Starbucks has made a bold move in its beverage offerings, introducing a new line of iced drinks featuring boba-like inclusions. This addition, which includes raspberry-flavored popping pearls, marks a significant expansion of the coffee giant’s summer menu for 2024. While past attempts to integrate boba, such as the 2021 trial of tapioca-based “coffee pearls,” were met with mixed results, this year’s launch has shown promising results.
The popping pearls, introduced as part of the Summer-Berry Refreshers lineup, add a distinct tangy twist to the chain’s fruit drinks. Their success has prompted Starbucks to broaden their availability, allowing customers to customize a variety of iced beverages with these new inclusions.
Starting this week, the raspberry popping pearls can be added to a range of existing Starbucks iced drinks. The company has highlighted three popular options: the Iced Green Tea Lemonade, Iced Peach Green Tea, and Lemonade. These drinks, though not new creations, are suggested pairings that showcase the pearls’ ability to enhance flavors with their sweet-tart profile. For instance, the Iced Green Tea Lemonade and Iced Peach Green Tea, both infused with mint, lemongrass, and lemon verbena, are complemented by the fruity notes of the raspberry pearls. The Lemonade, on the other hand, offers a novel textural experience with the addition of the pearls.
Customers seeking to try these new combinations will need to use the Starbucks app to select the “customize” option and add the popping pearls to their drink. The pearls are available as a customizable add-in for almost any iced beverage, including popular choices such as the Mango Dragonfruit Refresher, the newly introduced Starbucks Iced Energy drinks, and Cold Brew coffees.
The addition of the popping pearls incurs an extra charge of approximately $1.25. To encourage customers to explore these new options, Starbucks is offering promotions through August 15, 2024. New Starbucks Rewards members can enjoy a free handcrafted drink with any qualifying purchase, while existing members can receive a 50% discount on drinks ordered through the app from noon to 6 p.m. local time on July 23.
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