I Tried Starbucks’ Tropical Butterfly Refresher, and It’s Like a Vacation in a Drink

Somehow, Starbucks keeps finding new ways to reinvent the refresher — and their latest addition to the summer menu might be the prettiest one yet. The new Tropical Butterfly Refresher, available to order starting May 12, screams summer vacation energy. Between the tropical flavors, juicy pearls, and gorgeous purple-orange gradient, this drink looks fake in the very best way possible.

According to Starbucks, the Tropical Butterfly Refresher combines passionfruit and guava flavors with mango-pineapple flavored pearls. The drink is also topped with a butterfly pea flower (a beautiful blue-purple blossom) infusion, which accounts for that purple layer and the “butterfly” part of the drink’s name. 

The drink starts as a bright tropical orange shade at the bottom, thanks to the mango-pinneapple pearls, then fades into a dark pink, and then a lighter lavender color as you move up the cup. 

When you order the drink, you have a couple of choices to make. For the caffeine level, you can go with caffeine-free, standard (50 milligrams), or Energy Refresher (100 milligrams), depending on the time of day and what kind of pick-me-up you’re looking for. You can also customize the base of the drink, choosing between water, lemonade (for a sweeter, tangier flavor), or coconut milk (for a creamier, tropical version).

The very first thing I noticed about the Tropical Butterfly Refresher was the aroma. Before I even took a sip, I got a super-fruity tropical scent that reminded me of a mix between guava juice, passionfruit candy, and those frozen beach drinks you get on vacation.

I ordered the refresher as it comes, with the water base because I wanted the tropical flavors to stand out as much as possible, and I loved it that way. That being said, I’d want to try the lemonade base next time just to lean into the fruity, tropical vibe. 

Flavor-wise, the passionfruit hits first. It’s bright, tangy, and sweet without tasting syrupy. The guava rounds it out and gives it a softer, tropical flavor that keeps the drink from becoming too sour or overly sugary. I was pleasantly surprised by how balanced the overall flavor was, because colorful drinks like this sometimes end up tasting way sweeter than I expect.

The mango-pineapple flavored pearls were probably my favorite part. If you’ve had popping boba before, the texture is similar, except these are softer and more juice-filled. When you sip them up, they lightly burst in your mouth, adding moments of extra sweetness throughout the drink and making it way more fun to sip. I could totally see people ordering this for the pearls alone.

I also loved how refreshing (true to its name!) it felt. Some Starbucks drinks feel more like desserts to me, but this genuinely tasted like a beverage I’d crave while sitting outside on a hot day by the lake or walking around downtown in the summer.

I can already tell this drink is going to have a serious fan base this summer. Not only is it ridiculously photogenic — I spent a solid minute turning the cup around before I even took a sip — but it’s also fruity and refreshing. Plus it tastes distinct from Starbucks’ other refreshers, rather than feeling like a slight variation of an existing drink.

If you usually order refreshers, this is absolutely worth trying. And even if you don’t, the tropical flavor combo and pearls make this one feel different enough that I’d still recommend giving it a shot.

At minimum, you’ll leave with a very good Instagram Story.