Starbucks Drops Its Version of Bubble Tea for the First Time in the U.S.
While boba is typically known for its chewy, tapioca pearls, the chain’s version includes popping, juice-filled ones.
JULIA STOTZ/Photo courtesy of Starbucks
Last week, on an earnings call, Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan dropped a little pearl about what was coming to the chain this summer: a “texture innovation” that is, we now know, raspberry-flavored “pearls.”
Starbucks is launching, as part of its summer menu, a trio of new Refreshers beverages featuring bright-pink, berry-juice-filled, boba-style pearls. Summer-Berry Starbucks Refreshers Beverage, Summer-Berry Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers Beverage and Summer Skies Drink Starbucks Refreshers Beverage will be available starting Tuesday, May 7, at all U.S. locations, for a limited time, while supplies last.
Although it’s the first time U.S. Starbucks locations have offered drinks with pearls, Asia Pacific Starbucks locations have long offered such beverages, including a Dark Caramel Coffee Sphere Frappuccino with coffee-filled boba and a Peach Plum Pearls Oolong that boasts plum-flavored pearls.
Bubble tea is also nothing new in the U.S. It was invented in Taiwan in the 1980s, and introduced in the U.S. by Taiwanese chain shops in the ’90s. Since, it has grown as a mainstay in Asian American culture.
I had a chance to try all three new berry-flavored Refreshers beverages ahead of their release, and while all include what Starbucks calls “a sweet and summery blend of raspberry, blueberry and blackberry,” each riffs distinctly on that theme. Most strikingly, all are a pretty pale blue that evokes a clear blue sky on a sunny day.
“We started out thinking about summer moments like hanging out by the pool and having a barbecue with friends. We have never had a blue beverage, but when we first created the recipe, the color really captured the feeling we were going for – reminiscent of long, summer days and bright skies for everyone to enjoy,” Starbucks beverage developer Simon Vuong says in a statement.
The Summer-Berry Starbucks Refreshers Beverage pairs the berry blend with water and is the sweetest of the three, while Summer-Berry Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers Beverage balances the sweetness out with lemony tartness. I appreciated the balance in the lemonade-based drink, but my favorite was the Summer Skies Drink, which brings in the creaminess of coconut milk and goes down smooth and sweet, but not too sweet.
All three drinks are shaken with ice and poured over a layer of the new raspberry-flavored pearls, which pop and release sweet berry juice when you smush them. The juxtaposition of the drinks’ baby-blue hue (they get their color from spirulina, a brand spokesperson tells us, which is a blue-green algae) with the layer of pink at the bottom is especially pretty.
“We started with fruit pieces, but we wanted something even bolder,” Vuong adds. “So, we thought, ‘Let’s put fruit-flavored pearls in the beverage and try it out.’ It’s very fun the way it delivers the flavor when it pops in your mouth.”
All three drinks come with a green compostable straw that’s wider than your usual Starbucks straw — the better to slurp up the pearls lurking below the ice.
Photo courtesy of Starbucks
In addition to the Refreshers, Starbucks summer menu will also feature the returning White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew, with sweet macadamia syrup, white chocolate macadamia cream cold foam and toasted cookie crumbles. It became a customer favorite when it was introduced last summer. (Personally, I’m a fan of the drink’s salty finish.)
Starbucks is also adding a new Iced Coffee Blend — made with Latin American beans featuring “notes of malted chocolate and a brown sugar sweetness” and served unsweetened without “classic syrup” to its permanent menu. Iced coffee drinks can be customized by adding classic syrup, sweeteners or milks.
As for baked goods, Starbucks is also adding two citrusy new treats to its summer lineup nationwide for a limited time. A new Orange Cream Cake Pop features orange cream cake, buttercream and white chocolate icing and a cute orange slice design. I’m not a big cake pop person, yet I found this one to be moist and tasty with Dreamsicle vibes.
A new Pineapple Cloud Cake — an “airy cake filled with layers of pineapple cream, pineapple spread and whole fruit pieces with a sweet drizzle topping” — also joins the summer lineup. Light and fluffy, kind of angel-food-like, it’s a sweet summer treat.
Photo courtesy of Starbucks
Also on the seasonal docket: a new tropical-themed summer drinkware collection including a Stanley x Starbucks Quencher, cold cups and other items and a new Starbucks Artist Collaboration Series collection designed by Chinese-American artist Monyee Chau that, the brand says, “celebrates moments of togetherness, community-building and every day joy to honor Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage (AANHPI) Month.”
Photo courtesy of Starbucks
A bunch of deals are also heading to the Starbucks app as part of the chain’s “Summer App-y Days.” Every Friday, from May 15 through 31, noon to 6 p.m. local time, app users can get 50 percent off one handcrafted beverage. And every Monday, May 13 through May 27, personalized offers, including BOGOS and discounts, will be revealed via the app.
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