Starbucks' New Product Shocks the Internet! Netizens: Apple Snails?!

Starbucks Japan's New Product Shocks the Internet

Starbucks has always been good at winning consumers over, whether with inventive drinks or merchandise design. But a recent new product from Starbucks Japan shocked the entire internet. The moment it was released it set off heated discussion, and the related topic immediately trended on Twitter in Japan.

Before going any further, take a look at this new product from Starbucks Japan.

Previously, whether food or merchandise, new products from Starbucks Japan had everyone saying "The look is spot on!", "Others should learn from this!", "I really want one!" Each release was reasonably well presented. Nobody expected the aesthetic of this one to suddenly become so down to earth.

According to the official Starbucks Japan website, the new product is a cream pie: a cocoa crispy pastry wrapping blueberry cream, finished with a sprinkling of pearl chocolate containing strawberry powder.

Just reading the official description, it sounds quite delicious. But seeing the pictures, some local netizens pointed out that the new item looks very much like fish roe sushi, while many netizens elsewhere immediately associated it with apple snail eggs.

Interestingly, Japanese netizens thought so too. To show that the new Starbucks dessert closely resembles apple snail eggs, they even attached photos for comparison.

Japanese netizens left comments such as "Too scary" and "The appearance is a bit embarrassing."

Some Japanese netizens also noted that the new cream pie resembles the Ohmu from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

Taste Versus Appearance

As everyone knows, presentation matters enormously in food. This new product, disliked by netizens for resembling apple snail eggs, kills the appetite at first sight. Even so, many Japanese netizens still went out and bought it, out of curiosity about its bizarre appearance. Some, after tasting it, commented that "actually, the taste is quite good."

Starbucks' Design Missteps

Interestingly, Starbucks does occasionally miss the mark on design. Since 1997, the company has launched new cups every Christmas season. When the 2015 holiday drink cups were released, however, their minimalist red design was criticized on social networks.

A new Frappuccino flavor Starbucks launched in 2016, the Fruitcake Frappuccino, was also jokingly described by North American consumers as looking exactly like "baby vomit."

As a coffee brand, Starbucks generally has reliable aesthetics, giving people the impression of being "a design company delayed by coffee." This design, though, might just be the ultimate nightmare for anyone with trypophobia.

Image sources: Starbucks Japan official website, Internet

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

A blueberry cream pie with cocoa pastry and strawberry-chocolate pearls is, in the end, a dessert — and the coffee that goes with it should lean nutty and chocolatey rather than sharp. FrontStreet Signature Blend is a Brazilian-led espresso blend supported by Colombian beans: beyond complex nut aromas of almond, walnut and hazelnut, made into a latte it offers a comfortable bittersweet balance and a sweet milk-chocolate character that goes down extremely smooth, with the nut, chocolate and caramel notes and gentle acidity typical of Colombian coffee.

If you want that creamy chocolate flavor from a single origin, FrontStreet Brazil Queen's Estate draws on the rare Yellow Bourbon variety, adding the Brazilian hallmarks of nut, cream, roasted peanut and caramel cookie to a low-acid, balanced, distinctly sweet cup with a long finish. It works not only for pour-over and French press but just as well in a moka pot or home espresso machine.

And for a deeper, more savory chocolate profile, FrontStreet Indonesia Lindong Mandheling is grounded in Sumatra's G1 grade, wet-hulled and dark roasted to bring out brown sugar, spice, herbal, nut and dark chocolate notes — full-bodied, rich and low in acidity, fit for pour-over, moka pot or clever dripper, and a good practice bean for beginners. FrontStreet Dark Cocoa Blend offers a similar milk-chocolate direction at a value price, combining Brazilian nut aroma and smoothness with the ripe plum acidity and gentle balance of Yunnan smallholder beans.