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Starbucks released three regional drinks at the Shanghai Road Life Festival, including the Qin-Jin Fire Crystal Persimmon Frappuccino, whose name was misread as "Mars Persimmon." That misreading raised netizens' questions about whether persimmon and milk are safe together. The drink went viral mainly because of the naming confusion and the pairing debate.

Expert explanation of persimmon and milk dietary taboos found that the milk ingredient in the Starbucks drink is actually oat milk, which changes the safety picture. The other two regional releases were a chestnut red bean paste latte and a pomelo Tieguanyin tea latte. The persimmon drink combines juice and flesh, described as sweet but not greasy.

Starbucks has launched three limited-time regional-flavored drinks at the Shanghai Road Life Festival, among which the "Qin-Jin Fire Crystal Persimmon Frappuccino" went viral after its name was misread as "Mars Persimmon," sparking netizens' concerns about whether persimmons and milk can be consumed together. This article sorts out the new product launch information and netizen feedback, and invites experts to explain the dietary taboos of pairing persimmons with milk, revealing that the milk ingredient used by Starbucks is actually oat milk, while retaining Front Street brand recommendations to help you enjoy autumn flavors with peace of mind.

Recently, "dark pairings" in the beverage world have been emerging one after another. Starbucks launched three new products in Shanghai at once, reportedly featuring regional characteristics: "Qin-Jin Fire Crystal Persimmon," "Yan-Zhao Chestnut Red Bean Paste Latte," and "Ba-Min Pomelo Tieguanyin Tea Latte." Among them, the persimmon drink attracted many Starbucks fans to taste it first.

Afterwards, a Shanghai netizen posted on social media, exclaiming: I got to try Starbucks' first new release at the Road Life Festival, and it was truly amazing—I never expected to taste a new Starbucks product by the roadside! It is said that the regional flavors selected by Starbucks partners this time were inspired by 6,000 local partners.

This Shanghai netizen also shared the experience of drinking three regional-flavored Frappuccinos in a row: "Yan-Zhao Chestnut Red Bean Paste Latte" feels like eating sugar-roasted chestnuts straight from the mouth, silky and delicate, accompanied by sweet red bean paste, with an extremely rich layering of taste—one sip and autumn arrives; "Ba-Min Pomelo Tieguanyin Tea Latte" incorporates two kinds of pomelo, with a double burst of juicy fruitiness, and the pomelo aroma and tea fragrance blend just right, slightly bitter but not cloying, with a long aftertaste; "Qin-Jin Fire Crystal Persimmon Frappuccino" gives you juice and flesh in one sip, sweet but not greasy, bursting in every mouthful, and the more you drink, the more addictive it becomes. With the support of these three Frappuccinos, Starbucks fans' own copywriting flowed abundantly.

Netizens from other regions left comments under Starbucks' official account, saying that the regional-flavored coffees all looked delicious and hoping they would be rolled out nationwide. It is understood that the Yan-Zhao Chestnut Red Bean Paste Latte, Ba-Min Pomelo Tieguanyin Tea Latte, and Qin-Jin Fire Crystal Persimmon Frappuccino are limited-time first releases at the "Road Life Festival." Some Shanghai netizens revealed that even if you are in Shanghai, you cannot drink them if you do not go to the festival site. Even local Starbucks store employees complained: "Isn't it supposed to be launched on September 2? Our store doesn't even have the materials, yet you've already drunk it." You can feel the envy through the screen.

Among the three new products, the most attention-grabbing is undoubtedly the Shaanxi-style "Fire Crystal Persimmon Frappuccino." First of all, the name: a netizen posted under the #StarbucksNewProduct# topic, complaining that at first glance they read the drink name as "Mars Persimmon." This remark immediately drew agreement from 264 netizens. Everyone said, "You're not the first—isn't it Mars Persimmon?" "What! It's not Mars Persimmon? I went back to confirm, and I misread it too haha." "I thought it was." The good new product name was about to be played to death by witty netizens.

Amid the laughter, some netizens raised questions about the ingredient pairing of Fire Crystal Persimmon: persimmons and milk cannot be eaten together, right? Will it really be okay? More than one netizen had this concern, and some also mentioned that a certain milk tea shop had previously launched a persimmon milk cap new product, which was replaced under pressure after netizens noticed. More netizens said they had often drunk persimmon milk tea before without any problems, and pointed out that Cotti and Heytea had both launched corresponding persimmon milk tea drinks.

According to Starbucks' ordering system, the Qin-Jin Fire Crystal Persimmon Frappuccino uses Shaanxi Fire Crystal Persimmons, topped with soft whipped cream, and sweet milk crumble adds delicate sweetness to the product, complementing the natural sweetness of the persimmons.

Later, an industry netizen explained that the milk ingredient used in persimmon milk tea is not dairy milk, but oat milk. Oat milk is suitable for making desserts, coffee, tea drinks, etc. Because of its low-fat and lactose-free characteristics, it is suitable for people with lactose intolerance and those pursuing a healthy diet. It seems this is exactly why major brands dare to launch persimmon milk tea.

So, is it true that persimmons cannot be eaten with milk? Chief Physician Huang Shijing of Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, introduced that persimmons and milk are not suitable to be eaten together, mainly because persimmons contain more tannic acid and other acidic substances, while milk is rich in protein, calcium, and other nutrients. Tannic acid reacts with protein to form precipitates that are difficult to digest and absorb, easily forming stones and causing indigestion symptoms such as stomach bloating and diarrhea.

Finally, we must give a thumbs-up to the careful netizens. This oat milk is not that dairy milk, so persimmon milk tea drinks apparently can be consumed with peace of mind. We hope major tea beverage companies can continue to publish detailed food ingredient lists as always, so that while paying attention to health, we can fully enjoy delicious tea drinks.

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