On Tuesday, March 5, Starbucks stores in North America debuted new beverages that are a delightful new take on the macchiato (which was among the first beverages on the menu when Starbucks first began serving beverages in its cafés in the late 1980s).
The Starbucks Cloud Macchiato, which can be served both hot and iced, features whipped cold milk foam that has a light, fluffy, and silky-smooth texture. Coming in Caramel and Cinnamon flavors, the beverage is inspired by the leche merengada, or “meringue milk,” a summer drink from the cafés of Barcelona, Spain.
To create the Cloud Macchiato, Starbucks first developed a Cloud powder with egg whites as a key ingredient to create a layer of fluffy Cloud foam. Underneath the “cloud” sits two espresso shots. The Caramel Cloud Macchiato features a hint of vanilla syrup and a crosshatch of caramel drizzle on top, while the Cinnamon Cloud Macchiato features a hint of cinnamon lemon syrup, a crosshatch of caramel drizzle, and a dusting of cinnamon.
“The original Spanish beverage combines cinnamon and lemon zest, with a frothy texture which inspired us to reinvent the beverage as a macchiato,” says Erin Marinan, from Starbucks research and development team. “The texture of the Cloud Macchiato is luxurious and by adding espresso and our Starbucks signature caramel cross-hatch, we’re making it ours and opening up even more ways we can bring new beverage experiences to our customers.”
Starbucks promoted the debuting beverages with the help of pop superstar Ariana Grande. On Monday, March 4, Grande posted on social media with a tease of the new collaboration.
��☕️☁️��.... @starbucks 3/5
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) March 4, 2019
She then followed that with a post on Tuesday in which she is enjoying the Cloud Macchiato for herself.
�� @starbucks cloud #cloudmacchiato #starbucksambassador #trythesoyversion �� pic.twitter.com/y2LRAx33Sq
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) March 5, 2019