Starbucks Japan releases its second festive Frappuccino for 2022, but is it as good as the first?

A surprising departure from your usual Christmas flavours.

Every year, Starbucks spoils its customers with not one but two limited-edition Christmas Frappuccinos, and after trying the first festive offering of 2022, the Strawberry & Velvet Brownie Frappuccino, our reporter K. Masami was back at her local branch on 30 November for round two of the celebrations.

▼ The second limited-time beverage is the Butter Caramel Mille-feuille Frappuccino (690 yen [US$4.98]).

The warm golden hues on the sign itself were a welcome sight on the cold morning Masami visited, and when she received the drink, it looked just as good in real life as it did on the poster.

The Frappuccino contains custard sauce, butter caramel sauce, fiantine and pie crumbs in the base, with added fiantine, pie crumbs, and even more butter caramel sauce on top for extra texture and flavour.

▼ Fiantine is a crepe dough that’s stretched out thinly, baked, and crushed into fine pieces.

All the flaky, crunchy pastry bits on top work well to recreate the texture of a mille-feuille pastry, tantalising the taste buds with buttery notes that create a sublime partnership with the sweet, rich, milky caramel flavours in the drink. The custard sauce makes its presence felt here and there as well, giving it bursts of pudding-like flavour.

For those who prefer warm drinks, the cold beverage is joined by the Butter Caramel Mille-feuille Latte, in Short through to Venti sizes for 550-680 yen, which contains butter caramel sauce, custard sauce, espresso, and steamed milk. 

▼ Like the Frappuccino, this drink is also topped with caramel sauce, fiantine and pie crumbs.

The addition of espresso to the mix here adds a slightly bitter kick to the sweetness, and the heat helps to melt the crumbly topping, making it softer on the palate. The combination of flavours is warming and comforting — like a snuggly hug on a cold winter’s day.

As Masami was trying her drinks at a Starbucks in the Kansai region around Osaka, she was able to pick up a “Shaken Meal” as well.

▼ The Soy Bolognese Shaken Meal costs 460 yen.

Masami had heard that some branches in the region were already stocking these, but this was her first time seeing it at her local branch so she was excited to try it out.

▼ As the name suggests, this meal is simply shaken and eaten.

The cup was packed to the brim with salad ingredients, making it a little difficult to eat, but masami certainly wasn’t complaining. The dressing was flavourful, and had made its way through the entire salad, making for a tasty, healthy, and satisfying meal.

▼ The salad was a great way to lessen the guilt of just having consumed two creamy Starbucks beverages.

As always, the Starbucks beverages won’t be around for long, as they’ll only be on the menu until Christmas day. So get in quick if you’d like to try them, and there’s a lineup of Christmas treats on the menu for you to try too!

Photos ©SoraNews24
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