A somewhat cynical report from Time magazine says: "Because the hazelnut creation differs only slightly from its caramel sister, it’s a low-risk gamble for Starbucks.
Even if it doesn’t do well, baristas can easily ditch the hazelnut drizzle and market a new “naked” macchiato. We’re betting it would do well on the streets of Seattle."
How did the Hazelnut Macchiato go over in your stores? Customers (and SBUX employees), how do you rate the drink?
* Starbucks puts hazelnut syrup in caramel macchiato, unveils it as new drink
The drink is.... OK. Had it made with whole milk so it would have some texture to it. The combo on the mocha and hazelnut smells AWESOME, but the taste does not live up to the smell. Too.... thin of a drink. Was anticipating something a little "thicker" like the caramel macchiato, but the mocha/syrup does not have it.
Would suggest adding a little whip on top.
Not a bad drink, just not a winner.
Posted by: Jeff Tom | March 05, 2013 at 06:44 PM
it's alright, that's what I'll say. Certainly not bad, but nothing I'll get on a regular basis. It is beautiful to look at though in a personal cup
Posted by: Ben | March 05, 2013 at 06:47 PM
Try it French vanilla style, much better.
Posted by: baristanon | March 05, 2013 at 07:28 PM
...mocha? It's made exactly the same as the Caramel Macchiato except with hazelnut drizzle instead of caramel.
I liked it, but not enough to ever order it. I'm not a fan of layered drinks.
Posted by: KDH | March 06, 2013 at 08:01 AM
Can't wait to see a "new" drink next year -- "Vanilla Macchiato" i.e. a vanilla latte with 'Vanilla drizzle'
Posted by: Sheik | March 06, 2013 at 08:03 AM
French Vanilla style? Thats not a real thing - which variation of "french vanilla" are you talking about?
Posted by: Barista Ben | March 06, 2013 at 06:39 PM
Tried the Hazelnut frappuccino last night and loved it. Interesting how these are all drinks made before, the only difference is the drizzle. Love how they are inventing "new" drinks with recipes used for years.
Posted by: Sheik | March 07, 2013 at 04:52 AM
I find it interesting that on the portal the "Did you know," heading of the week says something like, "first addition to machiatto family in 16 years...did someone forget the marble mocha machiatto drink? We still have customers who ask for that one.
Posted by: Coffee Soldier | March 07, 2013 at 08:20 AM
oops added an extra T in both those...sorry guys!
Posted by: Coffee Soldier | March 07, 2013 at 08:21 AM
Something I found unique is that on the partner portal.. it claims that this the first addition to the macchiato line in 16yrs. But i've worked at sbux for 6yrs in and in that time we've had the marble mocha macchiato, maple macchiato, and the honey macchiato
Posted by: (-) | March 07, 2013 at 03:37 PM
Tried an iced Hazelnut Macchiato today. It was good, but honestly, it was basically identical to a Caramel Macchiato. The only hazelnut is in the drizzle, so it's subtle. If you'd given me one of each, I doubt I could have told them apart.
And I think it's pretty silly to claim it's a "new" drink, when it's just a minor variation on what's been available for years. If you're going to give us something new, then give us something NEW.
Posted by: LadyKathryn | March 07, 2013 at 04:15 PM
I've tried it hot and iced and like it. It's a lot better than most of the new drinks Starbucks has introduced in recent years.
And thanks to the person who reminded me of the marble mocha macchiato. I loved that back in the day.
Posted by: Lemon | March 07, 2013 at 11:44 PM
I LOVE the flavor of the hazelnut drizzle--I just wish it was a sauce (like white mocha) instead of just a topping, so it could be used as a base.
And @LadyKathryn--after the grotesque-ness that is Vanilla Spice, they probably decided they NEEDED to go with something that just tweaks a favorite instead of going balls-out. ;)
Posted by: Martha | March 08, 2013 at 12:31 AM
@Martha - Haha, that's a good point. I tried the Vanilla Spice when it came out, and I didn't like it at all. Was that the common opinion? I haven't heard much about it after the release.
Posted by: LadyKathryn | March 08, 2013 at 06:23 PM
^ I was soooo excited for Vanilla Spice Latte (im a customer) and when I tried it, I was severely disappointed. Common opinion is you either loved it or hated it. Just terribly mediciney, for me at least. Live and learn, I guess.
Posted by: Sheik | March 11, 2013 at 06:14 AM
I've been saying the same thing as Time Magazine for *most* of the past ten years' worth of new drinks. Usually all a "new" drink is is just a slightly reformatted syrup, or even less (remember the mocha cappuccino?)
However, there have been a few new products that were truly innovative, such as the Refresher.
Posted by: David | March 11, 2013 at 03:52 PM
If you can order a caramel sauce latte, then you can order a hazelnut sauce latte. (And you should, it's better than the HM.)
Personally, my new usual is coffee with hazelnut sauce and a little cream. It's fantastic.
Posted by: Skitty | March 13, 2013 at 11:56 AM
Wait we are supposed to be making this with vanilla? Woops. What goes in the frappuccino? No wonder everyone liked the ones I made so much ^_^
Posted by: jacq | March 19, 2013 at 12:56 AM
I tried the hazelnut macchiato in a frappuccino version, it is really good, the drizzle and whipped cream is the best part of the drink. :D
Posted by: Stacy | March 22, 2013 at 12:21 PM