Starbucks is known for having funky seasonal drink menus as the weather changes, but many of its wonderful creations unfortunately never return. As a Starbucks barista and addict who has tried almost everything on the menu, I am petitioning for these beloved drinks to come back this summer.
Iced Guava White Tea Lemonade
This gem was released in the summer of 2019 as a part of a Starbucks’ vibrant colored drink campaign. The combination of tartness and sweetness in this drink made for the perfect summer refreshment and its light pink color created the ideal Instagram shot. Starbucks, of course, still sells lemonade that can be added to any beverage, but has discontinued both guava juice and white iced tea. Hopefully we will see this drink again in the near future as the temperature rises!
The S’mores Frappuccino
Frappuccino’s are one of Starbucks’ specialties and have been offered in several different flavors over the years. Some crazy limited-edition Frappuccino flavors such as unicorn, zombie and fruitcake missed the mark, but the 2015 release of the s’mores Frappuccino was a continuous summer fan favorite. Customers were immensely disappointed to find out that the drink was not making its usual summer comeback in 2021, but there are rumors for its 2022 return. Fingers crossed we get to experience the delightful marshmallow-infused whipped cream and the crunchy graham cracker crumb topping again this summer!
Valencia Orange Refresher
This beverage was released back in 2013 and Starbucks received a ton of backlash after the refresher was discontinued in 2016. Fans of the drink even created social media campaigns and petitions for Starbucks to bring it back but did not succeed. The Valencia Orange Refresher was made with real orange and clementine fruit juices and was topped with a fresh navel orange for the ideal summer day thirst quencher. Starbucks currently offers three different flavors of refreshers: strawberry açaí, mango dragonfruit and kiwi starfruit. It tends to switch out these flavors every few years so there is a chance that fans will see the return of their favorite.
Starbucks Granitas
Many Starbucks customers are not familiar with Granitas because they were only available for a few weeks in summer 2016. Granitas had a slushy texture and were intended to be served as a summer evening treat which is why they were only available on the “sunset menu” which opened at 3 p.m. They were offered in the flavors caramel espresso, strawberry lemon limeade and youthberry white tea. Starbucks said it discontinued these drinks because not enough customers ordered them and they were a hassle to make. With the hype around unique Starbucks drinks on TikTok, these slushies may succeed if tried again in some reinventive flavors!
