What's the Best Drink at Starbucks? Check Out the Top 10 Most Popular Starbucks Coffee Beverages!

When it comes to Starbucks' most popular coffee drinks, nothing compares to the Americano, Latte, Flat White, Cold Brew, and Frappuccino lines. Facing a dazzling menu, how do you pick the right drink for yourself? In this article, FrontStreet Coffee breaks down how Starbucks' popular drinks are made—so you can easily recreate them at home.

Latte Coffee (Caffè Latte)

"Latte" means milk in Italian, and "coffee" means coffee. As Starbucks' signature product, the latte has been loved by fans since Starbucks introduced it in 1982. The method: 1-2 shots of espresso, then milk suited to the cup size. For a hot latte, the milk is steamed with a wand to create smooth microfoam before being blended evenly with the espresso.

If you want to replicate it at home without a coffee machine, you can use freeze-dried or ready-to-use espresso liquid, then add hot or iced milk. But matching Starbucks' hot latte exactly is tricky—the silky microfoam is hard to achieve with household milk frothers.

Americano Coffee

The Americano was born when American soldiers stationed in Italy during World War II couldn't get used to the local pressure-extracted espresso. Most would dilute it with hot water, gradually forming a coffee style suited to American tastes—hence the name.

There is no single standard recipe; the concentration is diluted to the customer's taste. To keep every cup consistent, however, Starbucks uses 2-3 shots of espresso topped with water suited to the cup size. At home you can likewise use freeze-dried or ready-to-use espresso liquid, diluted in small batches with water, sparkling water, or any favorite beverage.

Flat White Coffee

The Flat White is also known as the Australian White, Little White, Australian Art White, or Mellow Art White. FrontStreet Coffee believes the difference from a latte lies in using more concentrated espresso and a thinner layer of foam. An authentic Flat White only comes hot, but Starbucks created a cold version to satisfy its fans.

When Starbucks makes this drink, it uses 2-3 shots of ristretto. Unlike a regular espresso, a ristretto raises the coffee's concentration by shortening the extraction ratio from the same dose of grounds—so with the same amount of milk, a Flat White tastes richer than a latte.

Cold Brew Coffee

Cold Brew is a product Starbucks launched only in recent years, and on release it immediately shot to the top of Starbucks' cold coffee sales. FrontStreet Coffee believes its popularity comes from low-temperature steeping: the flavor comes through full and rich, without the bitterness that high-temperature (espresso machine) extraction can produce.

There's another important reason: Cold Brew is the most refreshing drink on the Starbucks menu! Caffeine content depends on extraction time—espresso extracts for about twenty to thirty seconds, while Cold Brew steeps for 8-12 hours. That gives Cold Brew the highest caffeine content of any Starbucks drink, making it the most energizing.

Cold Brew is also the easiest Starbucks drink to replicate at home. Everyone can pick beans to their taste from FrontStreet Coffee's online store: for floral-fruity sweetness and acidity, we recommend the "Ethiopia Sidamo Huakui (Flower Queen) Coffee Beans"; for a tea-like florality, the "Panama Boquete Butterfly (Hua Die) Coffee Beans"; for a non-acidic cup, the "Brazil Queen Estate (Fazenda Rainha) Coffee Beans"; and for fans of Starbucks' whiskey-barrel-aged beans, FrontStreet Coffee offers the same style—"Honduras Sherry Coffee Beans."

Making Cold Brew requires only a clean, oil-free, sealable container and something to filter the grounds (coffee filter paper, tea bags, high-density filter cloth, or cloth bags all work). Mix the ground coffee evenly with ice water and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. FrontStreet Coffee recommends 30g of coffee at a 1:13 coffee-to-water ratio (that is, 30g of coffee steeped in about 400g of water); once extraction is complete, filter out the grounds and enjoy.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Cold brewing amplifies floral and fruity notes while softening woody and roasty flavors, so light-to-medium roasts are the best fit. Two FrontStreet Coffee beans are practically made for it.

FrontStreet Strawberry Candy Geisha Blend: Geisha is world-famous for its classic florals and fresh fruit acidity. This blend pairs the most representative Panamanian Geisha with a honey-processed Costa Rican component—the former contributing delicate rose and orange, the latter grape, dried blueberry, and strawberry-gummy sweetness—forming rich layers of flavor. As cold brew it is sweet-tart, lively, and uplifting; if you let it ferment and settle briefly in the fridge, it even takes on a fruit-wine character.

FrontStreet Natural Huakui: from coffee's birthplace in Ethiopia, this natural-processed bean absorbs abundant sweet aromatic compounds from the fruit and pulp during drying. In cold brew it unfolds magnolia, creamy strawberry, dried mango, guava, and black tea—exactly the floral-forward iced coffee the method was made for.