In today's competitive coffee chain market, places like Starbucks and Dunkin' are constantly rolling out new features and offerings to stay on top—mobile orders, seasonal specials, and colorful, social media-ready concoctions are all part of the deal.
But some once-loyal customers are not enjoying the pivot away from classics like, well, coffee.
One disgruntled group of Redditors in particular is calling out Starbucks for shifting so far away from its core offerings that it's basically now an ice cream shop.
If you're wondering what exactly cold foam is, fair enough. Introduced in 2018, cold foam is a twist on the hot foam you'd typically see on a latte or cappuccino, created by frothing cold nonfat milk until it's creamy, either leaving it plain or mixing it with flavored syrups for an even sweeter topping.
You can add cold foam to any iced drink at Starbucks—just be kind to baristas who may or may not be trying to figure out the secret recipe behind the scenes.
While Starbucks may be offering more and more sweet treats and hyping up its sugary iced offerings, you can definitely still keep it simple (and low-sugar) with their hot or iced coffees or plain espresso drinks.
There's no denying that sweet, creamy cold foam looks appetizing when you scroll past it on social media, but just because Starbucks has ramped up these offerings doesn't mean you need to turn your coffee order into dessert.
Whether you're for or against cold foam, Starbucks can still serve your caffeine needs—but baristas do seem increasingly sick of whipping up ice cream-esque treats all day long instead of serving coffee.