15 Best Hot Drinks at Starbucks Ranked Worst to Best

The weather outside is frightful, so we’ve decided to pause our love affair with iced coffee and delve into the hot drinks menu. And while Starbucks’ full selection is, well, too much for one person to try and rank without their heart exploding from a caffeine overload, we put together a list of the most popular, best hot drinks at Starbucks, ranked.

Here, you’ll find favorites like the White Chocolate Mocha and classics like hot chocolate, alongside a few clunkers that someone somewhere deemed worthy of being on the menu. Don’t look at us.

Check out our definitive ranking ahead, and don’t be too mad that we couldn’t tell a few of the Starbucks hot drinks apart. The heat might be affecting our taste buds.

15 Best Hot Drinks at Starbucks, Ranked Worst to Best

15. Espresso Con Panna

We just have one question. Who orders this? No, seriously. Has anyone ever ordered this?

It’s literally a double shot of espresso with a squirt of whipped cream on top. We know this is, like, a traditional drink, but we’re convinced it was created by someone who knew espresso was tough to choke down, so they threw a chaser of sweetness on top to make it palatable.

If you swish the whipped cream in so it blends together, it tastes alright. But this is not the way to go. Get a real drink.

14. Caffe Misto

If you’re ordering a Caffe Misto, you might as well just be making your coffee at home and saving your money.

This is basically just foamy coffee. It’s equal parts steamed milk and coffee, so it’s plenty muted. There’s nothing distinctive that marks this drink as better or worse than the generic Keurig brand we have in the office.

13. Caramel Macchiato

Here’s the thing with a lot of lattes, macchiatos, mistos, and flat whites: They all taste just about the same.

Even a seasoned coffee drinker has to admit everything is similar. And if they tell you anything different, they’re lying.

If you want a kick of sweetness, though, the Caramel Macchiato has that from the drizzle on top, so two points for the Macc.

12. Honey Citrus Mint Tea

We love this simple tea as something refreshing and comforting. It’s a tea blend with a little bit of everything. It’s got mint. It’s got peach. It’s got citrus.

And on top of all that, it actually has lemonade in it, too, which is where we think it goes a little haywire. We tried it without the lemonade and think it’s an improvement.

So, order it by the menu and it gets a C+. Adjusted, it earns a B+.

11. Flat White

Can we tell a Flat White apart from a cappuccino or a caffe misto? No, not really.

It’s the sister drink to a cappuccino or a latte, but has more espresso, so we’d choose this on mornings when we really need a kick in the face.

The Flat White is plenty creamy to break up the bitterness of the espresso, which makes it go down nice and smooth… and makes it hurt a little less as its destroying our intestines.

10. Cappuccino

For anyone out there who doesn’t know how to order a coffee at Starbucks, here’s your drink.

Walk in and order a cappuccino. You can’t go wrong. Starbucks offers a solid cappuccino that’s got a strong coffee flavor, and is smooth and creamy.

9. Hot Chocolate

A lot of people love Starbucks’ hot chocolate because it’s really chocolaty. It’s made with mocha to get that rich chocolate flavor. Which is great, if you like rich flavors.

We’re not necessarily in the favorable camp. We prefer a creamier milk chocolate blend, so we’re bumping this down the list. But you enjoy it.

8. Matcha Latte

Drinking a Matcha Latte always makes us feel healthy, because we’re basically drinking grass. It’s almost like a green smoothie, but warm and creamy.

Fortunately, it’s also fairly tasty, and it’s way cheaper than anything you’ll find at Erewhon, so it feels like a win all around.

7. Honey Almondmilk Flat White

Any time we have an intentionally dairy free option, we’re happy.

This spin on the classic adds honey and makes it dairy free. Goodbye tummy ache, and hello warm hug of honey. It’s almost like this drink was created by our moms.

6. White Chocolate Mocha

This drink might not be “real coffee” for those of us who like our drinks black as our souls, but it’s a delicious intro order for teens everywhere.

We still love it because it takes us back to the good old days. It also gives us a welcomed sugar high.

5. London Fog Latte

A London Fog Latte just makes us feel a wee bit fancy. We can’t help but walk around saying “Cheerio” and calling things “Bloody brilliant.”

The earl grey tea will do that to you. It’s not too strong, because the milk cuts through, and the fruitiness and lavender notes shine through.

4. Chai Tea Latte

Starbucks’ chai is much sweeter than what you’ll find anywhere else — love it or hate it. It’s also not as spicy as some other varieties.

This Chai Tea Latte is quite sweet and creamy, so it doesn’t necessarily feel very authentic, but we can forgive it, because it’s darn tasty.

3. Cinnamon Dolce Latte

Something about the Cinnamon Dolce Latte just makes us feel happy. Okay, we know what it is. It’s the cinnamon.

The Cinnamon Dolce syrup, mixed with the cinnamon powder on top, make this a whole experience, and it’s so warm and cozy. Maybe we could just move in and live inside the cup. Think rent’s cheap?

2. Caramel Apple Spice

This drink makes us mad. It’s just warm apple juice with some cinnamon, whipped cream, and caramel on top, but it’s so stupid delicious.

Why is it so good? Why do we feel so happy when we drink it? Why have we ordered so many of them during the cold months? Why do we wish we were drinking it right now?

1. Blond Vanilla Latte

Where has this drink been hiding our whole lives? For real, this drink is incredibly underrated, and we almost hate cluing everyone in on it because we don’t want it to become the new basic drink that everyone gets.

Yes, we know it’s just a vanilla latte, but it’s made with blonde espresso, which makes it (and, by extension, us) cooler. It’s frothy and creamy and the perfect drink for pretty much any occasion.

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Hedy Phillips

Hedy is a writer with bylines at POPSUGAR, Cosmo, InStyle, Brit + Co, and more. She devotes 99% of her time to snuggling with her cats and 100% of her money to following Harry Styles around on tour. She's always on the lookout for another slice of New York pizza and she's never met a Starbucks drink she doesn't like. Follow her on Twitter.