Starbucks Is Rolling Out Boba For The First Time Ever This Summer
Summer has come early for Starbucks fans who love boba pearls in their drinks. Beginning Tuesday, May 7, the coffee chain will have three new iced beverages topped with raspberry-flavored pearls inspired by popular East Asian beverages with boba available. These drinks include the new Summer-Berry Starbucks Refreshers Beverage, made with raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry; the Summer-Berry Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers Beverage, made with lemonade; and the non-dairy Summer Skies Drink, made with coconut milk.
The raspberry pearl toppings upgrade the taste and texture of each drink. Starbucks beverage developer Simon Vuong said, "It's very fun the way it delivers the flavor when it pops in your mouth."
Similar to Starbucks' new lineup of spicy spring drinks, these drinks will only be available for a limited time at locations in the U.S. The spicy fruit-infused drinks are the springtime yin to the fruit pearl's summer yang. If you want to make this summertime Starbucks drink collection even more refreshing, be sure to request the simple hack for better iced drinks.
How the boba drinks at Starbucks were created
When Simon Voung began thinking about creating a new drink for the Starbucks summer menu, he was inspired to create a beverage with colors fitting for the season. Voung explained, "We have never had a blue beverage, but when we first created the recipe, the color really captured the feeling we were going for — reminiscent of long, summer days and bright skies for everyone to enjoy."
The fruity ingredients in these drinks were selected with similar intentions, as raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are all summer berries. Once the base was selected, the team wanted to give the drink a unique and flavorful twist. "We thought, 'Let's put fruit-flavored pearls in the beverage and try it out,'" Voung added.
The summer berry lineup adds to Starbucks' expansive seasonal offerings, and if it's anything like the lavender chill spring menu, fans will be thrilled. Just catch them soon; these drinks are only available for a limited time.