Starbucks is on a bit of a streak right now: Within the last couple months, the company has added a fresh flavor to its menu with lavender-infused drinks, launched spicy refreshers, and (most recently) even brought back the beloved White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew. It’s still going, though: On May 7 Starbucks announced its summer 2024 menu, which includes—for the first time in the U.S.—fruit-flavored pearls.
The Starbucks summer 2024 menu includes a number of menu updates, including the return of the White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew for its second year (and yes, it’s worth noting again!), an Orange Cream Cake Pop, a Pineapple Cloud Cake, and new seasonal drinkware. But the most striking addition is a trio of Refreshers beverages that include popping raspberry-flavored pearls, which bring a new texture to Starbucks drinks.
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Fans of boba will appreciate the new raspberry-flavored pearls, which were inspired by drinks from around the world, specifically East Asia. These drinks—bubble tea, namely—have popularly included tapioca boba pearls for decades. Notably, the new Starbucks raspberry pearls are not made with tapioca, as boba pearls are, but they certainly mimic the playfulness that has made bubble tea so popular, and boba fans have been wondering whether Starbucks would add boba to its menu for years.
Per a press release from Starbucks, stores in the Asia Pacific region have offered drinks with similar popping beads for years: the Dark Caramel Coffee Sphere Frappuccino contained bursting coffee spheres, and the Peach Plum Pearls Oolong held plum-flavored pearls.
At U.S. Starbucks stores, the raspberry pearls are available in three new icy Refreshers beverages: The Summer-Berry Starbucks Refreshers Beverage, which is a blend of raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry flavors; the Summer-Berry Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers Beverage, which blends the new Summer-Berry drink with lemonade; and the Summer Skies Drink, which mixes the Summer-Berry Refreshers beverage with creamy coconut milk. In all three drinks, the liquid is served over a layer of the popping pearls for a pretty two-colored beverage inspired by classic summer flavors.
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What do the new Starbucks raspberry pearls taste like?
Ahead of the May 7 launch of the new Starbucks summer menu, Better Homes and Gardens got to taste-test the new drinks, including the three new Refreshers. Starbucks describes the raspberry flavored pearls as “popping,” and that’s the perfect word for the delicate bite of these pearls, which burst into a tiny explosion of raspberry flavor with just a little bit of pressure.
The raspberry pearls were developed to pair perfectly with the new Refreshers beverages: the sweetness of the raspberry balances the tartness of the Summer-Berry base in each beverage. That said, creative (and potentially daring) types can customize other drinks with the new pearls, one scoop of which are added to each drink. And don’t worry—Starbucks also has new wider (and compostable!) straws, so you can slurp up the raspberry-flavored pearls from the bottom of your cup.
The full Starbucks summer menu is available for a limited time in U.S. stores starting May 7.