We Tried Starbucks’ New Juniper Latte And We’re Still Not Sure What to Think

Is it a lovely walk through a juniper forest? Or is it turkey stuffing?

Starbucks launched its new Juniper Latte along with its Christmas cups today (though the latter were conspicuously still absent in our local stores–they’re promising tomorrow), and props to the Starbucks’ product brains for trying to make us move past vanilla non-fat lattes already. They’ve had some hits (cascara latte), perhaps a few misses (no one here loved the cardamom latte, but to each his own), but this one easily wins for one you won’t find elsewhere.Made with sage, dried juniper berries and mandarin and dusted with juniper sugar, it’s certainly all things wintery. And more than a few people outright refused to taste it (we’re looking at you, associate editor Nathan Caddell).But does it work? Results from our team were mixed. Our marketing manager, Kaitlyn Lush, gave a resounding “ooh, I like it! Though I’d love a little gin in it, too.” Exec editor Stacey McLachlan was conflicted. “These aren’t flavours I’d normally think of pairing with coffee, and there’s probably a reason for that.” Our intern Dani Becerril, tends to take her coffee black, so it was a leap for her to begin with: “It’s very creamy and sweet for me, but I like the unknown flavour I get after drinking it,” she says. “Also, I read about the benefits of the juniper berries, and I think I’m starting to like it.”Me, I feel like I’d be into it on a really cold day of window shopping for Christmas presents. There’s a strong whiff of sage when you lift the lid, which is frankly a little eau-de-Thanksgiving, but the coffee itself is sweet and fruity with an herbal edge to it that I kind of dig. Plus, I’m told that W Network just started its Christmas movie marathon, so I’m fully into tree mode now. Bring it.