Hi! I'm Abigail, and I am lactose intolerant and don't drink coffee, so I have fallen in love with Starbucks' refreshers! So, when I found out that they were coming with a new flavor, I was super excited, but when I learned that the flavor was going to be Kiwi Starfruit, I was a bit tentative to give it a try, but I did anyway.
Unlike the other two refreshers, the Kiwi Starfruit refresher was greeted with some backlash upon release. The release was originally set for June and was pushed back due to flavor updates. Then, directly after the release, I went to pick it up and a barista notified me that the drink had been recalled to further update the flavor. When I asked a barista what they thought of it; they mentioned that it had done really badly and that no one really liked it.
Considering I really enjoy the other Starbucks refreshers with lemonade in it, I thought it would be best to try the new one with lemonade.
This drink only has two hundred calories for a venti, and 70 mg of caffeine. Along with that, the ingredients in this refresher include; Ice, Kiwi Starfruit Refresher Base [Water, Sugar, White Grape Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Natural Green Coffee Flavor, Fruit Juice For Color (Watermelon And Juito Fruit), Rebaudiside A, Turmeric For Color], Lemonade [Water, Lemon Juice, Sugar, Lemon Oil], Freeze Dried Kiwi.
Upon first sip, I was super surprised. It was really good! The flavor was very similar to that of a mix between green apple jolly rancher and a kiwi hi-chew, but I definitely still got a hint of the starfruit flavor. It was sweet but not sickeningly so, and I kept going in for sip after sip. The only small issue I had with it, was that what seemed like seeds, had a gritty texture going down my throat, but I will say the rehydrated fruit at the bottom was super good, unlike some of the fruit in other refreshers.
When I was thinking about how I would rate this flavor, I definitely thought about my opinions of other flavors, how I would rate each of them, and how they compare to this new flavor. I really enjoy all of Starbucks refreshers, so ranking this one was very difficult, but overall, I would give it a 9/10.
The flavor is super tropical and reminds me of summer with every sip, but it doesn't quite beat out the Strawberry Acai Lemonade. But, it does beat out the Mango Dragonfruit just because the Kiwi Starfruit has a bit of a stronger flavor.
Now, YES, but before I had even tried it, someone told me they were going to try it, and I encouraged them not to, based upon both what I've heard in reviews, and from baristas. But, Yes, I would definitely suggest it to a friend. It had an incredible tropical flavor, that had me going back in for sip after sip. This is definitely the perfect drink for fans of fun summer or tropical flavors.
Share This Article
