When did coffee become popular in Europe? A Halloween detour

Starbucks stores in Hong Kong and Macau released a black sesame series for Halloween in October, including a Black Sesame Fresh Milk Coffee and a Black Sesame Cream Frappuccino. Customers can add tofu pudding themselves for a thicker texture. The launch drew attention after buyers noted that the finished drink looked far darker than the promotional posters, with some comparing it to ash water.

Taste feedback was more favorable than the appearance suggested, and some customers ordered the drink on three consecutive days. A similar sesame and almond tofu Frappuccino previously sold in Taiwan stores had a solid reputation. The Hong Kong and Macau version keeps the sesame base but leaves the tofu pudding addition to the customer.

As Halloween approaches in October, Starbucks in Hong Kong and Macau has launched a black sesame series of drinks to match the occasion, including Black Sesame Fresh Milk Coffee and Black Sesame Cream Frappuccino, and allows customers to add tofu pudding themselves to create a unique texture. However, after the new products were released, the difference between their appearance and the promotional posters sparked heated discussion, with some jokingly calling the real thing "ash water." Despite the unimpressive look, the combination of smooth tofu pudding and rich black sesame has led some consumers to drink it for three days in a row. This pairing is not appearing for the first time; previously, the Sesame Almond Tofu Frappuccino at Taiwan stores received a good reputation. So, is this cross-border mashup worth trying? Let us find out from consumer feedback.

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Entering October, Halloween is approaching, and major chain brands are rolling out holiday-limited products one after another. Starbucks, with numerous stores worldwide, is naturally not willing to fall behind, and stores in various places have successively launched Halloween special drinks tailored to local tastes.

In Hong Kong and Macau, Starbucks has brought a black sesame series of drinks. According to the store promotional posters, the series includes two new items: Black Sesame Fresh Milk Coffee and Black Sesame Cream Frappuccino. It is worth mentioning that customers can choose, according to personal taste, to add tofu pudding to the drink, thus getting a cup of black sesame tofu pudding special with a distinctive flavor.

Such a novel combination quickly ignited fans' curiosity, and many people were surprised by this Starbucks pairing. However, when they received the finished product handed over by the staff, their eyes shifted back and forth between the in-store poster and the cup of "ash water" in their hands, and they could not help complaining that "the real thing is too different from the advertisement."

Netizens who tried it revealed that whether to add tofu pudding is entirely up to the customer. If no tofu pudding is added, the drink only presents the aroma of black sesame, and the overall taste is refreshing. But if the tofu pudding version is chosen, you will get a cup of thick "cement paste," whose appearance may deter people who care about looks.

What surprised fans was that although the new product's appearance was mediocre and even made people flash the thought of "should I ask for a refund?" when taking the cup, the feeling after drinking it was not as hard to accept as imagined. The smooth tofu pudding and rich black sesame interweave into a wonderful texture, and one user said that since the new product was launched, they had ordered this cup for three consecutive days.

However, some consumers also reported that the new series of drinks is on the sweet side, and when ordering they ask staff to reduce the sugar or even remove it completely. At the same time, some netizens pointed out that the aroma of black sesame is too strong and overpowers the taste of the coffee itself; the addition of tofu pudding makes the whole cup more like a filling meal replacement, far from the impression of a flavored latte.

It is understood that Starbucks' black sesame series has previously been launched in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, and the "black sesame + tofu pudding" combination is not appearing for the first time. Previously, a Taiwan store had a similarly named "Sesame Almond Tofu Frappuccino," which received positive feedback from consumers after its launch.

It is precisely because it is widely popular in other regions that this special black sesame tofu pudding coffee was introduced to Hong Kong and Macau stores and became part of this new product lineup.

Judging from discussions on social media, as soon as the combination of "black sesame + tofu pudding," which is close to Chinese people's dietary preferences, appeared on the Starbucks menu, it successfully aroused users' curiosity. Some mainland tourists traveling to Hong Kong during the National Day holiday, after learning the news, made a special trip to nearby Starbucks stores to order and try it.

But as some netizens said, the taste and texture of this new product have a certain threshold of acceptance. Those who like it may become addicted after tasting it and become loyal fans; those who cannot accept it will only take a sip and be unwilling to buy it again.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.