Last May, Starbucks teased a “texture innovation.” The reveal? Raspberry-flavored popping pearls — not quite boba, but close — dropped into a trio of bright-pink Refreshers.
A riff on classic bubble tea, a Taiwanese specialty, Starbucks’ summer-themed drinks include bright-pink pearls filled with sweet berry juice that “pop” in your mouth once bitten into. “We started with fruit pieces, but we wanted something even bolder,” Starbucks beverage developer Simon Vuong said in a statement. “So, we thought, ‘Let’s put fruit-flavored pearls in the beverage and try it out.’ It’s very fun the way it delivers the flavor when it pops in your mouth.”
