Starbucks China Launches Pink Drink: First Day Reactions and Is the Pink Brew Worth Trying?

The long-awaited Pink Drink, already a hit in many countries and regions, finally launched in mainland China yesterday! Plenty of people who had tried Pink Drink abroad and could not forget the taste rushed straight to Starbucks to grab a cup. But...

"This isn't right! This doesn't taste like Pink Drink!" "Help, it's so watery and bland, and yet people say it's good!" "It tastes a bit like strawberry-flavored medicine"... Many netizens commented that the domestic Pink Drink is not as sweet-and-sour as the versions from other regions, and it lacks the strawberry-yogurt flavor everyone remembers. It tastes like low-quality yogurt -- there is sweetness and sourness, but it feels very watered down.

Disappointment with New Variations

Its sibling product, Pink Berry Lemon Energy Coffee, was also criticized by netizens for tasting like the strawberry flavoring in medicine water rather than the strawberry juice of the versions sold elsewhere. The dried strawberry pieces were sparse as well, so the whole drinking experience fell short of expectations. As a result, on its very first day of launch, netizens were already declaring the product didn't match its description.

As for that disappointment, many people from other regions suggested the letdown came from something simpler: there are simply too many new-style tea options in China! Fruit teas with a Yakult-like tang can be bought anywhere...

But those are not easy to find in Europe and the US. Because product developers in those markets love creating strawberry-flavored items, many international students started using Starbucks' customization service to recreate the long-missed Yakult fruit tea flavor -- and that is how it became popular.

Many domestic friends also pointed out that to better suit local palates, the ingredients have already been reduced in sugar. The whole preparation method is different, and the material suppliers are different too, so it is only normal for the taste to differ from Pink Drinks in other regions.

Taste Preferences and Expectations

Some netizens also suggested that the sweet-sour balance may simply have been adjusted. Even without following the online advice to cut sugar and lemon juice, the overall taste is just right -- very appealing to those who like sweet drinks but cannot handle anything overly sweet.

Beyond the taste differences, many people also asked: "Isn't this supposed to be 'Energy Coffee'? Why can't I taste any coffee at all?" Hearing "Energy Coffee," many assumed the product would contain extracts from raw coffee beans -- but it actually contains extracts from unroasted coffee beans, which have no distinct flavor.

Understanding "Energy Coffee"

A couple of days ago, an article from Coffee Workshop explained that many people are now starting to drink raw coffee for better weight-loss results, though this practice is not recommended. The point in mentioning it is simply to note that some coffee shops have introduced coffee made from a single extraction of both raw and roasted coffee beans -- and to clarify that this has no relation to Starbucks' "Energy Coffee."

So this "Energy Coffee" label actually refers to the fact that the juice used in Starbucks' new product contains extracts from raw coffee beans; it does not mean you will taste raw coffee beans. That is why you cannot taste any coffee flavor at all.

The Taste of Raw Coffee Beans

What do raw coffee beans taste like? Grassy. Brewed directly in water, they don't have much taste, though you can still smell the grassy aroma and feel the astringency (assuming they are brewed in water).

A barista once, in the spirit of experimentation, made a soymilk version to taste. Judging by the twisted expression, you could roughly tell it was not pleasant to drink. So Starbucks' new product will not let you taste the flavor of raw beans -- otherwise it really would be a cup of strawberry-flavored medicine water.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the Pink Drink left you craving real sweetness, there are better places to find it than a flavored syrup. FrontStreet's Costa Rica Black Honey is a high-grown single origin processed with the black-honey method -- the most complete pectin retention of any honey process -- so it is intensely sweet, and with a light-to-medium roast it pours out sweet florals, grape, sweet orange, and a liqueur-chocolate note.

For something that clearly echoes the strawberry theme, try FrontStreet's Strawberry Candy blend. Marrying a honey-processed Costa Rican coffee with Panama Geisha, it brings rose, strawberry candy, and dried blueberry aromas, a balanced grape-and-citrus sweetness, and an almond finish -- sweet and clean whether you brew it as pour-over, cold brew, or espresso.