Starbucks Iced Banana Cream Protein Matcha Review
Pros:
Strong banana flavor pairs well with the refreshing matcha
16g protein per serving
With soy, the drink has a light texture
The kick was just strong enough to wake me up but not so overpowering as to make me crash later or give me the jitters
The high protein actually calmed an empty stomach for a bit
Cons:
High cost at $6.25 after tax for a tall
A little too much sweetness at the standard measurements (possibly go with one pump less if you want to cut the sweetness and calories)
No way to get it entirely dairy-free because the cold foam contains dairy and cannot be made without dairy (according to my local barista)
Today I thought I would go out and try one of Starbucks’ new seasonal items: the Iced Banana Cream Protein Matcha. Now, I will say right off the cuff, if you don’t like matcha, this probably isn’t the drink for you. While the banana does a great job balancing out the signature taste of matcha, it still comes through fairly strong. Fortunately for me, I love matcha — and banana!
The foam is highly enjoyable with a great texture. It smells strongly of banana cream, and it doesn’t come across as imitation or “fake.” Rather, I genuinely get hints of fresh banana pie or a banana split. The drink itself has a wonderful pale verdant hue (though yours may vary a little, as I had my drink made with soy and not the standard whole milk it typically comes with). Having said that, when ordering, my barista did inform me that (at least at that location) the beverage would still contain dairy, as the foam itself cannot use milk substitutes. That works out for me because soy is a taste preference, but for some of you who may have actual allergies, or may be avoiding dairy for other dietary reasons, this is something to keep in mind and to check with your local Starbucks about.
I found the drink to be incredibly refreshing in the ~80-degree heat. The texture was quite good as well. Sometimes with protein drinks or those made with matcha powder, I find that there can be clumping or grainy/gritty texturing throughout, but that wasn’t the case here. While there was a small amount of matcha at the bottom of the cup that hadn’t gotten mixed in entirely, I found no clumps and experienced absolutely zero graininess or grittiness. The proportions of liquid, ice, and foam were off-balance due to the somewhat large volume of ice in the cup. So, if I were to order this again, I would likely request light ice. I also found it to be just a tad too sweet, but that’s likely to vary from person to person.
The matcha itself seemed to be fairly high grade and gave me a good boost. I am happy to report that I experienced no amount of jitteriness after consuming it — something that can occur when I have strongly caffeinated beverages. No crash followed later in the day either. All in all, I would say the caffeine content of the drink was fairly good but not overwhelming (specifically if you are a regular consumer of caffeine, which, for reference, I typically have a single cup of caffeinated coffee in the morning and occasionally a small cup of iced coffee in the afternoon on those particularly hard days). The protein included was also a nice addition, as it gave the beverage a bit of a nutritional boost. That’s not to say that this is a particularly healthy drink, though. My tall, customized with soy milk and all else being standard per the menu, came to 330 calories, 25g sugar, 17g fat, 19g of protein, and 30mg of caffeine. Not the worst thing in the world, but the sugar content specifically is a bit high given the size of the drink. Thankfully, for anyone watching this kind of content in their diet, Starbucks does offer sugar-free options as well as the ability to reduce the amount of standard syrup included in the drink. So, at the end of the day, this is not a deal-breaker, but it is something to note.
All that being said, I do have to levy one complaint — though I suspect it’s one that’s all too familiar to any patron of Starbucks these days. The drink was $6.25 after tax for a tall (that’s Starbucks’ name for a small). When you consider the amount of ice in the drink, the actual liquid was probably a little less than half of the amount the cup could contain. That seems a little light in terms of the drink’s proportions, and overall that’s a fairly high asking price for what is, all things considered, not a very large drink (even for a small). But cost is not the only factor, and in this case, given how much I enjoyed the flavors and textures — particularly the banana cream foam — the enjoyment outweighs the price as an offering, though it would be a tough sell as anything more than an occasional treat.
Overall, I quite enjoyed the Starbucks Iced Banana Cream Protein Matcha and, while not an everyday purchase at $6+, this is a refreshing, protein-boosted twist on their usual offerings — one I’d happily order again as a medium/grande with light ice and one pump less syrup!