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Starbucks is rolling out ice cream drinks — here's where to find them

We all scream for ice cream drinks at Starbucks!
/ Source: TODAY

Ice cream at Starbucks — why, one wonders, did this not happen years ago? Starting February 15, ice cream-based affogatos, cold-brew malts and cold-brew floats are coming to menus at Starbucks coffee bars in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Maryland and Washington, D.C., the chain confirmed to TODAY Food.

Starbucks ice cream drinks
Starbucks Ice Cream Affogato drinkTODAY

The news about the new match is not exactly a total surprise: Affogato drinks started appearing on menus at Seattle’s Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room — ground zero for the chain’s newest innovations — back in June. Last summer, mocha, caramel and vanilla bean Affogato Frappuccinos also popped up on menus nationwide as well.

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So the clues were there. But for the uninitiated, what’s the big deal about an affogato?

Well, affogatos are simple but delicious: Hot espresso poured over vanilla ice cream. (Affogato is Italian for “drowned.”) The ice cream starts to melt, marrying the creamy-coffee flavors together.

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Unless you have an espresso machine at home, they’re also hard to make yourself, adding to the brilliance of Starbucks’ plan to sell them. They will run about $5.25 to $6 on menus.

It’s a smidge pricier than a Frappuccino, which runs in the $4 to $5 range, but good to know is that the ice cream is coming from a small-batch, artisan ice-cream maker, Mora Iced Creamery on Washington’s Bainbridge Island, a ferry ride away from the Seattle roastery.

Starbucks Ice Cream Drinks
Starbucks Cold Brew FloatStarbucks

Milkshake and float lovers, take note: Cold Brew Floats and Cold Brew Malts will also be on offering.

The floats and “ultra-thick” malt shakes will be available with either cold brew or nitro coffee — the latter, which is infused with tiny nitrogen bubbles, would give it that grown-up root-beer float quality, with, of course, the added benefit of caffeine.

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Only time will tell whether the ice cream drinks stick around — expansion of the rollout depends, of course, on performance.

Hey, test markets, order these en masse so they come to us, too, OK?

Starbucks ice cream drinks
Starbucks Cold Brew Malted ShakeStarbucks

In the meantime, check out the full menu of affogato offerings, which Starbucks shared with us here:

Affogato menu at stores with Reserve bars (10 stores in Boston, Chicago, Maryland and Washington, D.C.):

• Classic Affogato (5.5 ounces, $6): Two shots of our Reserve small-lot espresso poured over vanilla ice cream

• House Affogato (6 ounces, $6.50): Two shots of our Reserve small-lot espresso with a touch of demerara syrup poured over vanilla ice cream and dusted with cinnamon

• Cold Brew Float (12 or 16 ounces, $7.50 or $8): Our Reserve small-lot cold brew with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. With nitro, $8.50 or $9

• Cold Brew Malt (12 ounces, $8.50): An ultra-thick spindle-blended malted milkshake with our Reserve small-lot cold brew, vanilla ice cream and chocolate bitters

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Affogato menu at 100 test Starbucks locations in Orange County:

• Classic Espresso Aff­ogato Tall (12 ounces, $5.25): Two shots of espresso poured over vanilla ice cream

• Starbucks Narino 70 Cold Brew Float Tall (12 ounces, $5.95): Our cold brew poured over vanilla ice cream (with nitro, $1 more)

• Starbucks Narino 70 Cold Brew Malt Tall (12 ounces, $6.40): Our cold brew blended with ice cream, malt and chocolate bitters

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