Do you prefer your strawberries rich or fizzy?

On June 8, our Japanese-language reporter K. Masami checked her email and found that Starbucks had suddenly released not one, but two strawberry Frappuccinos! Normally Starbucks announces their seasonal drinks ahead of time, but perhaps they wanted to avoid long lineups amid Japan’s ease-up on their soft lockdown? (We’re just guessing, considering the lines there were the day before shutting down last month.)

Starbucks’ new strawberry Frappuccinos–the Shuwatto Ichigo Frappuccino and the Gorotto Ichigo Frappuccino–are being sold for 640 yen (US$5.96) apiece as a seasonal offer. Unless you’re familiar with Japanese, you’re probably wondering what those names actually mean. Allow us to explain!

The Shuwatto Ichigo Frappuccino, or “Fizzy Strawberry Frappuccino,” is a mix of carbonated strawberry jelly, strawberry sauce, and whipped cream. It’s supposed to provide a unique experience of traditional strawberry drinks.

And since the drink itself isn’t made with dairy, you can ask for no whipped cream for a dairy-free treat!

Masami thought the carbonated jelly was especially fascinating and refreshing, claiming there was no other Starbucks drink like it. There are also real strawberry bits in the sauce!

The Gorotto Ichigo Frappuccino is more like a sweet, rich, creamy strawberry drink that’s supposed to make you feel like you’re eating a whole berry. It’s a mixture of strawberry sauce, whipped cream, more strawberry sauce, and more whipped cream. This is the kind of Frappuccino that Starbucks lovers are used to.

The whipped cream mellows out the tartness of the strawberries to give it a creamier taste.

Even though it sounds like a lot, Masami still found it sweet and refreshing. If you want to try both, she recommends starting with the fizzy drink and finishing it off with the rich Gorotto Ichigo drink.

▼ Masami certainly enjoyed herself!

▼ On the menu, the Shuwatto Ichigo Frappuccino is pictured on the left, and the Gorotto Ichigo Frappuccino is on the right.

We’re not sure how long these seasonal drinks will be around, so it would be better to grab one sooner than later! Just keep in mind that it’s probably best to go by yourself to pick one up for yourself or for others since many Starbucks cafes are still practicing social distancing.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]