How To Make Spiced Sweet Cream Starbucks At Home

Spiced sweet cream Starbuck Nariño 70 cold brew is a rare, tasty holiday drink that first formed part of their holiday drink line up on bonfire night in 2016.

Rather oddly, and very peculiarly, Starbucks has this as a cold brew. If you want a hot coffee drink that warms you up on a cold day and has a taste of Christmas in a cup I’ll show you how to do it in this article – and replicate the taste exactly with a neat little professional barista trick.

Keep reading to find out how to make a Spiced sweet cream Nariño 70 cold brew (or hot brew) at home.

What Is Spiced Sweet Cream At Starbucks?

Spiced sweet cream cold brew at Starbucks is a seasonal beverage that was first available at Starbucks on November 5th 2016.

An iced drink, a cold brew just as the cold winter weather is ready to kick in?

That was very daring! Any cold drink on a cold day simply not inspiring me, especially as it is a coffee, something that is more welcoming when it is hot.

The beverage is a beautiful and tasty combination of their popular cold brew coffee with vanilla sweet cream with mulling spices added.

Starbucks makes the drink with their Nariño 70 Cold Brew coffee.

Let’s get down to making your own Spiced Sweet cream cold brew at home.

Read: Can you make cold foam with creamer? 

How To Make Spiced Sweet Cream Starbucks Cold Brew

Something that stands out about this beverage is how the spices compliment the Nariño 70 Cold Brew coffee that is used; they compliment the cocoa notes perfectly…and make your coffee taste like Christmas!

The drink is often called spiced sweet cream Nariño. 

Ingredients Needed

• 12 Oz (360 ml) Starbucks Nariño 70 Cold Brew coffee.
• 2-3 Tablespoons Of Maple Spice Simple Syrup.
•  Starbucks in house-made sweet cream, Vanilla Sweet Cream.

If you want to replicate the flavor of maple spice simple syrup and make your own, you will need the following ingredients:

• 1 cup water.
• 1 cup maple syrup.
• 9-10 whole cloves.
• 5-6 cardamon pods.
• 2 cinnamon sticks.
• 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced.
• 1 star anise.
• 1 orange, peeled.

Of course, if you are the type of person that wants to make their own sweet cream you can do so.

• 1/4 cup of non-fat milk.
• 2-3 tablespoons of vanilla syrup.

The Method

Of course, the easy way is to buy 12 oz (360 ml) beverage of Nariño 70 Cold Brew coffee, a portion of Starbucks vanilla sweet cream and add 2-3 tablespoons of maple spice simple syrup.

If you see maple spice simple syrup on the menu or spot it in your local Starbucks, you can ask for it to be mixed into your sweet cream. If not, this is something you can do at home with your takeaway beverage.

Even if the drink is not on the menu, you can literally have the baristas making it for you just as long as you spot maple spice simple syrup on the menu!

For those that want to make the whole beverage at home, keep reading as we are about to get right down to it.

Read: Starbucks salted caramel cold foam

Making The Nariño 70 Cold Brew Coffee

You will need Starbucks Nariño 70 Cold Brew pitcher packs – by far the easiest way of making the beverage. The coffee is so called because it is a blend of 70% Nariño Colombian coffee beans and 30% African beans. 

Add a pitcher pack to water and let it steep for 16 to 24 hours. I advise that you steep in ice cold water and store it in your fridge while it is brewing. Use a container that has an air tight lid. 

While your coffee is brewing, you can make your Syrup and sweet cream.

How To Make Maple Spice Simple Syrup At Home

A simple syrup is very easy to make. Here are the ingredients that you will need to make a bottle of maple spice simple syrup.

• 1 cup water.
• 1 cup maple syrup.
• 9-10 whole cloves.
• 5-6 cardamon pods.
• 2 cinnamon sticks.
• 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced.
• 1 star anise.
• 1 orange, peeled.

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring the solution to a boil while stirring well. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes and keep stirring. Take your saucepan off the heat and cover it well and allow your simple syrup to cool down and infuse the flavor of the ingredients for 35 to 45 minutes.

Once ready, strain your syrup using a cheesecloth and store in a glass bottle with an airtight lid.

How To Make Sweet Cream At Home

Without a doubt this is the easiest part of all. You will need the following ingredients.

• 1/4 cup of non-fat milk.
• 2-3 tablespoons of vanilla syrup.

Add these to a bowl or jug and mix well.

Putting it all together, simply add to your sweet cream 2 or 3 tablespoons of your maple spice simple syrup and mix well into your sweet cream and add it to your Nariño 70 cold brew coffee. 

Unfortunately, Nariño 70 is not available as whole beans and making your own is not possible. If it was available as whole beans we would be better adapted to making a concentrate on our own.

Luckily we can adapt!

Making a concentrate has two advantages:

• Your coffee can stay fresher for longer.
• You can make hot coffee with it.

It is this last part that interests us more as having the ability to enjoy this seasonal treat as a hot coffee and cold coffee gives us options.

Instead of putting two pitcher packs in 48 ounces (1.44 liter) of water, place two pitcher packs in 6 ounces (180 ml) of water.

This will give you a 1:1 concentrate instead of a 1:8 concentrate (coffee to water ratio). Brew your coffee in your fridge for 16 to 24 hours as needed. Brew in an airtight container.

For a regular cold brew, simply use one ounce (30 ml) of cold brew and add at least 8 ounces (240 ml) of water. You may need more cold water depending on your own personal taste.

To make a hot coffee simply add to one ounce of your cold brew concentrate 8 ounces (240 ml) of hot water. You might need to add an ounce or two more (30 ml to 60 ml) of more hot water depending on your taste preference.

In both cases, add your spiced sweet cream mix and enjoy a very special cup of coffee. When it is hot, it is a much better festive drink than when it is served as a cold drink – unless you live in the tropics.

Frequently Asked Questions About Spiced Sweet Cream Starbucks

What Is Sweet Cream At Starbucks Made Of?

At Starbucks their sweet cream is made with 2% milk and heavy cream. These are the only two key ingredients. Vanilla syrup is added to make it a vanilla sweet cream.

What Flavor Is Starbucks Sweet Cream?

On its own Starbucks sweet cream is tasty, rich and very creamy. You have an unlimited possibility of what you can flavor your sweet cream with. Vanilla syrup is a popular choice as is caramel, salted caramel and Irish cream syrup to add those flavors to the tasty rich creamy texture.

You can have a dusting of cinnamon or cocoa powder also.

Is The Sweet Cream Cold Brew Sweet?

Sweet cream cold brew is only semi-sweet at best. It’s far from being overtly sweet or an over bearing sweet sugary sickly taste. It has a moderately sweet taste.

The cold brew coffee itself is very mild, rounded and balanced in flavor. 

The sweetness of the beverage can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of pumps of vanilla syrup added to the sweet cream. 

Is Sweet Cream The Same As Half-And-Half?

Yes, sweet cream is made with 2% milk and heavy cream to create a half-and-half cream. Half-and-half is what it sounds like, half heavy cream, and half milk. When making sweet cream a barista will typically use the same 50% heavy cream and 50% 2% milk ratio.

Does Starbucks Sweet Cream Have Sugar?

No sugar is added to sweet cream at Starbucks. Sugar is not added to or used in the recipe for making sweet cream at any gourmet coffee shop by the baristas.

But,

there is some sugar in the sweet cream which comes from the lactose, the milk sugars which cannot be avoided or eliminated.

Read: Cold foam recipe

Does Starbucks Sweet Cream Have Caffeine?

No, Starbucks sweet cream does not have caffeine. The popular topping is added to coffee beverages and tea as well.

The amount of caffeine in a sweet cream cold brew is due to the coffee and not the sweet cream.

Final Thoughts – Spiced Sweet Cream Starbucks

Spiced sweet cream Starbucks is a coffee beverage that may very well be your dream drink at Christmas when enjoyed hot rather than cold. Simply follow the instruction that I laid out for making a Nariño 70 cold brew hot while maintaining all the flavors of the same brew that is used for the cold brew.

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Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location