Time to spill the tea on whether these drinks are worth trying.

Sometimes it feels like Starbucks is releasing a new drink every week in Japan, and that’s definitely the case right now. After trying the Oriental Mango & Tea Frappuccino, the Mango Au Lait and the Hot Honey Oriental Mango & Tea Frappuccino, all in the space of a few weeks, we thought things would quieten down at the chain, but little did we know there was yet another duo waiting for us around the corner.

▼ The Earl Grey Bouquet & Tea Frappuccino and the Earl Grey Bouquet & Tea Latte.

Released on 18 June, we headed out to give these two a try, and when we arrived at the store we experienced a sense of déjà vu as we recalled trying a similar duo last year under the name Royal Earl Grey Bouquet.

While those drinks were designed to look and taste like a bouquet of flowers, with lavender hues and flavours in the mix, this new release is slightly less royal, with a more simple focus on tea as the star.

The base contains milk blended with vanilla syrup and a powdered Earl Grey tea blend featuring jasmine and chamomile. Up top is a swirl of whipped cream, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with a powder containing a blend of bergamot, lemon peel, and orange for a fragrant, fruity zing.

▼ Perfect for recharging during the rainy season.

Taking a sip, we found that despite being tea-based, the drink has a mellow richness due to the generous use of milk. The Earl Grey flavour is prominent, but there’s also a refreshing herbal quality that comes through from the blend of various teas. The honey syrup provides a gentle sweetness, creating a harmonious combination of flavours that’s deliciously refreshing and smooth, and the more you mix in the whipped cream, the more the flavour profile changes, adding extra depth.

▼ We recommend starting the drink without mixing in the whipped cream, then stirring it in later for a change in taste.

Impressed by the Frappuccino, we pulled up the latte version, which contains the same key ingredients but is available either hot or iced. We tried ours hot, which was a great choice as the warmth seemed to enhance the aroma of the Earl Grey blend.

There’s a complexity to these drinks that defies their simple appearance, and we’re happy to say they’re both definitely worth trying. Both are beautifully balanced, with just the right amount of milk to rein in the fragrance of the tea so you can sit back and enjoy their flavours whenever you need a relaxing break.

In fact, they’re so good we’d love to see them become mainstays on the menu, but alas, these are only limited-time offerings, with the Earl Grey Bouquet & Tea Latte on the menu from 520 yen (US$3.53) while stocks last, and the Earl Grey Bouquet & Tea Frappuccino priced from 668 yen, available only until 31 October.

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