Calling all cold foam fans: Starbucks just dropped a new flavor, and it’s definitely not one to sleep on. May 7, 2025, marked the release of the popular coffee chain’s Brown Sugar Cream Cold Foam, a decadent offering that will put a sweet and buttery twist on your favorite iced drink. The release is in tandem with what the company is calling its “Cold Foam Days” — from May 7 through May 11, members of Starbucks’ rewards program can get free cold foam on any iced drinks at their location. It’s valid for one cold foam per drink and can be redeemed up to a whopping 50 times before the promotion ends.
It’s fun to see the chain offering freebies of the popular topping, especially as we head into the warmer months and look forward to Starbucks’ 2025 summer menu. But what’s even more fun, in my opinion, is the new cold foam itself. As if we didn’t already have enough cold foams to choose from, Starbucks has dropped another in our laps — fortunately, the promotion makes it super accessible to try for the rest of the week. I headed to my Starbucks location and got an iced vanilla latte topped with Brown Sugar Cream Cold Foam to see if it’s worth any hype. Spoiler alert: It definitely is.
What is Brown Sugar Cream Cold Foam?
If you’re new to the cold foam trend, you might be wondering: What is cold foam, and how does Starbucks make it? Well, it’s basically what its name makes it sound like — a typically sweetened, cold, frothy milk foam used atop iced drinks. You know that hefty layer of foam you get on the top of a cappuccino? Take that, sweeten it, and make it cold. Voila!
As for the new flavor, Starbucks touts its Brown Sugar Cream Cold Foam as having a smooth, airy texture with sweet caramel tasting notes. The cold foam is (in my opinion) a delightful addition to the chain’s lineup of cold foam flavors, which also include vanilla, salted caramel, chocolate, and even pistachio. It’s a safe bet that this is one of the more saccharine options of the bunch, but don’t let that turn you away from trying it — it also has an appealing richness to it, which I’ll talk more about in a minute. The chain recommends you use it as an add-in to cold brew or iced flat whites, but I think there are few drinks that it wouldn’t taste great on.
Price and availability
The Brown Sugar Cream Cold Foam is currently available at Starbucks locations nationwide, but it’s unclear how long it will stick around. Personally, I hope it becomes a permanent addition to the menu, but we’ll have to wait and see. For now, head in and try it while it’s available — perhaps a deluge of orders will convince the chain to keep it around for the long haul.
As I already mentioned, you can add cold foam for free to any iced drink from today through May 11 if you’re a Starbucks Rewards member. Outside of that promotion, the cold foam will cost $1.25 when added to eligible drinks. Honestly, that seems a little steep to me for something you could whip up easily enough at home, but we live in the times of premium coffee prices — I suppose it’s only expected.
Taste test
To try the new offering, I headed to my local Starbucks and ordered the Brown Sugar Cream Cold Foam atop a tall iced vanilla latte, which I figured would provide a neutral enough base on which to test the cold foam. I was surprised (and delighted) at first sip. It had an effortlessly velvety, inviting texture, and though it definitely tasted like brown sugar, there was some depth behind it that I wasn’t expecting.
When you first taste the cold foam, its sweetness will be apparent — as the sip goes on, though, you’ll get warming notes of brown butter and caramel that prevent the cold foam from being the least bit saccharine. It offers a pleasant departure from drinks laden with sugar, but it’s still sweet enough to satisfy your sweet tooth. Honestly, I wish I’d been a little more imaginative with this cold foam — it would make for a great addition to a creative iced matcha latte or a spicy iced chai. Or, go all out and try it atop an Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, but know that definitely won’t make for a low-sugar Starbucks drink.
Final thoughts
Starbucks Rewards members, now is the perfect time to try the Brown Sugar Cream Cold Foam. Get it for free while the chain’s promotion is running, and then you can decide whether it’s worth the $1.25 you’d pay for it in the future. I think it’s well worth adding as a topping on treat days, but I’m not sure I’d get it in my daily coffee, both for price and sugar concerns.
All that said, I still found it to be a delicious cold foam that can elevate many of the chain’s iced drink offerings, and I’ll probably head over to get it on another drink while it’s still in stock. Feel free to get experimental with this cold foam — its flavors are neutral enough to not contrast with any popular beverages. It would taste especially yummy with Starbucks’ Salted Brown Butter Cookie topping, if you’re okay with a hefty dose of sweetness first thing in the morning.
