Starbucks' New Chocolate Cold Brew Drink Is Supposed to Taste Like a Sip of Melted Ice Cream

No amount of company infighting can stop the endless march of time. So while Starbucks' unionization battle bubbles in the background, summer is nearly upon us again — and as America's largest coffee chain, a new lineup of warm weather-inspired menu items must be served!

Headlining this year's summer menu, which launches in stores today, is a new cold coffee drink with a chocolate twist: the Chocolate Cream Cold Brew — which, despite its seasonal rollout, will actually be joining Starbucks' permanent menu. The chain says the drink begins as Starbucks Cold Brew that is then "topped with a light, sweet and silky chocolate cream cold-foam, and is sweetened with vanilla syrup."

"When creating this beverage, we wanted to bring our customers a drink that would transport them back to their favorite summer memories with each sip," Rosalyn Batingan, a member of Starbucks beverage development team, stated. "The classic combination of coffee and notes of chocolate, along with the malt flavor in the chocolate cream cold foam, are reminiscent of a chocolate malted milkshake or that last bit of melted chocolate ice cream on a warm summer day to recreate the sweet, creamy flavor of summers past."

Additionally, Starbucks is launching one new food item and bringing back a couple others. Joining the permanent menu will be a new Lime-Frosted Coconut Bar which combines chewy coconut, oatmeal, and mini white chocolate chips, before being topped with lime frosting, a drizzle of white icing, and a sprinkle of coconut shavings. Returning to Starbucks menu permanently is their Bacon, Sausage & Egg Wrap. And then, customers can also welcome back the Unicorn Cake Pop, though this item will only be returning for a limited time.

Finally, Starbucks is also rolling out a collection of colorful new drinkware. "From color changing cups to the fan-favorite Bling Cup in a new shade – purple iridescent – find the cup that matches any summer mood," Starbucks writes. And as the coffee giant points out, now is a perfect time for customers to grab a reusable cup: Last month, the chain announced that Rewards members who use their own refillable cup will receive 25 bonus stars.

Still, in the grander scheme of things, Starbucks may be the one longing for summers' past as, this year, labor disputes continue to mount for the company. As Nation's Restaurant News reports, over the past week, the National Labor Relations Board has accused Starbucks of even more labor violations, and the barista union Starbucks Workers United was even invited to a roundtable discussion at the White House.