000000

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Besides Chinese New Year, I have so many things to celebrate—my newborn daughter turning a week old and finally being allowed to drink coffee (still in moderation because I’m breastfeeding, but I’ll take it) among them.

It’s super timely that Starbucks Philippines has brought back one of my favorite coffee drinks ever, the Okinawa Brown Sugar Latte, along with two new Matcha beverages and the limited edition collection of Year of the Rat merch, including a cute new Starbucks Card: the Year of the Rat Paper Card that’s available for an initial activation amount of P300 per card.

Other Lunar New Year Starbucks merchandise you can shop are tumblers and mugs featuring the cute and playful rat amongst blossoming cherry and orange trees in bold red, gold, and Starbucks green pantones. I particularly love the Year of the Rat mug, which would be best for enjoying Starbucks coffee again after nine months without it.

The day after I gave birth and was given the clear to have coffee, I asked my husband to get me the returning favorite Okinawa Brown Sugar Latte, which is made with Okinawa brown sugar, a premium ingredient famous for its deep and complex flavors, and Starbucks signature espresso, topped with an airy milk foam and swirl of brown sugar drizzle. My first cup of coffee post-pregnancy definitely provided much-deserved comfort and indulgence with its mellow sweetness after nine months of being caffeine free.

Meanwhile, tea—including matcha—is having its moment, so Starbucks introduced a curated Matcha-based menu available now. The two new, elevated Matcha beverages feature an up-leveled green tea and fun twists on tea lattes.

In full disclosure, I’m not a matcha fan and I only started drinking tea regularly when I was forbidden to drink coffee throughout my pregnancy. But I’m sure tea drinkers and matcha fanatics will appreciate the authentic, all-natural tea, along with the option to customize the sweetness, while Matcha newbies will certainly want to enjoy these tea drinks for the first time.

The comforting Teavana Roasted Soybean Matcha Latte is meant to awaken your taste buds. The soothing and velvety matcha latte highlighted with a toasted nutty note offers an elegant twist on the Starbucks pure matcha. The beverage is topped with a smooth cold foam, dusted gently with finely-ground roasted soybean powder, and finished with a hint of mellow sweetness and the taste of molasses from a drizzle of Okinawa brown sugar sauce.

Meanwhile, the Teavana Black Sesame Matcha Latte with Taro Foam is a fun and colorful treat that deserves a spot on your Instagram feed. It combines the mild nuttiness of velvety black sesame sauce with rich and aromatic pure matcha, then topped with a frothy layer of aromatic purple taro foam and sprinkled with taro powder. The result is a blend of distinctive flavor profiles: nutty, earthy, and rich.

All drinks are available in hot and iced variants, while the Okinawa Brown Sugar Latte is also available as a Frappuccino, in Tall (P175), Grande (P190), and Venti (P205).

000000