Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2021

New pink drinks make our taste buds jump for joy this spring.

As we look forward to the blossoming of the sakura trees in Japan every spring, there’s one pre-flower event we look forward to at the same time, and that’s the blossoming of limited-edition pink sakura drinks at Starbucks.

These limited-edition beverages pair cherry blossoms with different ingredients every year, and today the coffeehouse chain announced their new offerings for 2021: the Sakura Fuwari Berry Frappuccino and the Sakura Fuwari Berry Milk Latte.

The word “fuwari” connotes a gentle lightness, which suggests these will be soft on the floral, salty-sweet notes often imparted by sakura leaves and blossoms. This is a fitting flavour profile for what’s usually the first of two annual Starbucks sakura releases, as it encapsulates the gentle buds as they begin to bloom, before the second release appears on the scene, representing the flowers in full blossom.

The new “fuwari” beverages are said to combine sakura with “two kinds of sweet and sour berry accents” for a satisfying, relaxing taste.

The Sakura Fuwari Berry Frappuccino mixes a sakura strawberry sauce into the classic milk base and combines it with a lightly bittersweet and velvety smooth raspberry panna cotta for a luxurious finish. On top, there’ll be a combination of freeze-dried strawberries and sakura-and-vanilla-flavoured sponge crumbs, to resemble the blossoms and “help heal the mind while awaiting the arrival of spring”.

The Sakura Fuwari Berry Milk Latte is a hot beverage that “warms your heart” with a soft and gentle flavour created by the combination of warm milk and sakura strawberry sauce, which is made with strawberry juice and powdered sakura flowers.

The Frappuccino is said to contain at least five-percent strawberry and raspberry juice, while the latte is said to contain at least five-percent strawberry juice. Both drinks will be available at Starbucks branches around Japan from 15 February, with the Frappuccino, priced at 590 yen (US$5.62) for a tall, on the menu until 13 April, and the latte, priced at 450-570 yen for Short through to Ventii sizes, on the menu until 16 March.

And if you’d like even more strawberries with your sakura, don’t forget to keep an eye out for the Starbucks sakura chilled cup, currently available at convenience stores around Japan for a limited time.

Source, images: Starbucks Japan
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