Starbucks recently created the new Summer berry and Spicy chili refreshers which are a huge downgrade from their past drinks, such as the strawberry lemonade acai refreshers. Although the summer berry drinks were not too bad, the chili refreshers were absolutely revolting. Summer should have fruity, fresh drinks being released, not science experiments.
Mary:
Starbucks has gone completely out of its comfort zone creating these monstrosities. The latest drinks, the Summer Berry Refreshers with Popping Boba and the New Spicy Lemonade Refreshers have had a number of haters compared to the amount of buyers. Personally, I’m definitely a hater. The spicy dragon fruit drink definitely tastes like it came from the stomach of a dragon. The refresher portion was sweet but did not balance with the spices in the slightest. I was completely disgusted by this combination and gagged the second it hit the back of my throat.
Along with the rest of the chili drinks, they all went downhill from there. The strawberry chili drink was the best out of the three but I wouldn’t say it was very different. I would rate it a 1.9 out of 10. As well as the pineapple chili drink, these were all revolting. Starbucks refreshers are supposed to be cool and sweet, to refresh you, which is why they’re called “refreshers”, they are not made to burn the taste buds off your tongue. While some people may like the lingering feeling of chili, this is not a drink for the weak. For those who are planning on trying these new drinks, I’ll save you time, don’t do it.
Starbucks has been throwing so many ideas at us to make a new and fun refresher for the upcoming season but every time one has been released, it has been a complete miss. The latest collection of drinks, the Summer berry refreshers with popping boba had gotten a lot of hype before its release, only for it to be a total flop. Out of all three, the lemonade version was by far my favorite, I would rate it a 6.5 out of 10. Although the color looks as if it’s radioactive, the taste reminds me a lot of Kool-Aid or Gatorade. You really need to be in an experimental mood to purchase this drink again.
I have mixed feelings about the popping boba, it was definitely a surprise, to say the least. The juice inside was way too artificial, and the bubble itself was super chewy but it made the drink a lot more fun to try.
I was disgusted by the Skies drink, which contained coconut milk. Along with the plain summer berry refresher, I would never order either of these ever again. Both receiving a rating of 2 out of 10. Disgusting. The coconut milk turned it into a light sky-blue color which was very pretty, but it tasted like dirty sewer water. For your own good, save your money and buy a drink that’s actually worth the cost.
Ella:
The spicy drinks were absolutely disgusting. The Spicy Pineapple Lemonade Refresher was probably the worst thing I have ever tasted. Just the smell of these drinks made me immediately want to throw up, I regret ever buying them. While I had a drink on the side to try to save my tastebuds, the Refresher was so gross it hardly helped. Obviously, this gets a solid 0/10. On the plus side, the Spicy Dragon Fruit Lemonade Refresher wasn’t bad for a spicy drink, and that’s saying something. The spice level was definitely not that bad. The horrid chili taste was barely noticeable but in the other two, it felt like a funeral in my mouth. This one deserves a 3/10. The strawberry was in the middle on the scale but leaning more towards the zero range. While most people were very curious to try this one, it has ruined the famous Strawberry Acai Refresher. The iconic drinks evil twin deserves a 2/10. While I will still be getting the regular refreshers, I also will never again get any of the spicy drinks.
During these last couple of months, Starbucks has finally gotten out of its slump and released some pretty decent summer drinks. Starbucks created its own version of popping boba by making the Summer Berry Refreshers with Raspberry Boba. After trying these drinks, I applaud Starbucks for finally making new and tasty drinks.
The Summer Berry Refresher with Lemonade was my favorite, receiving a 7/10. The drink without lemonade was okay, getting a rating of 6/10.
While the Summer Skies Refresher with Coconut Milk felt like I was drinking straight sunscreen. The overriding power of the coconut milk led to the collapse of yet another Starbucks drink, rating only a 5/10. The refresher itself is very sweet but the lemonade adds the extra flavor, similar to the original refreshers.
While I’m not a big fan of popping pearls, the Raspberry-flavored boba was really good. Not only is the taste amazing but the color is beautiful. Just by looking at the drink you get major summer vibes from the ombre blue and red effect. While Mary didn’t like this collection of drinks as much, I think it is pretty good after a streak of flops.
