 for a Tall.

Order it hot and drink it reasonably quickly. Protein foam is stable while it is cold and starts to thin as the heat from the latte works up through it, so a cup left for fifteen minutes ends up with the foam collapsed into the drink. That does not spoil anything and the protein is still there, but the texture the drink is built around has gone. Baristas assemble it foam last for the same reason.

It suits a post workout coffee run or a skipped breakfast, and it fills far more than the calorie count suggests. Anyone who wants the protein without the milk should look at the Caramel Protein Americano, which carries 16.5g in a much lighter drink, and the Caffè Latte is the plain version at a lower price.