Just in time for summer, Starbucks Japan is offering their ever-popular Strawberry Cream Frappuccino. This drink was highly praised by one of my good friends when she got to try it on her study abroad trip in Japan. It doesn’t seem to be often that Starbucks brings back one of their frappuccino flavors, so I was excited that I got to try this concoction.
Also in for the summertime are Starbucks’ new additions: the Cold Brew. In Japan, they serve the regular version, as well as two “Floats,” in which whipped cream and a coffee drizzle is piped on top. There are two version of the floats: one with a Valencia Orange flavor shot, and one with a flavor shot of Hazelnut. Considering how much I love Starbucks (and I mention it every time), I got both. In one day.
Anyways, first up is the Strawberry Cream Frappuccino.
To be honest, I was probably expecting too much. It was overly sweet, tasting almost exactly like those Sara Lee Strawberry Cheesecakes I used to eat in my childhood. It was…too much, and I wished that there were more tart strawberry notes to the drink. To be fair, Starbucks Japan’s website suggests changing the milk that is used as the base to play up on different flavor notes, but I wasn’t a fan of the original enough to go for this again.
The Cold Brews, however, were a completely different story.
I tried both the Hazelnut and Valencia floats, and I have to say that the clear winner is Valencia. The hazelnut version tasted like a smooth coffee ruined with too much Coffee Mate Hazelnut creamer. But the Valencia tasted exactly like I was drinking a lovely cocoa with a shot of orange ❤ The orange brought out all the chocolate notes of Starbucks’ cold brew and added in a nice, citrus tone to it. If you like orange and chocolate – it’s a yes yes YES.
Highly recommended, but sizes only come in tall (for Cold Brews and limited edition frappuccinos) and are priced at a premium. Both offerings are for a limited time only, so be aware.
Strawberries & Cream Frappuccino
Valencia Cold Brew & Tropical Mango Passion Tea
Hazelnut Cold Brew
