We Tried The New Starbucks "Butterbeer" Drink And Dumbledore Would Definitely Approve (2024)

In case you haven't heard, Starbucks released a new, limited-edition Smoked Butterscotch Latte that many have compared to Harry Potter's butterbeer. As dedicated Harry Potter fanatics, we decided to see if it lived up to its hype.

Butterbeer is a drink birthed from the brain of the great J.K. Rowling. In the books, it's described as a frothy drink served in mugs and is typically the go-to drink in Hogsmeade.

We ordered four different types of this drink: hot, cold, hot without espresso, and cold without espresso to try and decide which tastes like the butterbeer we'd imagined from the books.

Farrah and Lara

Farrah's Rating:

I have never been to the Wizarding World, but as a Harry Potter fanatic I have an idea of what I ~think~ butterbeer will taste like. After trying it, I couldn't exactly see why people were raving about this. It tasted like a very, very, very sugary Starbucks coffee with the bitter aftertaste of espresso. BUT it was smooth the way I imagine butterbeer would be.

Lara's Rating:

I've been to the Wizarding World five times, so my blood is 25% butterbeer at this point. Also? I don't even like coffee, so I feel like this drink never had a chance. It was good until I tasted the coffee. I will say that if I was cold, and Draco Malfoy offered me this drink, I would issue zero complaints. Otherwise, I'll pass on this pure sugar + butter + coffee combo.

Casey and Nina

Casey's Rating:

You know what? This one wasn't actually as coffee-y as I thought it would be. I would call it butterbeer with a hint of coffee before I would call it coffee.

Nina's Rating:

OK, I'm not a big coffee drinker, but if all coffee tasted like this I'd be an addict. It was so tasty! I think the caffeine in general takes away from the "butter" aspect of butterbeer since it leaves an aftertaste.

Farrah and Lara

Farrah's Rating:

I've experienced the joyous caffeine rush that comes from consuming Starbucks Frappuccinos, and this tasted a lot like the caramel one. I think the coffee aftertaste is throwing me off from experiencing the ~butterbeer effect~ everyone else has claimed.

Lara's Rating:

Would I drink this again? Yeah, if it was free. Did it taste like Butterbeer? A little bit, but it's way cheaper and I didn't get a plastic cup that says "Butterbeer" on it.

Casey and Nina

Casey's Rating:

This one just tasted like a regular frappuccino. Nothing magical about it whatsoever. I felt less magical after drinking it. I have zero magic in me.

Nina's Rating:

This feels like a straight-up caramel frap, which is some muggle sh*t. It was sweet and tasty, for a frap, but it does not give me Harry Potter vibes. So I'd probably pick this up if I wanted candy-esque coffee, but not if I wanted to feel witchy. If you're still sad about not getting your Hogwarts acceptance letter, this WILL NOT make you feel better.

Farrah and Lara

Farrah's Rating:

OK so aesthetically, this does not look like a butterbeer to me. It looks like a cup of warm milk? But after trying it, I have to say it's closer to what I think butterbeer would taste like! It's still buttery and sweet, but it doesn't have the aftertaste of coffee. If Madam Rosmerta ever served a warm version of this, I'd bet this is what it'd taste like.

Lara's Rating:

I think I now have my first cavity after trying this drink. Was it delicious? HELL YEAH! But so is gravy, and we shy away from drinking that. This drink was literally butter and sugar in a cup. Put this in my home town's state fair in Indiana and it'll fit right in.

Casey and Nina

Casey's Rating:

Ohmygod. This is amazing. It was sooo buttery and delightful. I would order this for sure. Also, if we're being technical, this should probably be called a Buttered Popcorn Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean. Because that's what it tastes like. Also, I would spike this.

Nina's Rating:

I've never had an ~authentic~ butterbeer from the Wizarding World, but if I had to guess, I'd imagine that this is what it tastes like. I'd solve 10,000 riddles to drink this again. I was told Wizarding World butterbeer is cold, but I always imagined it hot, and this is as close as I'll ever get to being a smart witch who sips butterbeer while gazing out the window of a castle.

Farrah and Lara

Farrah's Rating:

THIS is closer to what I would have imagined a butterbeer would taste like: smooth, buttery, and very sweet. Since there's no coffee involved, I'm tasting zero bitterness. I'm interested in one day comparing it to the *real* Wizarding World butterbeer, but for now this has lived up to my imagination's expectations.

Lara's Rating:

This milkshake will bring ALL the boys to the yard. It only barely resembled the taste of frozen butterbeer but who the hell cares?! It was so good! I love sugar!! I love butterscotch!! I love milkshakes!! And Snape was a bad person.

Casey's Rating:

Oh, yeah. This could totally pass for frozen butterbeer. It doesn't taste *exactly* like the sip of heaven I had at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in England, but it's pretty close. And considering I can't just wake up and drink a butterbeer in Hogsmeade whenever I want, getting this from Starbucks seems pretty sweet.

Nina's Rating:

This was pretty refreshing. It's delicious and doesn't have the aftertaste of coffee, which makes it magical. Without the coffee, it's essentially a milkshake, but butterbeer is basically just sugar, butter, and water, so I guess it's pretty close? I wouldn't run off to Albania for this, but I still think it's worth trying.

IN CONCLUSION: These don’t taste *exactly* like true butterbeer — Universal’s version, anyways — but the non-espresso versions could pass. However, we’re pretty sure one of these would put even Snape in a good mood.