A new collection based around the theme “Play Vivid Summer. My own colour, more vivid.” 

We still have a few months to go until the summer weather arrives in Japan, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early for Starbucks to start fanning us with cooling beverages, as they’ve just announced their first summer release of the year — the Melon of Melon Frappuccino.

If that name sounds familiar, that’s because this very same Frappuccino graced the menus for a limited time last year. However, this time around, the chain says they’ve upped the melon content, so it now contains 1.8 times more pulp than last year’s edition.

This ties in with the theme for Starbucks’ first summer drop for 2023, which is “Play Vivid Summer. My own colour, more vivid.” The vivid hues in the drink are made up of two melon flavours — orange melon pulp, in the sauce at the bottom, and green melon juice, which graces the milky base, the whipped cream topping and the saucy drizzle upon the cream.

▼ The Frappuccino will be available in a tall size only, priced at 687 yen (US$5.21) for takeout or 700 yen for dine-in.

Starbucks says the extra melon pulp at the bottom allows you to enjoy the aroma and taste of melon until the last mouthful, and the entire drink is like biting into a fresh, ripe melon.

Joining the new Frappuccino for this early summer outing are a trio of sweets, with equally vivid hues designed to lift your mood. Pictured below, from left to right, we have: Banana Cream Doughnut, Strawberry Doughnut, and Orange Mango Cake, with the doughnuts priced at 285 yen for takeout, or 290 yen for dine-in, and the cake priced at 516 yen for takeout and 525 yen for dine-in.

It’s certainly a colourful way to kick off a new season, and if the newly formulated Frappuccino is as good as last year’s Melon of Melon, which our reporter dubbed one of the most memorable in Starbucks’ history, we’re gearing up for a bright summer indeed!

The range will be in stores from 12 April while stocks last.

Source, images: Starbucks Japan
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