A delicious tropical dessert drink with a beachy appeal…the perfect drink for summer!

If you think of summer, what fruit comes to mind? In Japan, you might first think of watermelon. In Taiwan, it would be mango. That’s why, according to our Taiwan-based Japanese-language reporter Yui Imai, you’ll find mango-flavored sweets in restaurants all over the island starting in April, which is just when the weather starts to get hot.

Naturally, Starbucks is the same, and on April 15, they started selling their new, limited-edition Mango on the Beach Frappuccino, which even comes with chocolate shaped like a beach umbrella! With a bright, summery look to it reminiscent of a sandy beach, Yui just had to go and try it out.

That beachy vibe was the core of the Frappuccino’s appeal. The vibrant orange color, which practically screamed summer, had some darker oranges mixed in thanks to the mango jelly at the bottom of the cup and the mango jam blended into the Frappuccino. Of course, like all Frappuccinos it was topped with whipped cream, but it also had whole wheat flour cookie crumbles sprinkled on top. And let’s not forget the chocolate beach umbrella! It was such a playful Starbucks drink, and Yui was excited to try the exuberant mango flavors the sunny orange color promised.

She tried the chocolate umbrella first, since it looked in danger of toppling out of the quickly softening whipped cream. It made a nice snapping sound when Yui bit into it, and had a faint sweetness that reminded her of her childhood.

The drink itself had a super tropical flavor, like drinking mixed fruit juice, but it also a nice, chilly creaminess that overtook her taste buds. The soft yet firm texture of the jelly was a pleasant surprise! It seemed to be made of mango juice, which somehow condensed the sticky sweetness of mango into jelly form. The texture gave the jelly a sense of presence that was so impressive that Yui actually wanted to try it on its own.

Naturally, whipped cream was the perfect dressing for this drink; it made the overall Frappuccino even milkier. The crunchy texture of the whole-wheat-flour cookie crumbles offered a nice accent to the softness of the cream, too.

Both tropical and creamy, this Frappuccino felt like it was the perfect drink for a hot summer day. It’s available in three sizes: Tall (145 yuan/635 yen/US$4.92), Grande (165 yuan), and Venti (185 yuan). Yui ordered the Tall size, which has a calorie count of 368, which Yui thought was a moderate amount. If you find yourself in Taiwan this summer, you’ll definitely want to try it out! And don’t forget to try their Strawberry Mango Oolong Tea, too!

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