Starbucks has introduced two new additions to the Spring menu – and they’re both Azuki-themed this time! The Azuki Crème Blossom Frappe and the Matcha Azuki Crème Blossom Frappe have arrived.

Azuki beans, also known as ‘mung beans’ or ‘red beans’, are common in Asian desserts. While it sounds like a rather unusual ingredient to be used in desserts, it actually does make sense as it ties up well with different flavor combinations. From the local ice kacang (a Southeast Asian version of shaved ice) to sweet soups, it’s a must-try if you’re in Asia. The azuki bean is known for its health benefits, including weight loss – so I pictured this frappe as a balance of a sweet treat with a healthy ingredient!

Contemplating between both options was easy for me, as I’ve missed my beloved matcha frappe – and so, I ordered the Matcha Azuki Crème Blossom Frappe. It’s quite a mouthful to recite, hence I’ll refer to it as the Matcha Azuki frappe!

The Matcha Azuki frappe itself perfectly depicts its lengthy name, it’s pretty much to the tea 😉 When I first saw it, I could visualize a culinary/artistic representation of a Japanese garden with the lovely combination of colors in the pictures. It’s definitely an elevated version of the regular matcha frappe.

Apart from the azuki beans, my spring-inspired frappe was topped with a medley of soft whipped cream, topped with sprinkles of pink rice ‘flower petals’ which taste like sweetened cereal/rice krispies, and a dash of tiny cranberry bits. While the cranberry bits are recognized as ‘tart’, I found them to be on the sweeter side for my palate and enjoyed the flavor.

As for the co-star of this frappe, the azuki beans, you can bite into these soft beans – they didn’t dissolve in my frappe. It is, however, a different spin to the regular well-loved matcha flavor which I quite enjoyed. The azuki beans weren’t very sweet, it was just right.

If you’re in Singapore and searching for a rather unique Japanese-inspired frappe, I’m positive that this frappe’s for you.