What Sets Starbucks Cold Foam Apart From Sweet Cream?

We all know that the menu options at Starbucks are seemingly endless, and as a result our order iterations can get a little ridiculous. But that's what makes Starbucks Starbucks, right? The fact that you can mix, match, and customize to your heart's content until you've concocted the perfect coffee drink — that venti, iced, extra-shot, half-pump, almond milk blonde vanilla latte with light cinnamon powder on top. It's all good and fun until you get stuck behind someone ordering a drink even more complicated than yours.

But as much freedom as we have at Starbucks to follow our hearts and bring to life our ideal cup of joe, the exhaustive customization possibilities at this iconic coffee chain can get a little confusing. Two popular additions that, for many people, level up their Starbucks order and, for many people, may be confusing menu options: cold foam and sweet cream. What exactly are they, and what's the difference?

Grab your go-to macchiato or nitro cold brew and settle in. We're here to help un-confuse you.

Cold foam is pretty much what it sounds like: a cold, frothy, foamy layer that sits on top of your coffee. While some Starbucks menu items include cold foam as part of the drink, like their Cold Brew with Cold Foam, you're also able to add some of the foamy goodness to whatever you like to order as long as it's an iced beverage.

So what is it exactly? Cold foam is simply milk that's frothed cold (unlike Starbucks' quintessential steamed foam which is frothed with heat). Per StarbMag, cold foam is usually made with skim milk, using an electric milk frother to powerfully blend it together until it transforms into that creamy, airy texture. Because it's made with skim milk, it's generally low in fat and not too sweet (even if you get sweetened cold foam, it's made with two pumps of syrup as opposed to many of Starbucks' standard 4-pump creations).

In the customization menu on the Starbucks app or online, cold foam is listed under "Toppings" in its own category, so think of it as a topping to your coffee rather than something that gets mixed into the drink. With several different flavor options available, you can get anything from Chocolate Cream to Salted Caramel to Irish Cream cold foam — and you even have the option to go with "light" or "extra" in volume.

Sweet cream, as its name implies, is an inherently sugary, creamy substance that's added to drinks for some extra flavor and sweetness. Again, it comes in certain Starbucks orders with drinks like the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew, but you can also add it to your preferred drink — whether it's hot or cold.

Where cold foam is made with skim milk, sweet cream is made with 2% milk in addition to other ingredients. The milk is whisked with heavy cream and a larger quantity of vanilla syrup – three pumps per half-cup, according to StarbMag. Because the ingredients are mixed together rather than frothed, the sweet cream retains a heavier, almost whipped-cream like form and is naturally much sweeter than cold foam.

In the customization menu, you'll find vanilla sweet cream under the "Milk" option rather than "Toppings." While cold foam can come unsweetened or in various flavors, sweet cream is always sweetened, and always flavored with the classic Starbucks vanilla syrup.

To sum up: cold foam is a subtle cold-drink topper that's lower in fat and sugar and provides a little extra texture and milkiness. Sweet cream is a heavier, creamier, vanilla-flavored option for some extra richness and sweetness that can be added to hot or cold drinks. In true Starbucks form, the choice is yours to make.