I Got an Early Taste of Starbucks’ New “Tiramisu Velvet” Lattes (Iced and Hot!), and I Have a Definite Favorite

I’ll admit, I lean into being extra during the holiday season — from more decorations than should fit in my space to festive drinks no one will mistake for a run-of-the-mill coffee. Starbucks seems to agree with my “special lattes only” stance in November and December, as demonstrated by the chain’s new Tiramisu Velvet Latte (available both hot and iced) and Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew.

As their names suggest, these new coffees on Starbucks’ 2026 holiday menu have major dessert vibes. Naturally, I needed to know what they taste like and whether I could add them to my seasonal rotation, so I quickly accepted Starbucks’ offer to send me a gift card to preview these drinks. Here’s everything to know about the new holiday coffees.

If you think these drinks sound familiar, you’re not wrong: Starbucks launched a permanent Tiramisu Latte at select Starbucks Reserve locations in summer 2025 — but these new 2026 holiday additions are pretty different. Instead of tiramisu-flavored syrup like in the Reserve drink, the hot and iced Tiramisu Velvet Lattes start with espresso, vanilla syrup, and milk, and both are topped with a new Velvet Mascarpone Cold Foam (even the hot latte!) and finished with a generous dusting of “rich cocoa,” according to a Starbucks factsheet. The Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew is Starbucks Cold Brew with vanilla syrup, Velvet Mascarpone Cold Foam, and a cocoa dusting. At my Chicago location, with tax included, a Grande Iced Tiramisu Velvet Latte costs $7.49, a Grande Tiramisu Velvet Latte (hot) costs 7.16, and a Grande Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew costs $6.05.

All three drinks join Starbucks’ holiday 2026 menu for a limited time on Thursday, November 5, the same day new holiday cups launch! This year’s designs include ribbon motifs, classic green (Starbucks green, to be exact) and red colors, and “retro shades of mint, antique gold, cranberry, and creamy white,” according to the Starbucks holiday announcement.

I’d never tried the Reserve Tiramisu Latte, but I love tiramisu and will order it for dessert whenever I get the chance — so I was ready to see what these dessert-inspired coffees had to offer.

I tried this version first, and it turned out to be my favorite! My eyes went straight to the cocoa-fied top layer, and it looked just like the top of a piece of tiramisu. Primed to experience the sweet, delicate layers of this Italian dessert in latte form, I took a sip and tasted mostly cocoa and cold foam with a little bit of the espresso. The cocoa dusting powder includes “cookie” in the ingredients list, which added a slight crunch and gave it a less-than-smooth texture. There’s also a generous amount of powder on top, so I got quite a bit of crunch — the texture confused me at first, but I eventually enjoyed it.

If I’d tried this drink with my eyes closed and didn’t know what it was called, I might not have immediately said it was tiramisu-inspired. After a couple of sips, I could confidently recognize the tiramisu flavor. According to Starbucks, the Velvet Mascarpone Cold Foam “brings velvet custard flavor and Starbucks signature vanilla sweet cream together for a rich, velvety topping,” and I think that takes this flavor profile closer to tiramisu. When I sipped the latte without a straw, the cold foam was sweeter than I prefer and the espresso flavor was harder to taste, but when I mixed some in to combine the custard flavor with the espresso and vanilla, each sip with a straw tasted a little more like the dessert. It was also less sweet with a more balanced latte-to-cold-foam ratio, which I liked.

The barista who made my drinks mentioned that this is the first time Starbucks has put cold foam on a hot drink, and if the hot Tiramisu Velvet Latte is any indication, this shouldn’t be the last. It was probably about two to three minutes from when I picked up my drink to when I finally tasted it, and the heat of the latte melted the Velvet Mascarpone Cold Foam and cocoa just enough to make it a totally different texture from the iced latte. It gave me toasted marshmallow vibes (complimentary) and tasted like a little treat on top of my coffee. The crunchy cocoa grew on me as I sipped.

Since tiramisu is served cold, the hot latte didn’t evoke the dessert’s flavors as closely as the iced latte did, and it was a little sweeter. It seemed more of a general dessert vibe with a hint of espresso.

Even though I don’t typically like sweet drinks, this one was a little too bitter for me. I usually get my cold brew with a splash of coconut milk, but since this drink is just cold brew with vanilla syrup, I might’ve been missing the creaminess of a milk or milk alternative. My experience drinking the Velvet Mascarpone Cold Foam and cocoa was similar to the iced latte (coca crunch and all). Still, I preferred not to drink this one with a straw because I couldn’t get a good mix of the cold foam, and the coffee-to-sweet topper ratio was off for me.

As for the tiramisu comparison, I’m not sure the cold brew achieved the same result as the espresso did, but if you like a straight cold brew and want to be a little extra this holiday, this is your drink. I’ll probably add some milk if I order this one again.

When I want a holiday drink that looks like a holiday drink, I’m getting the Iced Tiramisu Velvet Latte. Thanks to the clear cold cup, you can see the mountain of cold foam and cocoa, and it tastes most like tiramisu to me. All the drinks look festive, though, so when I want a warm dessert experience, I can opt for the hot Tiramisu Velvet Latte or keep it cold and simple (plus milk!) with a festive topping on the Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew.