When Starbucks announced that a Strato Frappuccino would join the menu this summer, the concept reinvigorated the appreciation for the brand’s signature blended beverage. With this particular innovation, the concept is more than just one new menu option. Those layers offer a multitude of possibilities.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Frappuccino. The original coffee and mocha options will always be a staple on the menu. But, over the years, people have put other colorful, sweet, and creative options on their favorites’ menu. It is time to rediscover the classic, blended coffee reimagined for a current food trend.
With the Strato, which means layers in Italian, Starbucks takes the classic Frappuccino and transforms it with both flavor and texture. For the featured flavor, Brown Sugar Strato Frappuccino, it starts with blended Frappuccino Roast coffee, milk, and ice. Then, the beverage is topped with a layer of brown sugar cream cold foam and finished with a dusting cinnamon.
During the Starbucks Leadership Event in Las Vegas, I was part of a small media group who sampled the new Frappuccino flavor, which was served alongside the other Fresh Baked and Protein Cold Foam innovations.
The combination of the brown sugar cold foam and the classic coffee Frappuccino was a celebration of sweetness. The dusting of cinnamon adds just the right amount of spice to keep the flavor from becoming cloying. In my opinion, a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg would elevate this beverage even more.
In a way, this frozen beverage feels more like a dessert than just another coffee. That layer of cold foam is like a fluffy cloud that slowly gives a peek into the creamy coffee waiting to be sipped in the straw. That opening flavor act makes the main event even more enjoyable.
While the classic Frappuccino is often finished with whipped cream, the cold foam adds a different layer of drinking enjoyment. Specifically, the cold foam can be enjoyed on its own or swirled into the blended coffee. That choice puts the guest in control and makes the drink completely customizable.
Overall, the Brown Sugar Strato Frappuccino will be a must try. The concept works not only because of the flavor combinations but also for the visual. Although not as vibrantly colored as the blue summer beverages, the layered effect is as compelling as a lovely ombre display.
More importantly, the concept of “Strato” is incredibly smart for Starbucks. First, the idea revitalizes the classic Coffee Frappuccino. While all the trendy, colorful beverages get attention, the classic frozen beverage has been sitting patiently for people to rediscover why they drank it the first time. This concept puts it front and center in the order rotation.
Second, the Strato is a combination of items already on the menu. Starbucks did not have to outsource new products to make this idea come to life. In a way, it is like looking at the pantry and transforming existing ingredients into something exciting and delicious. When a food brand can make this concept work, it is instantly successful.
Lastly, and most importantly, the Strato invites guests to showcase their creative side. While the Brown Sugar Strato Frappuccino is featured beverage, the concept can be applied across the frozen beverages.
From a Sweet Cream Cold Foam on a Matcha Frappuccino to a Chocolate Cream Cold Foam on a Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino, people can mix and match the many choices. Although Starbucks did not provide comment on this concept, the Strato concept appears to be the new menu hack that everyone will be talking about this summer.
Ready to layer up that Frappuccino? Strato takes the iconic blended beverage to a new level of creativity.