Starbucks' Strawberry Cake Frappuccino Was Only Available In This Country

Ah, the flavors of the holiday season: peppermint, hot chocolate, egg nog. Although we in the West don't equate the flavor of fresh strawberries with the warmth and coziness of the holiday season, in November 2019, Starbucks in Japan offered a limited-time-only Merry Strawberry Cake Frappuccino. The drink looks so festive, we're surprised it's not offered every year. The drink is based on the traditional Japanese holiday treat, the Christmas cake, and has us envious here in the U.S.

That is because, according to Delish, the concoction tastes a lot like strawberry shortcake. Delish explained that the blended drink has a sponge cake-flavored base that's layered with strawberry sauce and sponge cake crumbs. It's finished with whipped cream and something we don't see often in U.S. coffee drinks: freeze-dried strawberry bits. And we have to admit, they do look quite festive and give off a holiday mood. The Starbucks Japan website shows both the cold Merry Strawberry Cake Frappuccino and a hot cappuccino version, also topped with whipped cream and pieces of strawberry.

While we might not have a Strawberry Frappuccino in the United States for the holidays, we did have a summer drink to celebrate our strawberry season. Remember the Strawberry Funnel Cake Frappuccino? Conjuring memories of carnivals on a steamy summer day, the blended drink ticks all the boxes: coffee with strawberry purée and whipped cream swirled with funnel cake flavoring, and topped with crunchy funnel cake bits coated in powdered sugar. If you missed it last summer, our fingers are crossed that it comes back next year.

Delish's article revealed not just only Japan's Merry Strawberry Cake Frappuccino, but other intriguing Starbucks coffees drinks we're missing out on. Most bizarre was Starbucks Europe's Halloween Phantom Frappuccino: coconut milk, mango, pineapple essence, and Starbucks crème Frappuccino syrup. It comes with "lime slime" and charcoal powder for an extra scary-looking touch.

Starbucks Brazil offered a Brigadeiro Frappuccino. Brigadeiro is a popular chocolate bonbon in the South American nation, and this drink starts with a cup lined with Brigadeiro sauce. It's filled with a blend of coffee, chocolate chips, mocha sauce, white mocha sauce, classic syrup, milk, and ice. The sweet concoction is topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. More dessert than coffee drink? Perhaps?

In case you were wondering, yes, pumpkin spice is, in fact, everywhere! We spotted pumpkin spice lattes (hot and cold) on the Starbucks Japan menu. Although the company offered these in Japan in 2006, it's been absent on the menu since then, according to Japan Today.