A round-up of the best limited-edition drinks Starbucks served up in Japan this past year.

Starbucks released a lot of bold drinks last year, but for us there were some that shone brighter than others. After looking back at the year that was, we realised there were five in particular that we’d gladly drink again, so as we gear up for another 12 months of Starbucks surprises, we’re sharing our top five picks, in the hopes that they might receive a revival in the coming year.

▼ THE Strawberry Frappuccino 

In at first place as our number one hit of the year is “THE Strawberry Frappuccino”. Although Starbucks is no stranger to strawberry-flavoured Frappuccinos, this one stood out as the closest to real strawberries yet. ​It tasted sweet and juicy, with just a hint of tartness, perfectly replicating the experience of biting into the real fruit. It even included strawberry seeds for a pop of texture, and although the deluxe THE Strawberry Frappuccino Special Ver. with extra fruit sauce and jelly tried to seduce us afterwards, it couldn’t sway us away from the clean-tasting, refreshing deliciousness of the original version.

▼ Strawberry & Joyful Medley Tea Frappuccino

Sliding into second place is another strawberry-flavoured drink that stole our hearts, this time containing the winter-limited Joyful Medley Tea for an unforgettable combination. The bright tartness of the tea, softened by milk, was perfectly offset by a mound of sweet-yet-tart strawberry chunks that had us going back for more, and the ribbon-shaped cookie topping, randomly chosen from four types, was a total mood booster.

▼ Spring Sky Milk Coffee Frappuccino

This delightful, blue-tinged drink was bursting with playfulness, not only in name and appearance but in flavour too, with milk pudding pieces hiding out inside the milk-and-coffee base. The concealed strawberry balls that you had to break into for a mid-drink flavour change were an innovative development but they weren’t perfect – even the chain admitted they were difficult to break into – so we have high hopes for an improved version to be released sometime this year.

▼ Oriental Mango & Tea Frappuccino

The Oriental Mango & Tea Frappuccino, which contained a jasmine tea and soy milk base, felt like something Starbucks hadn’t done before. The sweetness of mango, combined with the floral aroma of jasmine and the nutty richness and creaminess of soy milk, made us feel like we were being cooled by a tropical breeze, especially with the weather heating up at the time. It was total satisfaction.

▼ Grand Muscat Frappuccino

With a sweet yet clean finish on the muscat, this juicy Frappuccino is a drink we’d order regularly if it were a mainstay on the menu. There were no quirks or surprises here – just a refreshing, easy-to-drink item with everyday appeal. We’d love a summer rerun, but we somehow think a drink this good may have been a one-off, like the many other gorgeous drinks we previously fell head over heels for.

So… did your favourite Frappuccino make it into our top five picks of the year? Let us know which ones you fell in love with, so if someone from Starbucks reads this, they can make our dreams come true by giving us the revivals we’re all hoping for!

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