Exciting news, Starbucks lovers! As many of you know, the coffee giant unveiled their new Sunset Menu beginning today with a variety of Granitas (shaved ice beverages) and Trifles (tiered cake dessert) to entice our tastebuds! Available exclusively after 3 PM only, these new offerings give us a new reason to visit later in the day!
After receiving the tease last week, we’ve been obsessed about trying each and every one of these new selections. How we longed to savour that crunchy ice, slurping-up that sweet, gooey caramel espresso. We dreamed of basking in the sun, the chill on our tongue as that sweet-tart intermingling of strawberry, lemons and limes quenched our thirst. And Trifle. We absolutely love desserts. What could go wrong?!
At long last we had a chance to taste these new Sunset Menu options today and here’s a play by play of what to expect:
Youthberry® White Tea Granita: Somewhat similar in taste to their Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher, with a scoop of lemon shaved ice, this still manages to preserve a bit of that tea essence. Perfect if you want something light, cool and not too sweet. If you need that caffeine though – like a vast majority of the retailer’s fanbase – scroll down a bit further.
Caramel Espresso Granita: What I enjoyed about this one is that it isn’t overly sweet and syrupy. A majority of that sweetness is in the caramel drizzle on-top. Texture wise it reminds me a lot of another Canadian coffee chain’s (not the one that immediately comes to mind!) icy coffee, but without the excess sweetness. That espresso goodness we’ve come to love of Starbucks still is preserved, but with an icy crunch.
Strawberry Lemon Limeade Granita: This was great in that you know you’re not just getting some processed strawberry-flavoured syrup. You get legit pureed strawberry here, with the familiarity of lemonade. Definitely to be enjoyed on a super-hot day, although waiting for the ice to melt after the liquid is consumed is admittedly a test of patience.
Chocolate Brownie Trifle: Warm, hot Brownie enveloped in cream and Mocha syrup in a snack-size Frappuccino cup. Our only regret is that it is finished so quickly!
Strawberry Shortcake Trifle: Our favourite of the two Trifle offerings. A dense, rich Shortcake enveloped in strawberry puree and cream. More, please.
We realize this is a lot to process. That’s why we’re leaving it at this till July when a few more exciting additions are to come!
Try the Sunset Menu before it’s gone! More here.
(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)
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