Avery Anderson

A warm cup of coffee on a cool fall day, paired with the crisp bite of a fresh, juicy apple, makes a delightful breakfast. However, Starbucks took it a bit too far, by mixing the two in their new seasonal drink: the Apple Crisp Macchiato. Starbucks describes it as a coffee drink with hints of cinnamon and apple. A balance of coffee and apple to create a not too sweet macchiato. When I took my first sip of the drink, the first thing I thought was, it was like drinking apple cinnamon oatmeal. While I enjoy apple cinnamon oatmeal, it was a bit off putting when made into a drink. Reviews on Youtube and Tik-Tok have described the drink as reminding them of a Yankee candle. The artificial apple flavor reminds me of a fall candle from Bath and Body Works. In addition, it reminds me of when you walk into the bath and body works and are suddenly overwhelmed by different smells, in this case it was a sudden overwhelm of different tastes. Furthemore, the bitter coffee doesn’t go well with the overly sweet fruit taste. However, to give it a fair chance I tried it both as a hot drink and a cold drink. The cold drink was more appetizing on hot days, like this week, but the hot drink tasted better because the apple cinnamon oatmeal taste was less present. I also noticed, like others who have tried the drink before me, the apple syrup mixes into the warm drink much more evenly so that each sip gets a small hint of the artificial apple flavoring. I will say that the cinnamon apple drizzle was somewhat appealing and was a nice fall touch. While it wasn’t the least appetizing thing I have ever tasted, I will not be buying again. This is not to say it’s not worth trying. Some people that I have talked to think the flavor combinations work well together. However, I advise not keeping your hopes up for finding your new fall drink.