I Tried Each Starbucks Syrup Flavor, and Here's How I Feel About Them

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Anyone who knows me knows that I am a sucker for some good creamer and syrup in my coffee. I don't care if it's iced or hot, I need my drink sweet. In case you missed it, I ranked my favorite Starbucks Creamers, so I figured I'd give Starbucks Syrup a try as well.

Now, full transparency, I am not a barista, so I'm still experimenting with the flavored syrups. I know these won't taste exactly like Starbucks drinks, but I'm all for taking a cup of coffee from boring to sweet.

Starbucks Variety Syrup 4pk, Variety Pack

What I Tried

I tried all three flavoring syrups (hazelnut, vanilla, and caramel syrup). I did try the coffee syrup in both hot coffee and iced coffee drinks. I tried the following recipe for all three flavors:

I have to be honest. I wasn't a fan of vanilla. If I had to rank these in order from worst to best, it would be vanilla, hazelnut, and caramel. The vanilla syrup tastes sweet until you get weird hints of alcohol. I've had this odd aftertaste at my favorite local coffee shops here in Austin, and I have no idea why this happens to coffee beverages.

As for the hazelnut syrup, it was much sweeter than the Starbucks vanilla syrup. I followed instructions (one tablespoon per 12-fl oz of coffee)--lastly, caramel. Okay, I'm definitely going to step my home barista skills up this fall. This syrup will come in handy for homemade caramel macchiatos. I'll be sure to grab some caramel sauce and whipped cream as well because I'm going all out!

Overall, I guess the variety pack isn't a complete fail. Maybe the vanilla syrup would taste better in a French vanilla latte. I think I'm going to buy a new froth gadget and try it again. However, I'd say caramel and hazelnut will come in handy for iced coffee at home, along with special coffee beverages that require more work (macchiatos, espresso, etc.).

And no, I didn't use Starbucks coffee grounds. Just good ol' H-E-B coffee! However, I plan on buying a bag of Starbucks coffee grounds next time. I have a feeling this will help out with the taste.

You know how McDonald's ketchup only tastes good with McDonald's fries? Yeah, I have a feeling it's one of those occasions where I shouldn't mix up brands. I'll be extra sure to bring home the Starbucks cafe flavor.

I need to make a nice cup of espresso, vanilla bean frappuccino, or a white chocolate mocha to really experience a good DIY coffee drink at home with these syrups.

I will keep y'all updated with the next DIY drink test. For now, I highly recommend buying Starbucks creamer (caramel macchiato, cinnamon dolce, pumpkin spice latte, and toffeenut are definitely worth giving a try) and being prepared to froth milk and get more creative to get the most out of these Starbucks syrups.

Starbucks Syrup Flavors Available:

Has anyone tried Torani sugar-free syrup? If I get to try it anytime soon, I'll be sure to compare the two. I've heard great things about the simple syrup.