Starbucks is testing a new Frappuccino beverage. It’s called the “Pink Lime Frozt” and is available in a limited number of cities. I went to a store in California just to give this a try. I’ve also heard that these are being tested in a small region of Michigan as well, but I don’t know the specifics of where in Michigan. So this is my review of this test drink. Before I go any further, I should remind my readers that Starbucks tests all kinds of things that never launch nationally, and so the fact that there is a small test of this beverage in California and Michigan doesn’t have overwhelming significance. It just means they’re trying a few new things. If you like reading about Starbucks tests, take a look at this category:
http://starbucksmelody.com/category/test/
I am really curious to hear from others who have tried this beverage. I fear that this review of this new Frappuccino is mostly going to be two thumbs down. Well, this is why we test things.
First off, this is a very sweet drink. This is the number one reason for me to give it a thumbs down. It’s much too sweet for my taste. In addition, this drink separates very fast. I didn’t get a good photo of that, but the consistency of the drink doesn’t hold together quite like a Frappuccino. It’s pink. There’s nothing wrong with pink as a color, but it does oddly look like it should be a child’s beverage, and with the very sweet flavor, I can imagine that this might be a very popular drink for children. While I think this drink could have a small devoted following, I don’t think it will have the kind of wide-spread appeal needed for a national launch.
Lastly, — and mind you I realize this is wholly subjective — I don’t like the name “Frozt.” That’s a name that’s trying too hard. It sounds like it’s trying to be a cool name. At least Starbucks didn’t give in to the trendy pattern of throwing an umlaut on words, as if this makes them appear more exotic. I would have laughed out loud at “Frözt.” The name of the beverage is not a fair reason for me to give this a thumbs down, so let me reiterate that primarily I disliked the drink is because it’s too sweet for me.
A partner I was with suggested that a better variation on the drink was to add a little more spearmint, and substitute in green tea instead of passion tea. I tried that too and thought indeed it was a little better, and a little less overly sweet.
For those curious about the recipe for this drink, I hear that it’s as follows: Limeade base to first line. Passion Tea to second line. Then add in dried spearmint leaves.
What do you think? Have you tried this or would you try the Pink Lime Frozt?
Edit on April 30, 2012: I have heard that this same drink goes into another round of testing starting May 1, 2012. Apparently, it will be tested in San Diego and Austin. Let me know if you’ve tried it!
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Mel,
What store in Sacramento is testing this? I live about 2 hours a way. Might need to check this out when I’m visiting in a couple of weeks.
I wonder … is the Limeade base also used in the lime Starbucks Refresher? I tried both of Refreshers in SoCal about a week ago and think either one could be my new favorite weekend beverage if they ever came to Florida.
well, besides your taste description, it looks a little “pepto-bismal-y’ to me so right there I’d be turned off. It’s just the wrong shade of pink, I think, to be appealing. and then I really dislike spearmint, so that wouldn’t help. I don’t see this drink going anywhere but then I certainly would’ve said the same of PPR so, who knows.?
I so wish they would bring back ‘tazoberry ‘n cream’. That was just right in lightness, refreshing, not very sweet. It seemed to sell very well here, and then it was gone. There were 2 options that I remember, one was a berry (red-ish color) and the other was some orange-ish flavor. I loved the one that was berry.
re: the ‘separation’ factor of this drink….I think regular frapps have that already as they are, but not too much. (depending on the frapp)
@Eric – Welcome to the blog! I suspect it is the same limeade base that is used in the Refreshers. Sometimes I think Starbucks says, ‘hmm what else can we do with these same ingredients?’ I have had the Refreshers before too, and I really LOVE both the cool lime flavor and the berry hibiscus. Delicious. It just doesn’t mean that Lime and Passion Tea will suddenly work blended together.
Thanks for dropping by the blog, and please click “like” on the facebook widget on the right-hand side of this blog. Thank you!
~Melody
@ Denise R: I remember the Tazoberry! That was my to-go non-coffee drink. Sometimes I’d get it with the ‘n cream, sometimes not. How I miss it so…
Awesome. Denise- I also loved the tazoberry frozen ones and the tangerine ones that Starbucks used to carry.
Good morning all! I’m in Ann Arbor, MI and we have the test beverage, but no Bistro Boxes as of yet. I’d love to swap Frozt for food…
@Johnnn – I am not sure that would be a fair trade! Seattle isn’t going to give up a chicken chipotle box for a pink ultra sweet cold drink. @Denise – When it comes to tazoberry blended drinks, I remember the pomegranate was a fave of mine. I think I had heard somewhere that those drinks too had a separation problem, but I really don’t know. Starbucks cycles through drinks so fast. Things come and go.
Reminds me of the frappuccino juice blends from 2007. I wondered what they were as I saw a button on the test market menu on the POS. Sounds too sweet for me, but I would still be delighted to try.
It sounds like it has potential…but i’d have to try it to see
sometimes you need to tweak the default to make it work
I do dislike when drinks seporate, the new fraps do it faster than the old ones, but it still takes them a while
They did separate, but I could see Starbucks doing what they did with the blended strawberry lemonade. It used to be blended with classic syrup but now uses the creme base syrup which gives frappuccinos the consistency. I wish I worked for the test market team.
@ Iron Chef
The only places I’ve seen it down here is in the Folsom and Roseville area stores.
The recipe actually calls for passion tea to the top line, not the second line – sorry to be nitpicky. 🙂 So glad you could come visit, Melody! As far as the Frozt, I like the flavor personally, but it really does separate WAY too fast, and the name is silly. Not even a real word.
@Jenni – Maybe with a new name it wouldn’t taste quite so sweet to me! 😉 The separation problem is a real issue too. Jenni is was great meeting you. You are a fabulous partner. I will edit the blog post later, when I’ve got more time. ~Melody
Aww – thank you, Melody!! 🙂
I think I might be willing to try it because like I put in my profile I’ll try anything once but like you say it is a little too sweet. I also am not too fond of the name.
I have seen this drink at several Starbucks cafes in Macomb County, Michigan, which is in the southeast region of the state. Not sure about their availability at cafes outside of that county, though.
Looks delicious!
I’m glad you put your blog name on your pics! Hopefully nobody will steal your pics now!
re: the tazoberry ‘n cream of the very early 2000’s….there was no separation that I ever saw. It was more clear than the frapps. and you could have the cream, or not, as I remember. I was working an evening summer job at the time and this (as was said by Kristen) it was my go-to non-coffee eveing drink, Very light and refreshing. ened by 2002 I’m guessing. no ‘separation’ in what I’m referring to.
They could easily have brought these back instead of this limited-test-area of the “refershers”.
I’m thinking about this and wondering – Yum or Yuck? It could be a coin toss.
Sounds like a Mojito Frappiccino. I don’t like mojitos, so I probably wouldn’t like this. How was the whirlwind flight to Sacramento, Mel?
i work at one of the stores testing it in Troy, Michigan. I really like it… very refreshing on these hot humid days. Ask for extra tea if you don’t like the sour lime taste. Or extra limeade if you want it less sweet. Also, adding a little extra lime and/or ice helps it not to separate as fast. Seems to be pretty popular at my store. Or you can always switch it up and substitute black tea or green tea for the passion!!
And as for where exactly around Michigan they’re being tested… its just a few districts around Metro Detroit. I guess the reasons for choosing these markets were to test their most popular frappuccino markets (Sacramento) with their least popular frapp markets (Metro D)…
@Kate – I didn’t think of the black tea with it. That sounds good. I think this drink has some potential, but I’m not a fan of the recipe where I tried it at. I heard from someone that some of the Frozt test regions do have slight variations in the recipe, in proportions so that Starbucks can tell which recipe people really like. Is your store doing the card survey too? You get a card when you order the drink that gives you a website to go give feedback on the Frozt.
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~Melody
Not sure I’ll be trying this if it’s so sweet (but the spearmint leaves sound like a nice touch!).
This kind of looks similar to our summer frappuccino (Lime and Mint Green Tea Frappuccino) made with Passion Tea, which I really like 🙂
I’m hoping to get to try this on my trip to visit my parents’ house near Sacramento in a couple weeks. If they offer the test beverage in my home town, I’ll try it. Otherwise, I’m already committed to a one-off trip to a Clover store in Sacramento, I’m going for the coffee, not a Frappuccino!
@Kaori Oooooh that’s really interesting. I’ve often thought that what gets released in international markets can be a sign for what happens here. I think Starbucks-Japan got Dark Cherry syrup before we did too.
~Melody
@ChrisW Hey my friend just wanted to pounce on you. Have fun at your parents. Try the Folsom area for this Frozt. And I did do a previous blog post on the Clover Starbucks at Alhambra and N in Sacramento. Are you going to that one? Or the one in Gold River is downright stunning. I totally recommend it. Write back later and tell us what coffee you got through the Clover. I’ve recently discovered the joy of OSGM through the Clover – A core coffee that comes to life via Clover brewing.
@Melody I’m probably going to stop by the Alhambra and N street store. That’s just a quick 5 minute detour on my regular route to my parents’ house, Gold River would be a little bit more of an excursion. I want to try both a Clover only coffee, and a core coffee, so perhaps I’ll be saying Viva Mexico for one of my choices. As for the Frozt, if they don’t have it in Davis, I won’t be trying it. I’m not a Frappuccino drinker, so it’s not worth the extra trip just to give it a whirl.
How do you even say it? “FRO-tee?” FROZE-tee? froze-TEE? Ugh. Worse than the “vivanno” fiasco.
@Creme_the_crop – I just laughed my ass off. Yeah, occasionally Starbucks has no idea what to call things. I remember both customers and partners butchering the word Vivanno. It came out as Vi-vee-anno often. I remember chatting with Winter once about Chantico, and he said that he stumbled upon it when it was in the testing phase, and said it was called something like “Chantifico” when it was going through testing. Ugh!
@Melody I visited AZ when they were testing Chantico, the test name was ‘Chocofino.’ Neither one rolls off the tongue, nor did the drink catch on. But my Aunt asks me about it every time I visit her!
@ChrisW – That’s it!! My mistake that I got the name wrong! “Chocofino” ! Well, I guess we should be thankful that this new Pink Lime drink is not a “Frozticcino”.
Honestly, considering that I have someone order “Caramel Mashetto” from me, and insist that I am the one doing it wrong, not much surprises me about how “Starbucks words” are pronounced. And Macchiato is Italian, even. Not made up at all.
In my mind I read it as Frost (just spelled silly). I sometimes feel like Starbucks tries too hard to be gimmicky with names… Okay, you hit a winner with “Frappuccino,” let’s not blow this here. Call it a Passion-Lime Frappuccino… roll with what works.
Anyyyywayyyyy…. I would probably try it if the opportunity presented itself. It sounds interesting enough, and it is my favorite color. I’m swayed by the oddest things, really.
Also, @Chris, I had my first Clover brew last week and it was delightful! Princeton just got a Clover a week or so ago and I was so excited because it was somewhere close that I could actually go without making a big trip. I got Jamaica Blue Mountain (Iced, since I had a treat receipt), and it was wonderful! I’m planning future visits for sure.
I tried it yesterday….YUCK! I did not find that it was all that sweet, and what an odd flavor! It had an weird consistency, and separated quickly. Not something I would purchase ever again!
@Rose – Thanks for weighing in. I doubt this drink will ever be the next big thing. So are you in California or Michigan? Please “like ” my site too.
Thanks, Melody
Curious as to why they picked Michigan besides CA to test this drink?
Just a note- for those that read the NYT- There is a cute piece in the Metropolitan section about someone’s experience at a SB store in NYC.
Rocklin CA is part of the Frozt test. While I agree with the other posts – too sweet, pink, separates, looks like a kids drink, the name is stupid, etc – I have to say that I have enjoyed this test very much. Refreshing and w/o the milk base – hallelujah! But… WHY OH WHY does SB think they need to pre-sweeten their drinks. They are doing this with the instant flavored VIA coffees – ridiculous!! Enough with the sugar laden drinks – let the individual choose whether to add syrup or sweetener.
I don’t foresee this drink making the final cut.
Too sweet? Maybe they had some left-over Sorbetto mix in the warehouse. That is what it looks like to me.
I have had the Pink Lime Frozt (Numerous times), and while I really dug the drink as a coffee alternative, I hate the name. Frozt sounds like something you’d see on a Dairy Queen menu.
I must admit that I am a huge fan of citrus flavors, and even bigger fan of lime-aids which is what this reminds me of very much.
I too can confirm that this drink separates very easily, and must be continually swirled. I am in-fact writing this as I sip on one right now!
As far as which stores I’ve seen this at in the Sacramento Area, I have had it at the Cirby and Riverside location in Roseville, and the Longport Location in Elk Grove.
Sorry to hear that you were not a fan!
@Purple1 – There is a comment above by “Kate” where she says that it is being tested in MI and Calif due to them being very different Frappuccino markets. Makes sense – You’d want to see if a new Frappuccino flavor will sell in your best markets and low-selling Frappuccino markets too. I don’t know anything more than what Kate offered above, though I appreciate her explanation! Helpful!
@CarolB – Thanks for weighing in. I’m sure this whole conversation is very subjective, and lots of customers really like very sweet drinks. However, I’m with you – too sweet!
@Julian – Welcome to the blog! Have you tried any variations on the drink? Glad you like it. I like lime flavor too, and in fact I loved the Lime Refresher, but this drink just doesn’t do it for me. Thanks again for stopping by and weighing in. It’s interesting to see so many reactions to this drink! People either like it or they don’t.
@Karldotcom -I can see how it looks a bit Pinkberry-Sorbetto-ish, but it’s definitely not.
If they were sampling it, I might try a sip, but I would never order one of these.
How is the name pronounced? Is it closer to “frost” or “frosty”? Either way, it’s very close to Wendy’s Frosty. Starbucks is going to get a lot of flack for that.
I like crema_the_crop’s entry. Which begs the question, Melody: would you know who the genius is at Starbucks that came up with the crazy name? Do you think maybe Howard did during a board meeting?
Kate here again 🙂 On our little ‘barista-need-to-know’ card for the drink says that ‘frozt’ is pronounced ‘fraw-st’ so we all pretty much say it like ‘frost’. But you know what is VERY entertaining (and frustrating sometimes…) is trying to understand what the customers are saying when they are trying to order it in drive-thru. I swear we’ve heard it all!! and we have a lot of people in our area with different accents & from other countries. Yikes. Haha It was like a cat & mouse game of comprehension & pronunciation… 😉
again, I see ‘pepto-bismal’. nothing to ingest should ever be made that color. (I think this is an age thing….:(
Pepto-Bismal!! Ha, ha, ha! Now that you mention it it does somewhat resemble that awfull stuff Denise.
I’m thinking I wouldn’t be moved to buy one if I was in a store that offered it. I agree with you about the color. It doesn’t appeal to me either. My first thought is that it would be too tart (which is a deterrent for me) so I was surprised to read how sweet it was. I also wouldn’t like the separation issue either. I’m curious but still look at it and go “ehhh.” I will just consider this a drink tried by proxy LOL 😉
I’m assuming this has cream base in it. So, I’m guessing I would like it like I like blended strawberry lemonades-old school. NO base, and no classic either. That would cut down on the sweetness. I find the frappuccino bases ridiculously sweet. I’d love to try this. Well, I want to try this with a twist: with strawberry instead of passion tea (which I don’t like). Or a little limeade thrown in a smoothie…yea, I’d play with it lol