The cherry blossoms morph into something new at Starbucks.

Earlier this month, Starbucks revealed the first instalment in their annual sakura series for this year, bringing us strawberries and fragile blooms.

Now, the cherry blossoms have unfurled their delicate petals a little further for a second instalment, and this time it’s all about cassis and drinkware goods in full bloom.

Cassis is the star of the show in this second sakura Frappuccino, which is called the Sakura Cassis Strawberry Shiratama Frappuccino. Like the first Sakura Frappuccino of the year, this one blends sakura with strawberries and includes two flat pieces of nama yatsuhashi, a traditional Japanese sweet made from glutinous rice flour that’s considered a local specialty of Kyoto.

However, the new twist here is a sweet-and-sour cassis sauce, which not only adds a deeper flavour to the drink, but makes it look a little darker, to resemble the cherry blossoms at night.

▼ The new Frappuccino is available in a tall size, priced at 680 yen (US$5.92) for eat-in and 668 yen for takeout

Accompanying the new drink on this nighttime stroll through the cherry blossoms is a new collection of goods which are said to “express the cherry blossoms in full bloom” and make people feel uplifted.

The goods, pictured above from left to right, are:

  • Mug Petal Gradient (2,420 yen [US$21.07])
  • Heat Resistant Glass Petal (2,860 yen)
  • Mug Glitter Petal (2,090 yen)
  • Heat Resistant Glass Mug Medal (2,860 yen)
  • Stainless Mini Bottle Petal Gradient (3,520 yen)
  • Stainless Tumbler Pearl White(3,850 yen)
  • Tumbler Lace (2,200 yen)
  • Cold Storage Tote Bag (2,750 yen)
  • Stainless Tumbler Diamond Gradient (3,850 yen)
  • Stainless Bottle Pink Gold (4,840 yen)

The new Sakura Cassis Strawberry Shiratama Frappuccino will go on sale at 5:00 p.m. on 22 February and be on the menu until 15 March, while the second instalment of sakura goods will be available online from 22 February and in stores from 24 February.

As always, you’ll want to get in quick to catch the cherry blossoms before they disappear, and don’t forget there’s still time to sip on the first sakura Frappuccino while enjoying the AR blooms too!

Source, images: Press release
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