Spring has sprung, and with that comes new food flavors and trends. Spring is often characterized with pastels and flowers, so what better way to embrace this season than with lavender-flavored items.
The use of lavender in food and drinks is said to have many health benefits. Lavender is known to “promote gut health, mental acuity and overall holistic health,” according to a 2023 article from Newsweek. These are all areas that college students could possibly use help in.
“So how do I eat lavender?” one may ask. As of recently, people have found many ways to incorporate lavender into their teas, coffees and even baked goods. The most recent of these lavender uses comes from one of the nation’s leading coffee chains, Starbucks.
In March 2024, Starbucks released several new drinks using lavender powders, including a latte, a frappuccino and lavender-flavored cold foam. With these new drinks came mixed reactions for the flavor of lavender.
“I was a little reluctant to try the lavender drinks, because I don’t love the taste of lavender, but I really liked the pairing of lavender and matcha that Starbucks came up with,” Starbucks barista Miami University junior Kathryn Morris said. “They complement each other well.”
While these drinks have received praise from many, others are not so excited about this new flavor.
“I didn’t like the powder part of the drink,” Mary Spurgeon, a sophomore social work major, said. “I wish the flavor was a syrup, because I don’t want a powder in my coffee.”
Despite Starbucks only releasing this flavor recently, lavender drinks have been around for a while and can even be found at several places Uptown. Kofenya and Tous Les Jours both offer lavender drinks.
Tous Les Jours’ menu features an iced lavender latte and a honey lavender matcha latte. Similarly, Kofenya has many ways for one to feature lavender in their coffees or tea with a syrup flavor.
“I like the lavender that Starbucks uses more than Kofenya, because Kofenya puts more in the drink and I think it tastes too much like an essential oil,” Morris said.
For non-coffee lovers, lavender can be incorporated into other foods as well. For example, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, whose products are sold at many on-campus markets, sells a “wildberry lavender” flavor, which is described as “intensely fruity, brambly berry ice cream with a pop of sweet orange and lavender.”
However one chooses to enjoy the flavor of lavender, it is a great way to jump into the new season of spring.
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