Even if you are a long time coffee drinker and iced latte lover, you may be wondering what the obsession is over the ever so popular shaken espresso? What’s the difference between a shaken espresso and a latte? I mean, milk and espresso is a latte, right?
In this post I will let you know exactly what the difference is between an iced shaken espresso and an iced latte.
Shaken Espresso vs Espresso
First, let’s talk about the difference between just a regular espresso and a shaken espresso. Espresso is just that, Espresso. A shaken espresso contains a few shots of espresso, milk, syrup (which is optional) and ice.
Another one of the main differences is that a shaken espresso is much larger than a regular espresso. A Starbucks Double Espresso is 2 shots served in a 1.5oz cup, while an iced shaken espresso has the same amount of espresso plus milk and syrup, served in a 12 oz cup over ice. The shaken espresso is much larger due to the fact of all the added milk, syrup and ice.
Iced Espresso vs Shaken Espresso
A regular Starbucks iced espresso contains 2 shots of espresso over ice with no added milk or syrup. A tall shaken espresso has 2 shots of espresso, 3 pumps of syrup and oat milk (sometimes almond milk) served over ice.
Iced Latte vs Iced Shaken Espresso
The main difference between the two is that a shaken espresso has an extra shot of espresso and less milk while a latte is a milk based coffee drink. A shaken espresso is stronger in flavor and also has more caffeine.
So, the shaken espresso is served with just a splash of milk whereas the latte has more milk to espresso. For coffee lovers that love a strong coffee taste, a shaken espresso is a great choice. Due to the greater milk content and syrup, an iced latte is going to be sweeter in taste.
A shaken espresso is also shaken and not stirred. Often it is shaken in a cocktail shaker and then poured which gives it a foamy texture over just stirring the ingredients together.
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Which one has more Caffeine?
The shaken espresso will have a greater caffeine content due to the fact that it has 1 more shot than a latte. A grande iced toasted vanilla oatmilk shaken espresso has 255 mg of caffeine and a grande iced vanilla latte has 170 milligrams of caffeine. That might be helpful to know if you are maybe watching your caffeine intake.
Where does the Shaken Espresso come from?
Starbucks introduced its shaken espresso line in March of 2021, but it definitely isn’t a new concept. Italian coffee shops have long served drinks called shakeratos.
A shakerato is basically a few shots of espresso, ice cubes shaken in a cocktail shaker for 10 – 20 seconds. It may also include a small amount of syrup or sugar to help cut the bitterness of the espresso. This makes for a delicious cup of espresso.
A Shaken Espresso is just starbucks version of a ‘Shakerato’ with an added extra ingredient, milk, which also adds a little bit more frothiness to the drink. This is the perfect choice if you prefer a more coffee-forward drink that has a stronger coffee taste to it.
Ways to Customize Your Coffee
Most coffee shops and larger chain ones like Starbucks, allow you to customize your coffee to your liking. Whether it is the number of espresso shots, type of milk or flavor of syrup, you can add or take away exactly what you want or don’t want.
Most starbucks baristas will gladly customize your iced coffee to create the perfect drink for you.
According to the starbucks website, here is a list of the standard shaken espresso and iced latte drinks on the starbucks menu.
Starbucks Shaken Espresso Drinks
- Iced Shaken Espresso: Signature Espresso, classic syrup, ice, milk.
- New Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso: Blonde Espresso, toasted vanilla syrup, ice, oatmilk.
- Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso: Blonde Espresso, brown sugar syrup, cinnamon, ice, oatmilk.
- Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso: Blonde Espresso, chocolate malt powder, ice, almondmilk.
Starbucks Iced Latte Drinks
- Iced Pistachio Latte: Ice, milk, pistachio sauce, espresso, salted brown butter cookie flavored topping
- Iced Caramel Brulee Latte: ice, milk, caramel brulee sauce, espresso, whipped cream, caramel brulee topping
- Iced Chestnut Praline Latte: ice, milk, espresso, chesnut praline syrup, whipped cream, chestnut pranline topping
- Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte: ice, almondmilk, water, espresso, sugar cookie flavored syrup, red & green sprinkles
- Starbucks Reserve Iced Latte: ice, milk, starbucks reserve espresso
- Starbucks Reserve Hazelnut Bianco Iced Latte:
- Iced Caffe Latte: Milk, ice, espresso
- Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte: milk, ice, espresso, cinnamon dolce syrup, whpped cream, cinnamon dolce topping
- Iced Starbucks Blonde Vanilla Latte: milk, ice, espresso, vanilla syrup
If you want to customize your starbucks latte even more, here is a list of the flavors of syrup that they carry
- Peppermint Syrup
- Toffee Nut Syrup
- Hazelnut Syrup
- Raspberry Syrup
- Caramel Syrup
- Toasted Vanilla syrup
- Vanilla Syrup
- Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup
- Classic Syrup
- Cane Sugar Syrup
- Honey Blend Syrup
- Brown Sugar Syrup
Here are some of the seasonal flavors that they only have at certain times
- Funnel Cake Syrup
- Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
- Apple Brown Sugar Syrup
- Pumpkin Spice Syrup
- Sugar Cookie Syrup
- Chestnut Praline Syrup
With that many different flavors of syrup, the flavor combinations that you could create is almost endless. Not that they would all taste great, but you will never run out of new flavors to try!
I hope that you have found this post helpful! You now know exactly what the difference between a shaken espresso and a latte is! Now, go enjoy a delicious cup of coffee!
Here a few tasty treats that would pair well with your Shaken espresso or Latte!