Why the Starbucks Matcha Coffee Series Split Opinions

Starbucks launched its Matcha Frozen Mountain series this summer with three items: a latte, a tea latte and a Frappuccino. The tea latte layers matcha jelly, mountain-style milk and a blueberry powder cloud milk cap, an appearance aimed at photo-driven buyers. After launch, many consumers on social platforms said the drinks were too sweet and carried a grassy scent.

Some reviews called the flavor sweetened grass or a weaker version of Ice Suck, and some buyers took a photo, sipped once and set the cup aside. Baristas also reported mix-ups because the latte and tea latte names are too close, which added to complaints. The case shows how matcha coffee drinks can win on visuals while the flavor still has to hold up.

This summer, after brands like Luckin and Manner rolled out matcha drinks one after another, Starbucks also jumped on the trend with its Matcha Frozen Mountain series, which includes three items: a latte, a tea latte, and a Frappuccino. In the official promotion, the tea latte is built on a matcha jelly base, paired with mountain-style milk and a blueberry powder cloud milk cap, blending the imagery of blue sky, white clouds, and green grass into a single cup, successfully capturing the hearts of the aesthetics-loving crowd. However, after the products launched, quite a few consumers on social platforms reported that the drinks were too sweet and carried a strange grassy scent. Some described them as "sweetened grass" or a "weakened version of Ice Suck," and some tossed them aside after taking a photo and a quick sip. At the same time, Starbucks employees also kept making mistakes because the names of the latte and the tea latte were too similar, leading to a rise in complaints. This article will sort through the market reaction and the main points of controversy surrounding this new release.

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Since the start of summer this year, chains such as Luckin and Manner have successively launched matcha-flavored drinks, successfully drawing the attention of a large number of matcha fans. Starbucks clearly noticed this trend as well, and this week officially launched the Matcha Frozen Mountain series, covering three items—a latte, a tea latte, and a Frappuccino—to satisfy the taste preferences of different consumers.

(Image taken from the official Weibo account)

According to the official promotional poster, the tea latte in this series uses matcha jelly as the base, blends in mountain-style milk, and is then topped with a cloud milk cap made with blueberry powder, condensing the three images of "blue sky, white clouds, and green grass" into one cup. Even though it does not occupy the center of the poster, its striking appearance firmly locks the gaze of the aesthetics-loving crowd, prompting many netizens to exclaim that it is "so pretty."

For this very reason, even before the products officially arrived in stores, many Starbucks fans were already eagerly looking forward to them, and on the day they launched, they rushed to place orders to find out what this highly photogenic drink really tasted like.

However, judging from feedback from some consumers on social platforms, many people felt that although Starbucks' new release this time caught the matcha wave and indeed had an eye-catching appearance, the taste was somewhat hard to accept.

One user described it as "sweetened grass," pointing out that the drink was far sweeter than expected and that a strange grassy scent could be detected in it. Others felt the new drink tasted like a "weakened version of Ice Suck," with a minty sensation, but that overall it was not good. Some fans even admitted that after receiving the drink, taking a photo, and having a small sip, they immediately threw the cup into the trash.

While customers expressed dissatisfaction with this drink that "has looks but no flavor," Starbucks store employees also had plenty of complaints about the new products. Employees said that although the three drinks in the series are different from one another, their names differ only slightly, especially the latte and the tea latte, which differ by just one character, making operations highly confusing for them.

Some employees posted labels from takeaway cups, saying that when stores were flooded with orders, they often made the wrong drinks because they misread the label text, leading to a noticeable increase in customer complaints recently. So for employees, they only hope these drinks can have more distinguishable names, rather than being so easy to misread with even a moment of carelessness as they are now.

In this era that "judges by looks," a drink with an outstanding appearance often draws attention and curiosity as soon as it appears in the public eye. In product innovation, Starbucks has precisely seized on the preferences of the aesthetics-loving crowd, frequently using highly photogenic products to spark consumer interest.

But in the eyes of loyal users, if Starbucks' new products only have a good-looking exterior that satisfies photo-taking needs while lacking the inner quality that makes people willing to repurchase, it instead leaves those full of expectations deeply disappointed. And when such disappointment accumulates too many times, it gradually wears away their enthusiasm for the brand's new releases. So much so that when they see highly photogenic products again, some longtime users will assume from the outset that it is nothing but a "vase" and are unwilling to try it easily again.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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