Starbucks fans outraged over major change to iced coffee recipe

Starbucks customers with defined palates may notice a change in the company’s ice coffee .

The coffee chain, which just got a new CEO , revealed to TODAY.com it has updated the recipe for its iced coffee. The major change occurred on May 7, and customers can already taste the difference.

This is the first time the blend has been changed in 18 years. It launched in 2006 and has since become a fan favorite on the menu .

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The iced coffee is now made with a blend of sun-dried and washed Latin American coffee beans, according to TODAY. Starbucks says the new blend is “approachable and refreshing with notes of malted milk chocolate and a brown-sugar sweetness.”

Leslie Wolford, Starbucks coffee developer, said in a statement: “Designed with versatility in mind, the new Iced Coffee Blend is delicious either on its own or customized to any customer’s preference.”

There are a couple changes that drinkers may notice. When a customer orders an iced coffee, it will now be unsweetened unless specified otherwise. That’s a change from how it used to come, which was sweetened with the classic syrup.

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The company said that decision is a reaction to most customers choosing less sweeteners in their coffee anyway.

On Reddit , regular customers can already tell the difference, and some aren’t pleased.

One user wrote: “Am I the only one who thinks the new iced coffee blend is gross?

“I usually grab my iced coffee at Starbucks when I don’t have time to make it at home. I usually get mine with vanilla and oat milk, and I was excited to try the new iced coffee blend but it just… tastes awful. I tried it yesterday, and noticed that it tasted off—like something was missing. I had it again this morning and it was just gross. Way too bitter, even with my usual vanilla and oat milk.”

Another person wrote: “I’m super confused. I just had a black iced coffee from Starbucks and it tasted INSANELY bitter and acidic. It was almost like drinking poison or hand sanitizer. I am not being hyperbolic. It was sour like they put whiskey bitters in it. I don’t know how to explain it any better than that.

One said they don’t mind the new taste, but it reminds them of a different brand.

“[Iced coffee] is a staple in my life. This is why I was so nervous when I heard Sbux was messing with the blend. From what I can taste, it's not a ton different. It also tastes a bit more like Dunkin’s. What I really loved about [Starbucks] is the depth of the taste, almost richer.”