When it comes to summer foods, many have memories of campfires or barbecues on the beach and bushes full of berries. Fast-food companies will frequently tap into these associations for their seasonal limited-time offers and marketing campaigns.
Some of the most popular summer flavors include berries and citrus fruits, corn and anything that can be thrown onto a grill.
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While coffee is a harder thing to make "seasonal," Starbucks (SBUX) has recently been amping up its efforts in this department.Most recently, it began the spring with a Cinnamon Cream Cold Brew and the Iced Strawberry Oat Matcha Tea Latte in Canada.
Starbucks
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For the summer of 2023, the coffee giant has unveiled two new summer drinks: the Chocolate Java Mint Frappuccino blended beverage and the White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew.
While neither of these may sound particularly "summery," Starbucks is leaning into the "cool treat" association. While the common plant grows all year, mint is often used in summer cooking due to the cool taste it adds to food. Many also have memories of foraging for it during the warmer months.
"With the Chocolate Java Mint Frappuccino, we wanted to take a new approach to the classic combination of mint and chocolate to create a blended coffee beverage that elicits nostalgia for one of our favorite summer treats," Maureen Matthews, who leads Starbucks' beverage development team, said in a statement. "The new white chocolate mint sauce is subtle and creamy, and when paired with the crunch of Frappuccino chips and a swirl of rich mocha, is reminiscent of mint chocolate chip ice cream poolside on a warm summer day."
The new Frappuccino is made by blending roast coffee with chocolate and the taste of mint. It is topped with whipped cream, mocha sauce, crumbled mint chocolate cookies and some Frappuccino chips.
Mint And Macadamia Nuts And Bumblebees, Oh My!
The new White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew is also an indulgent take on a summer treat. The regular Starbucks cold brew is topped with the signature foam top that has appeared in past seasonal drinks like the Chocolate Cream and the Vanilla Sweet Cream cold brews. The newest version also includes macadamia syrup and toasted cookie crumbles.
"We were inspired by memories of fresh macadamia nuts on tropical vacations and the distinct flavor of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies," Matt Thornton of Starbucks beverage development team said in a statement.
All available as of May 9 and until supplies last, Starbucks also launched a new Green Apron coffee blend featuring hints of "Honeybell orange and graham crackers" as well as a Bumblebee Cake Pop that looks like a smiling bee and is made from buttercream cake. The "fun bumblebee design" is, according to Starbucks, meant to "spark joy" over the summer months.
While seasonal menu items have been around for decades, they have started to move beyond one or two popular items like the Pumpkin Spice Latte and get more and more expansive. Starbucks competitor Dunkin of Inspire Brands also recently came out with a summer menu full of items like the raspberry watermelon and strawberry dragonfruit refreshers as well as an iced lemon loaf in the food department.
