With the calendar finally changing to 2022, we can put to rest the past year, and all the fun, interesting things we got to eat and drink. Of course, that doesn’t mean that 2022 is going to be boring!
Sure enough, Starbucks Korea has produced yet another round of new menu items, just in time to celebrate the Year of the Tiger that starts soon, and to ring in the New Year solar-style.
This time around, Starbucks Korea is going with a flower and fruit theme for two of their new beverages, and I was very excited to try them out.
The two new drinks that I decided to try on this nice January day were the New Year Citrus Tea and the Lavender Beige Oat Latte.
Starbucks Korea also has a number of new desserts to try, and one of them is perfect for the Year of the Tiger, a Tiger Babka!
The local Starbucks was actually busy in the seating area on the day I went. Fortunately, they have a nice balcony area outside with some chairs and tables, and I decided to sit there as no one else was using the balcony area.
I had already ordered on my app, and my food and drinks were ready when I arrived at the store. They were nice and hot, which made me very happy as it was a bit chilly out on the balcony!
Sitting outside, I quickly admired the view of the ocean before trying out the new items, as I didn’t want them to get cold.
Well, these three items were very delicious!
The New Year Citrus Tea comes with a dried orange slice and a stick of lemongrass. With a heavy sweet citrus flavor base, this tea was really refreshing and tasty! I didn’t try to eat the lemongrass or dried orange, but whatever mix of fruits Starbucks Korea is using in this drink, it is a really nice blend.
The Lavender Beige Oat Latte was next up for me to taste. With little lavender flowers gently decorating the whipped cream, this drink looked just as good as the New Year Citrus Tea.
The Lavender Beige Oat Latte is a Café Latte with lavender syrup mixed in, but also the cow’s milk is replaced with oat milk. This drink was certainly different, as you could taste the coffee in it, but there was something distinct about using oat milk versus cow’s milk. The lavender syrup was just noticeable and gave a special feel to the drink.
Finally, it was time to try the dessert, the Tiger Babka. This braided bread looked really nice from the outside and being a chocolate babka did look a little bit like a tiger. Gently decorated with walnuts, I cut into to get a cross section. I was amazed when warm caramel started to flow out of the center of the Tiger Babka! The babka had been heated, and this gave it a liquid center, similar to a chocolate lava cake that you can buy in many restaurants.
Well, the Tiger Babka was really good. The outside was a bit hard, almost crunchy, but the inside of the bread was soft and sweet. The caramel meshed really well with the chocolate on the outside and the walnuts and being warm it added a new dimension to a bread dessert.
Overall, I was very impressed with the first additions of 2022 to Starbucks Korea rotating menu. The two drinks were delicious and different, and the Tiger Babka was really nice. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what else Starbucks Korea comes up with in 2022.
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