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

Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

For more premium coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of FrontStreet Coffee, WeChat ID: qjcoffeex.

The highly anticipated Pink Drink, which has already become popular in many countries and regions, officially launched in mainland China yesterday!!! Many friends who have already tried Pink Drink in other regions and couldn't forget its taste rushed to Starbucks immediately to get a cup. However...

"This isn't right! This doesn't taste like Pink Drink!" "Help! It's so watery and bland, yet people say it's good!" "It tastes a bit like Maclin medicine water"... Many netizens commented that the domestic Pink Drink doesn't taste as sweet and sour as versions from other regions, nor does it have the strawberry yogurt drink flavor that everyone remembers. It tastes like low-quality yogurt – there's sweetness and sourness, but it feels very watery.

Disappointment with New Variations

Additionally, its sibling product, the Pink Berry Lemon Energy Coffee, was criticized by netizens for tasting like the strawberry flavoring in Maclin medicine water, rather than the strawberry juice flavor found in versions from other regions. The dried strawberry pieces were also sparingly added, making the entire consumption and tasting experience fall short of netizens' expectations. Consequently, on its first day of launch, netizens immediately cried out that the product didn't match its description...

Regarding the disappointment of domestic netizens, many from other regions suggested that everyone felt let down because there are too many new-style tea options available in China! Those fruit teas with Yakult flavors can be easily purchased anywhere...

But these aren't easily available in European and American regions... However, because product developers in these areas love creating strawberry-flavored products, many international students began using Starbucks' customization service to recreate the long-missed Yakult fruit tea flavor, which is how it became popular.

Many domestic friends also expressed that to better suit local consumers' tastes, sugar reduction has already been implemented in the ingredients. The entire preparation method is different, and the material suppliers are different as well, so it's normal for the taste to differ from Pink Drinks in other regions.

Taste Preferences and Expectations

Some netizens also suggested that the sweet and sour balance might have been adjusted. Even without following online recommendations to reduce sugar and lemon juice, the overall taste is just right, very appealing to those who like sweet drinks but cannot accept overly sweet beverages.

Beyond the taste differences, many people also questioned: "Isn't this supposed to be 'Energy Coffee'?!! Why can't I taste any coffee at all?" Regarding the term "Energy Coffee," many people thought this 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 to achieve better weight loss effects, though this practice is not recommended. Mentioning this is simply to inform everyone that some coffee shops have introduced coffee made from a single extraction of both raw and roasted coffee beans, and clarified that this has no relation to Starbucks' "Energy Coffee."

Therefore, this "Energy Coffee" actually refers to the fact that the juice used in Starbucks' new product contains extracts from raw coffee beans, which doesn't necessarily mean you can taste the flavor of raw coffee beans. This is why you can't taste any coffee flavor.

The Taste of Raw Coffee Beans

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

Once, a barista, in the spirit of experimentation, made a soymilk version for tasting. Judging by their twisted expressions, one could roughly tell it wasn't something pleasant to drink. Therefore, Starbucks' new product won't let you taste the flavor of raw beans; otherwise, it would truly be a cup of strawberry-flavored medicine water...

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473