We test the powers of the forget-the-world Frappuccino.

Starbucks Japan has released a number of strawberry-flavoured Frapuuccinos in the past, but its latest offering is said to put them all to shame, as it’s called “THE Strawberry Frappuccino“. Designed to deliver a “strawberry experience beyond strawberries“, the new drink has been crafted around a “Hotel Starbucks” theme, creating the sensation that it was mixed up for you by a barista at a luxury hotel bar, where you can take a moment to “forget about everyday life“.

With so many troubles in the world right now, it’s a timely Frappuccino release, so we decided to put its forget-the-world powers to the test by picking one up as soon as it was released on 9 April. The first thing we noticed was its beautiful red hue, as it contains strawberry juice, pulp, jelly and seeds, with no milk added, creating a concentration of colour not usually seen in the chain’s Frappuccinos.

▼ The only milk element is the mound of whipped cream on top.

The saturated colour suggests this really might deliver on the promise of being a “strawberry experience beyond strawberries”, and upon first mouthful, we were blown away. It was truly delicious, with sweet and tart notes singing out in equal measures, tantalising the taste buds with extreme fruity freshness. The jelly pieces and scattering of seeds throughout worked together to recreate the texture of a strawberry, so much so that it felt as if we were biting into the actual fruit.

▼ Like an expensive Japanese strawberry, in drink form.

It was a fantastic, high-quality beverage, with such a captivating taste and texture that we became totally preoccupied with every mouthful. By the time we came to the bottom of the cup, we realised we really had forgotten about all our troubles, and to avoid returning to reality for a little while longer, we kept the escape going with the chain’s renewed Cinnamon Roll (420 yen [US$2.89]), released on the same day.

So if you’d like to escape from the troubles of the world, step into the Starbucks Hotel and feel your worries melt away. At 707 yen for takeout or 720 yen for dine-in, the new Frappuccino is a lot cheaper than a visit to a hotel bar, but it’ll only be around for a limited time, until 27 May.

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