Starbucks’ New Kiwi Starfruit Refresher Gets Mixed Reviews at Best

Ingredients

And it might not make it past its debut

In case you haven’t heard, early last week Starbucks finally dropped its new Kiwi Starfruit Refresher. Originally planned for an early summer release, Covid-19 caused months of delays. Now it’s finally here, a mere 10 days before the annual release of their fall flavors. Worse, the feelings about the new essence are mixed at best.

Described by Starbucks as “a slightly sweet fruit with mild flavor and a floral finish,” this refresher is a blend of kiwi and starfruit flavors mixed with green coffee extract. The concoction is offered as a Refresher, a base in lemonade, or as a Stardrink (refresher mixed with coconut milk).

For a solid week, Twitter was abuzz with myriad opinions. @nadders11 says it’s “very yummy, but more importantly, it’s ~aesthetic~”  @kenyuh_5 claims “it be tasin like this” showing an image of a Kelp Shake from Spongbob And @RaiseAhSuilen feels “it tastes like im drinking sour patch and i really don’t know how to feel about it”. 

 Released only in the US and Canada, this one may have hit the wrong market. The buzz on Twitter has largely died out and even the Starbucks website removed all mention of the product from its home page a mere seven days after it’s release.

Having lived in Thailand for six months, this combo sounds promising for a South East Asian audience, but who knows if it’ll survive long enough to make it across the Pacific. If you want to try it, I recommend doing so quickly, while the product is still in stock. I’d be surprised if this one returns next summer.

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And it might not make it past its debut

In case you haven’t heard, early last week Starbucks finally dropped its new Kiwi Starfruit Refresher. Originally planned for an early summer release, Covid-19 caused months of delays. Now it’s finally here, a mere 10 days before the annual release of their fall flavors. Worse, the feelings about the new essence are mixed at best.

Described by Starbucks as “a slightly sweet fruit with mild flavor and a floral finish,” this refresher is a blend of kiwi and starfruit flavors mixed with green coffee extract. The concoction is offered as a Refresher, a base in lemonade, or as a Stardrink (refresher mixed with coconut milk).

For a solid week, Twitter was abuzz with myriad opinions. @nadders11 says it’s “very yummy, but more importantly, it’s ~aesthetic~”  @kenyuh_5 claims “it be tasin like this” showing an image of a Kelp Shake from Spongbob And @RaiseAhSuilen feels “it tastes like im drinking sour patch and i really don’t know how to feel about it”. 

 Released only in the US and Canada, this one may have hit the wrong market. The buzz on Twitter has largely died out and even the Starbucks website removed all mention of the product from its home page a mere seven days after it’s release.

Having lived in Thailand for six months, this combo sounds promising for a South East Asian audience, but who knows if it’ll survive long enough to make it across the Pacific. If you want to try it, I recommend doing so quickly, while the product is still in stock. I’d be surprised if this one returns next summer.

Starbucks’ New Kiwi Starfruit Refresher Gets Mixed Reviews at Best

And it might not make it past its debut

In case you haven’t heard, early last week Starbucks finally dropped its new Kiwi Starfruit Refresher. Originally planned for an early summer release, Covid-19 caused months of delays. Now it’s finally here, a mere 10 days before the annual release of their fall flavors. Worse, the feelings about the new essence are mixed at best.

Described by Starbucks as “a slightly sweet fruit with mild flavor and a floral finish,” this refresher is a blend of kiwi and starfruit flavors mixed with green coffee extract. The concoction is offered as a Refresher, a base in lemonade, or as a Stardrink (refresher mixed with coconut milk).

For a solid week, Twitter was abuzz with myriad opinions. @nadders11 says it’s “very yummy, but more importantly, it’s ~aesthetic~”  @kenyuh_5 claims “it be tasin like this” showing an image of a Kelp Shake from Spongbob And @RaiseAhSuilen feels “it tastes like im drinking sour patch and i really don’t know how to feel about it”. 

 Released only in the US and Canada, this one may have hit the wrong market. The buzz on Twitter has largely died out and even the Starbucks website removed all mention of the product from its home page a mere seven days after it’s release.

Having lived in Thailand for six months, this combo sounds promising for a South East Asian audience, but who knows if it’ll survive long enough to make it across the Pacific. If you want to try it, I recommend doing so quickly, while the product is still in stock. I’d be surprised if this one returns next summer.