What Does Tie-Dye Taste Like? I Tried Starbucks' New Frappuccino So You Don't Have To

[Celerity]

https://www.vogue.com/article/starbucks-tie-dye-frappuccino-what-does-it-taste-like?verso=true



It took not one, not two, but three Starbucks baristas to assemble my Tie Dye Frappuccino. Not just because I was the first person at the location to order it—Elise Taylor, culinary pioneer!—but because this thing was complicated. It involved multiple powders, syrups, and nozzles. It involved tilting the cup ever so slightly forward and dusting the inside rim with what looked like the crumbs from the bottom of a Fruit Loops box. After several minutes, an affable barista put the neon concoction on the counter. It glowed.

“It’s gotten mixed reviews,” she said with a shrug.

Today, Starbucks launched their newest, limited-edition offering—full name Tie-Dye Frappuccino Blended Beverage Crème—with a bang. (Really, though, the Instagram features a trippy explosion. In six hours, it got over 1 million views.) It’s just the latest example of the tie dye craze, which is popping up on the runways, the streets, and now in drinks.

“It’s bright and colorful and fun and should bring a smile to your face,” drink designer Paloma Carrington-Bataller said in a statement. “Perfect for the heydays of summer.” As I walked out of the coffee shop, I did not get any smiles. I did however, get some quizzical stares and a “holy shit” from a man in a suit. Yet nothing could deter me from my mission: to find out what tie-dye tastes like.

The main ingredients of a Tie-Dye Frappuccino are thus: tropical Crème Frappuccino syrup, plus yellow, red, and blue powder, all topped off with whipped cream.

Starbucks says all of this tastes like summer in a cup. Since summer is a season, not a flavor, here’s my best shot at a comparison: It tastes like liquefied Laffy-Taffy. There are hints of banana, and on a good sip, pina colada. On a bad sip, it’s got a medicinal vibe. It’s as if Princess Lolly ditched Candyland, pivoted to bartending, and whipped up a signature cocktail.

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