Specially designed to help people through one of the toughest times of year.

April is the month for new beginnings in Japan, when a new school year commences and people start or switch jobs, sometimes even sparking a house move, leading to a period of change and upheaval in many people’s lives.

One thing that doesn’t change, though, is Starbucks’ dedication to creating limited-edition drinks that bring joy to the public, and its latest release is designed to support customers through this tense period of new beginnings. There are two exclusive beverages coming our way from 13 March, the Caramelly Milk Coffee Frappuccino and the Pink Fruits Cheer-up, which the chain says will “charge you with a feeling of healing and positivity” as people take new steps forward this spring.

▼ We’ve gotta say, this is definitely one of the cheeriest looking Starbucks drinks we’ve ever seen.

The Pink Fruits Cheer-up is said to be a refreshing beverage that will “cheer you up when you take new steps”, not only with its pop pink look but its blend of fruity ingredients. The juice of white grapes and lemons has been combined with rose hips and blended in a blender for a refreshing sweetness and sour taste, and there’s a special jelly made with pink fruit juice — consisting of acerola, pink grapefruit, cranberry, and apple — which you can mix in with it.

Concealed behind the fresh and fruity flavour is caffeine, extracted from green coffee (raw beans) before roasting, and polyphenols (cacao flavanols) extracted from cocoa beans to “charge your vitality and positivity”.

▼ Those who prefer to cheer up with a real shot of coffee will love the Caramelly Milk Coffee Frappuccino.

Based on the Creamy & Sweet Milk Coffee, which was released last spring as a throwback to retro American diners, this Frappuccino combines fresh cream and white chocolate-flavoured syrup with a vanilla base to create a rich and milky taste. A shot of espresso and a generous serving of butterscotch sauce adds a contrasting bittersweetness to the mix, creating a drink that’s said to heal and relax you while freeing you from your daily challenges.

▼ A reward for facing challenges and stepping out of your comfort zone.

These spring drinks are part of Starbucks’ new “Go Beyond” campaign to support customers during a time when “new lifestyles and environmental changes such as going on to higher education and finding a job occur”. The Frappuccino is priced at 678 yen (US$4.53) for takeout or 690 yen for drink-in, while the Pink Fruits Cheer-up is priced from 540 yen to 680 yen, in Short through to Venti sizes.

On sale from 13 March to 9 April, the drinks are already cheering us up, as it’s good to know we have something to look forward to once sales of this year’s four sakura drinks end on 12 March!

Source, images: Starbucks Japan
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