It's the first day of summer, which means many those of us who aren't up to beating the heat are officially in for a miserable time until fall arrives. There are still reasons to celebrate, though — not only will we have excuses to lounge around outside, but brands are capitalizing on the official start of the season. Starbucks just launched cold foam tea lemonades to mark the start of summer 2018, and they sound ridiculously refreshing. You're going to want to find your nearest coffee shop to try them before they're gone, and the good news is, you'll be able to do it soon — the two new drinks are available in stores starting Friday, June 22.
The company announced its newest creations, "Summer Sunrise" and "Summer Sunset," in a press release. The drinks are tea lemonades, and they sound like a perfect way to recover from a day spent outside in the heat. Bonus: they're topped with cold foam, which is exactly what it sounds like. Think about the foam you get on a hot latte, and picture it in chilled form. Starbucks achieves this by blending nonfat milk until it's foamy. Both Summer Sunrise and Summer Sunset are limited-time menu items, so you should head to Starbucks soon if you're craving one. It's not clear when they'll be taken off the menu, but it's a safe bet that they'll probably stay for most of summer.
Starbucks has a tradition of celebrating the start of summer with creative new drinks. In 2017, Starbucks released prickly pear and mango pineapple Frappuccinos, and in 2016, the Iced Coconut Milk Mocha Macchiato became a thing. Because Starbucks is able to convince most of us to try pretty much anything, it's not surprising that this year's drinks sound like a dream come true. Summer Sunrise is pineapple-flavored, while Summer Sunset has passion tea along with pineapple and lemonade flavors. Here's how Starbucks describes the drinks.
Summer Sunrise is a cold foam tea lemonade that evokes the bright morning sun with tropical pineapple infusion and lemonade that's sweetened with classic syrup, topped with a velvety cold foam infused with sweet Teavana Passion Tango herbal tea (contains milk).
Summer Sunset is a cold foam tea lemonade inspired by dramatic sunsets, this beverage gets its deep pink hue thanks to the addition of Teavana Passion Tango™ Tea to the pineapple flavors and lemonade. It's also topped with velvety, sweet Passion Tango herbal tea cold foam (contains milk).
There's no guarantee that ordering a Summer Sunrise will make it easier to wake up with the sun, but if this isn't inspiration, I'm not sure what is. The Sunset drink sounds just as tasty, too. And because Starbucks has always understood the importance of things looking as good as they taste, the drinks are also picture-perfect. Starbucks even acknowledges this in the press release and lists off other bright drinks popular among social media stars, like the Pink Drink and Violet Drink.
The Mango Dragonfruit Refresher that was announced Tuesday is also colorful enough to fit your Instagram aesthetic, so the next time you grab Starbucks with friends, you can order an entire rainbow of colorful, non-coffee beverages. And if you miss the Summer Sunrise or Summer Sunset — or if you aren't a pineapple fan — you can still add cold foam to your drink for an extra 50 cents, according to the Starbucks press release.
It isn't clear whether cold foam is available for people who prefer almond and coconut milk over dairy, but Starbucks is usually accommodating of food sensitivities and intolerances. Even if you can't get cold foam, the Summer Sunrise and Sunset are the perfect way to welcome the season. Expect to see the drinks taking over your Instagram feeds sometime soon.
