In light of Valentine’ Day and its annual tradition, Starbucks released a limited-time menu of drinks that resonate with the holiday, Feb. 4, and received mixed reviews from customers.
One of the most popular drinks was the Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Crème Frappuccino, which was first released for the holiday in 2024. Its ideal blend of strawberries, frappuccino chips, milk and ice matched well with its extra splash of strawberry puree, whipped cream and mocha drizzle.
The combination of flavors made it taste identical to a chocolate-covered strawberry, allowing it to live up to its name. However, its flavor was somewhat faint, and it didn’t taste like an everyday drink that one would crave. While the frappuccino was a decent drink, it had no impressive component that would draw customers to purchase it again. Therefore, the drink is rated a 5/10.
The second drink was the Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Cold Brew that consisted of Starbucks Cold Brew and vanilla syrup, topped with the perfect amount of chocolate hazelnut cold foam and chocolate cookie crumbles.
The coffee drink was delectable and exquisite with its overpowering chocolate flavor being coupled with the right amount of hazelnut. It tastes similar to the fan-favorite hazelnut chocolate spread, Nutella. Because of its sweet and flavorful taste, but lack of coffee flavor, this drink receives a 9/10.
In addition to these chocolate-based drinks, Starbucks also came out with two refreshers. The first one, Blackberry Sage, is made with water, blackberries, sage and green coffee extract, topped with dried blackberries. This succulent drink is a reminder of the previously discontinued fan-favorite Very Berry Hibiscus tea and refresher, making it a tasty and nostalgic drink. However, its taste was similar to a fragrance which made it strong and overpowering; therefore, this refresher is rated a 7/10.
The other refresher is the Midnight Drink, consisting of the strong flavors of sweet blackberries, sage with green coffee extract, coconut milk and freeze dried blackberry inclusions. Although it was very similar to the Blackberry Sage Refresher, the flavors combined with the coconut milk simply didn’t work.
The richness of the coconut milk conflicted with the overwhelming artificial taste that came from the blackberries, and the sage simply wasn’t strong enough. The texture of the drink was also disappointing, as unlike many of the other coconut milk-based drinks, it was grainy and chunky with every sip. Overall this drink was a letdown, causing it to earn a 3/10.
As Starbucks continues to release new, limited edition drinks for each holiday season, many fans are eager to see what they will have next.
