I tried Costa’s new hot milkshakes as customers are divided – one of them tastes like an iconic dessert
SINCE Costa Coffee released its new menu for January, loyal customers have been going wild for the new drinks range.
The fresh menu includes three flavours of the coffee giant’s new innovation – hot milkshakes.
The sweet treats are part of the new offering which also includes Heinz cheese and beans toasties, plus Caramelised Biscuit Rocky Road.
Social media has been rife with reviews and early thoughts on the hot milkshakes, which made me even more intrigued to give them a go.
One customer said: “Wouldn’t these just be a type of hot chocolate? I love a milkshake but it needs to be really cold! This to me would just be like hot chocolate, I’d be so disappointed.”
Another wrote: “We just went and tried all 3 flavours! Completely different to a hot chocolate! All very warm and cosy!! Really enjoyed them!”
A third commented: “How does this work? Is it basically a hot chocolate with sauce, cream and sprinkles in a glass?”
A fourth posted: “Just tried the salted caramel coffee one and it tastes amazing!”
“I’m not sure how it’s not just a different flavoured hot chocolate?!” another queried.
With these comments floating around my head, I was unsure what to expect and went in with an open mind.
The drinks are made with milk that’s shaken to high heavens in a blender, making it thick and foamy, as opposed to steaming the milk which is how a hot chocolate is made.
There are three flavours of the hot drinks, each with their own toppings, I tried all of them to see if they’re worth the hype.
Salted Caramel Coffee
- From £4.10
- 336 calories with semi-skimmed milk
First up was the Salted Caramel Coffee flavoured drink which, as the name suggests, combines sweet caramel with espresso.
It’s all topped with a light whip and sprinkled with caramel vermicelli, and served with a straw.
I was most excited to give this one a go, the addition of coffee definitely drew me in.
Despite the advertisements from Costa, I didn’t find the drink massively thick – much creamier than a hot chocolate or latte though.
This might be due to the addition of an espresso shot, adding more liquid to the mix perhaps.
The drink certainly looked tasty, the addition of the domed lid meant that the cream and sprinkles didn’t get squashed, which is what I find usually happens to takeaway drinks.
I particularly enjoyed the crunchy topping, but I did feel the drink more closely resembled a warm frappe than a milkshake.
Chocolate Hazel
- From £4.10
- 418 calories with semi-skimmed milk
Next up was the Chocolate Hazel milkshake which is hot chocolate and hazelnut flavoured syrup.
It’s topped with a light whipped cream and sprinkled with chocolate brownie crumbs (or it’s supposed to be).
Unfortunately, my drink was lacking in the crumb, which was a disappointing start.
The milkshake itself tasted a lot like a thicker version of the hazelnut hot chocolate from Costa’s winter menu, you definitely did need a straw to drink it.
It was very sweet, like Nutella and did get a bit sickly after a few sips.
I found it did taste more like a “hot milkshake” than the caramel one but it wasn’t as thick as I’d hoped.
White Chocolate and Strawberry
- From £4.10
- 359 calories with semi-skimmed milk
Finally, the last one to try was the White Chocolate and Strawberry flavour drink.
This one probably looked the most like a proper milkshake, with the cute hundreds and thousands on top.
It’s made with white chocolate and strawberry sauce topped with cream and sprinkles.
My first thought when I took a sip was that it tasted just like warm Angel Delight, one of my favourite desserts from childhood.
It was sweet and creamy, and had the exact same taste as the strawberry flavour dessert.
My only slight grumble is that it could have been thicker, the flavours would have tasted great as a thick shake – hot or cold.
Meanwhile, Costa actually brought out 10 all-new items, as well as 14 returning favourites – so have a browse.
Plus, we tried supermarket own-brand coffees – one brew tastes exactly like Nescafe at a fraction of the price and it’s not Aldi.
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