I tried Starbucks' new boba-inspired summer drinks. They looked stunning, but one was really lacking in flavor, and I wouldn't pick them over real boba.

Grace DeanJun 3, 2024, 18:54 IST

I tried the Summer Skies Drink Starbucks Refreshers Beverage and the Summer-Berry Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers Beverage.Grace Dean/Business Insider<ul class="summary-list"><li>Starbucks has rolled out a line of boba-inspired Refresher drinks in the US.</li><li>The blue beverages all include raspberry-flavored popping pearls and its new Summer-Berry Refreshers mixture.</li></ul>Starbucks has rolled out its first-ever line of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/starbucks-launches-boba-drinks-raspberry-popping-pearls-summer-refresher-beverage-2024-5">boba-inspired drinks</a> in the US as part of its summer menu.The three new iced beverages were released in May, two and a half years after Starbucks said it was <a target="_blank" rel href="https://www.businessinsider.com/starbucks-boba-bubble-tea-iced-coffee-tapioca-popping-pearls-drink-2021-12">conducting a limited test of beverages "made with coffee pearls."</a>The new drinks, which all have lengthy names, are the Summer-Berry Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers Beverage, the Summer Skies Drink Starbucks Refreshers Beverage, and the Summer-Berry Starbucks Refreshers Beverage.The drink all consist of raspberry-flavored popping pearls and a summer berries Refreshers mixture designed to taste of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Unlike many boba beverages, which use black, oolong, or green tea as a base, none of Starbucks' drinks actually contain tea.I tried two of the drinks — here's what I thought.

Starbucks has been advertising the drinks with the tagline "summer at first sip."

Starbucks has released a line of boba-inspired drinks.Grace Dean/Business Insider

Signs for the drinks emphasize the contrast between the bright blue liquid and the pinkish-red pearls. Starbucks says that the line constitutes its first blue-colored drinks.

Starbucks says that the line constitutes its first blue-colored drinks.Grace Dean/Business Insider

Signs for the drinks emphasize the contrast between the bright blue liquid and the pinkish-red pearls. Starbucks says that the line constitutes its first blue-colored drinks.

In reality, the drinks weren't quite as brightly colored as they appeared in the ads. All the stores I visited advertised just two of the three drinks from the range on their menu boards — the milky Summer Skies drink and the lemonade-based drink.

I tried the Summer Skies Drink Starbucks Refreshers Beverage and the Summer-Berry Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers Beverage.Grace Dean/Business Insider

In reality, the drinks weren't quite as brightly colored as they appeared in the ads. All the stores I visited advertised just two of the three drinks from the range on their menu boards — the milky Summer Skies drink and the lemonade-based drink.

The Summer-Berry Lemonade is made by combining the new Refresher with lemonade, popping pearls, and ice. The drink looked very attractive, and the contrast between the blue and red was striking.

The Summer-Berry Lemonade was beautifully colored.Grace Dean/Business Insider

The Summer-Berry Lemonade is made by combining the new Refresher with lemonade, popping pearls, and ice. The drink looked very attractive, and the contrast between the blue and red was striking.

The drink tasted quite tart and tangy. "This tastes like a childhood Popsicle more than anything," my friend said.

I thought the lemonade drink tasted quite tart and tangy. Grace Dean/Business Insider

The other drink I got, the Summer Skies Drink, is made from the new Refresher, coconut milk, popping pearls, and ice. The pearls looked more distinctive in this drink, though the liquid was a much more subtle shade of blue.

The Summer Skies Drink was a much paler shade of blue because of the coconut milk.Grace Dean/Business Insider

The other drink I got, the Summer Skies Drink, is made from the new Refresher, coconut milk, popping pearls, and ice. The pearls looked more distinctive in this drink, though the liquid was a much more subtle shade of blue.

I'm not a big fan of coconut, so I was skeptical at first, but you couldn't taste the coconut at all. However, the milk also diluted the flavor of the Refresher, and overall the drink had a very mild, creamy taste. "It tastes like a mild Herbal Essences shampoo," my friend said.

You couldn't taste the coconut in the drink.Grace Dean/Business Insider

I'm not a big fan of coconut, so I was skeptical at first, but you couldn't taste the coconut at all. However, the milk also diluted the flavor of the Refresher, and overall the drink had a very mild, creamy taste. "It tastes like a mild Herbal Essences shampoo," my friend said.

The popping pearls helped give the drink the flavor it needed, though. I was surprised by how strongly the pearls tasted of raspberry.

The popping pearls had a strong raspberry flavor.Grace Dean/Business Insider

Boba is often made from chewy tapioca pearls, created using starch from the roots of cassava plants, but Starbucks uses popping pearls instead, which release a burst of flavor when they explode in your mouth.

Starbucks opted for popping pearls rather than chewy ones.Grace Dean/Business Insider

Boba is often made from chewy tapioca pearls, created using starch from the roots of cassava plants, but Starbucks uses popping pearls instead, which release a burst of flavor when they explode in your mouth.

The pearls were quite irregularly sized, which surprised me. Though they were all perfectly round, some were much bigger than the others.

The pearls were irregularly sized.Grace Dean/Business Insider

The drinks were served with a very wide straw, which meant that the pearls didn't get stuck in it — a common issue I've had with boba. You can see here that the straw is wider than the pearls.

The drinks were served with a very wide straw so that the pearls didn't get stuck.Grace Dean/Business Insider

The drinks were served with a very wide straw, which meant that the pearls didn't get stuck in it — a common issue I've had with boba. You can see here that the straw is wider than the pearls.

My 16-ounce drinks were each served with two scoops of the pearls, which seemed like a good ratio. However, as is the nature of boba, the pearls sunk to the bottom of the cup and I ended up with a lot leftover once all the liquid had been drunk.

The pearls sunk to the bottom of the cup.Grace Dean/Business Insider

My 16-ounce drinks were each served with two scoops of the pearls, which seemed like a good ratio. However, as is the nature of boba, the pearls sunk to the bottom of the cup and I ended up with a lot leftover once all the liquid had been drunk.

At the location I visited in Nashville, Tennessee, both drinks cost $7.05 for a grande (a 16-ounce drink), including tax. Starbucks' website shows that you can also customize other beverages by adding a scoop of pearls for $1.25.

Both drinks cost $7.05 for a grande.Spencer Platt/Getty

At the location I visited in Nashville, Tennessee, both drinks cost $7.05 for a grande (a 16-ounce drink), including tax. Starbucks' website shows that you can also customize other beverages by adding a scoop of pearls for $1.25.

Starbucks said in a release that it "drew inspiration from drinks around the world, especially East Asian beverages with boba or pearls that have been popular for decades."

Starbucks had considered using fruit pieces in the drinks, but decided on popping pearls because they were "even bolder."Starbucks

Starbucks said in a release that it "drew inspiration from drinks around the world, especially East Asian beverages with boba or pearls that have been popular for decades."

Did Starbucks' drinks look good? Yes. Did they taste good? Somewhat. But would I choose to go back to Starbucks for boba? Probably not. Dedicated boba stores offer a huge variety of flavors and toppings — my go-to is taro milk tea with chewy tapioca pearls — and you can customize your drink to your heart's desire.

Would I choose to go back to Starbucks for boba? Probably not.Grace Dean/Business Insider

Did Starbucks' drinks look good? Yes. Did they taste good? Somewhat. But would I choose to go back to Starbucks for boba? Probably not. Dedicated boba stores offer a huge variety of flavors and toppings — my go-to is taro milk tea with chewy tapioca pearls — and you can customize your drink to your heart's desire.

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I tried Starbucks' new boba-inspired summer drinks. They looked stunning, but one was really lacking in flavor, and I wouldn't pick them over real boba.

Starbucks has been advertising the drinks with the tagline "summer at first sip."

Signs for the drinks emphasize the contrast between the bright blue liquid and the pinkish-red pearls. Starbucks says that the line constitutes its first blue-colored drinks.

In reality, the drinks weren't quite as brightly colored as they appeared in the ads. All the stores I visited advertised just two of the three drinks from the range on their menu boards — the milky Summer Skies drink and the lemonade-based drink.

The Summer-Berry Lemonade is made by combining the new Refresher with lemonade, popping pearls, and ice. The drink looked very attractive, and the contrast between the blue and red was striking.

The drink tasted quite tart and tangy. "This tastes like a childhood Popsicle more than anything," my friend said.

The other drink I got, the Summer Skies Drink, is made from the new Refresher, coconut milk, popping pearls, and ice. The pearls looked more distinctive in this drink, though the liquid was a much more subtle shade of blue.

I'm not a big fan of coconut, so I was skeptical at first, but you couldn't taste the coconut at all. However, the milk also diluted the flavor of the Refresher, and overall the drink had a very mild, creamy taste. "It tastes like a mild Herbal Essences shampoo," my friend said.

The popping pearls helped give the drink the flavor it needed, though. I was surprised by how strongly the pearls tasted of raspberry.

Boba is often made from chewy tapioca pearls, created using starch from the roots of cassava plants, but Starbucks uses popping pearls instead, which release a burst of flavor when they explode in your mouth.

The pearls were quite irregularly sized, which surprised me. Though they were all perfectly round, some were much bigger than the others.

The drinks were served with a very wide straw, which meant that the pearls didn't get stuck in it — a common issue I've had with boba. You can see here that the straw is wider than the pearls.

My 16-ounce drinks were each served with two scoops of the pearls, which seemed like a good ratio. However, as is the nature of boba, the pearls sunk to the bottom of the cup and I ended up with a lot leftover once all the liquid had been drunk.

At the location I visited in Nashville, Tennessee, both drinks cost $7.05 for a grande (a 16-ounce drink), including tax. Starbucks' website shows that you can also customize other beverages by adding a scoop of pearls for $1.25.

Starbucks said in a release that it "drew inspiration from drinks around the world, especially East Asian beverages with boba or pearls that have been popular for decades."