Starbucks Japan’s second pink Frappuccino of the summer is a flavor that’s only available at a fraction of its branches.
Variety and consistency are usually opposite ideals, but Starbucks Japan manages to pull them both off with aplomb. Particularly when it comes to Frappuccinos, every few weeks the chain rolls out a new seasonal flavor, and yet, no mater which of the chain’s many branches you happen to be at, you can expect the staff to make yours perfectly.
However, there do exist Japanese Frappuccino that you can’t get at just any Starbucks location. The My Fruit³ Frappuccino series is only available at a very small number of select branches, which meant that with the newest one, the Golden Pineapple and Guava Yogurt Frappuccino, now on sale, our resident Frappuccino connoisseur K. Masami was going to have to do some legwork if she wanted to taste-test it. And want to taste-test it she did, even though out of the mere 31 Starbucks nationwide where it’s being served, only two of them (the Aeon Mall Kyoto and Nara Konoike Undokoen branches) are in the Kansai region, where Masami lives.
Now, the reason for that 3 in the My Fruit³ Frappuccino name seems to be that these Frappuccinos give you free customization options, with three official suggestions listed on the menu. Out of them, Masami was most intrigued by the combination of the golden pineapple Frappuccino base and guava yogurt customized with the addition of black tea and whipped cream. Since this was a rare opportunity to drink this ultra-rare Frappuccinos, though, Masami wanted to make sure she’d have the best possible drinking experience, so she asked the clerk at the register for their recommendation, and the Starbucks staff member clued her in to using Passion Tea instead, and skipping the whipped cream for a lighter, more refreshing flavor.
So that’s exactly what Masami did, and her 770-yen (US$5.20) Golden Pineapple Guava Yogurt Passion Tea Frappuccino was very pink, thanks to the colors of the guava and Starbucks’ Passion Tea, which is a non-caffeine herbal tea with hibiscus, orange peel, cinnamon, and licorice.
Masami expected a complex flavor, but there turned out to be even more stimulation for her taste buds than she’d imagined. It’s been her experience that with pineapple-flavored beverages the taste of pineapple tends to dominate the flavor profile, but to her surprise it’s actually the guava that most assertively makes its presence felt in this Frappuccino. The pineapple notes come on later, starting off with the impression of pineapple fragrance that gradually triggers your taste receptors, and the creaminess of the yogurt helps make a smooth transition between the two types of fruit. And after those three ingredients have played their parts, the Passion Tea comes in with a spritz of sharp tartness to clean your palate and get you ready for the next sip.
▼ Or spoonful. No judgement.
So yes, Masami feels that the Golden Pineapple Guava Yogurt Frappuccino is totally worth going out of your way to get your hands on. In Tokyo, it’s available at Starbucks’ Azabujuban Nichome, Urban Dock Lalaport, Omotesando Hills, Shibuya Stream, Meets Kokubunji, Minami Machida Grandberry Park, and Machida Tokyu Twins East branches, with the complete list of Starbucks Japan branches serving it can be found here. And if you can’t make it to any of those, don’t forget about the other pink Frappuccino that’s out there right now.
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