Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit Refresher [Review]

Summer is in full swing and Starbucks has a new (and exotic addition) to the permanent menu in Canada.  Meet the Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit Refresher (nicknamed “Dragon Drink”) with a deep magenta colour and sweet, tropical flavours with no artificial colours or sweeteners.

Disclosure:  I am a media partner of Starbucks Canada and receive credit to try their new drink.

According to the company, the drink comes with hand-shaking pieces of real red-fleshed dragonfruit (also known as pitaya).  I love dragonfruit myself so I was excited to try out this exciting new Starbucks drink.

Different Varieties

The Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit Refresher actually comes in two official varieties: a regular version and one with lemonade.  You can also enjoy a creamier version of the beverage by asking your Starbucks barista to use coconut beverage.

Taste Taste

Dragonfruit, in general, is rather tasteless but subtly sweet – kind of in between a pear and a melon.  The pairing of dragonfruit with mango is ideal otherwise the drink would be rather bland.  At first sip, the mango flavours definitely came through.

Dragonfruit comes in three types: Pitaya blanca (pink skin with white flesh), Pitaya roja (red skin with red-flesh) and Pitaya amarilla (yellow skin and white flesh).  The type that is the sweetest is the Pitaya roja which Starbucks has chosen to use in this drink.

Both the original and lemonade versions were very refreshing, had bold tropical flavours and had just the right amount of sweetness.  I prefered the lemonade Refresher as it was a bit more tangy but the original one was good as well.

Appearance

Starbucks has been rolling out numerous photogenic drinks and the Dragonfruit Refresher is ultra-Instagram worthy with its deep, magenta color.  The drink comes with real diced dragonfruit and you could visibly see the pieces of dragonfruit and seeds.  Very visually appealing.

Nutrition

A Grande of the regular Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit Refresher has 90 calories, 0 grams of fat, and 21 grams of carbs.  The lemonade Refresher has more calories: a Grande has 140 calories, 0 grams of fat and 33 grams of caffeine of carbs.  Both are caffeinated and have 45-55 mg of caffeine.

Price

A Tall of the regular Refresher is $3.75; Grande is $4.25; Venti is $4.75; and $Trenta is $5.25.  The lemonade version is more expensive as a Tall is $4.25; Grande is $4.75; Venti is $5.25; and Trenta is $5.75.  Prices noted are based on Starbucks in Vancouver, BC, Canada and are priced in CAD.

Bottom Line

I loved the Starbucks Mango Dragonfruit Refresher and it’s something I would reorder again.  It definitely gave me tropical vibes which is needed sometimes when you live in Canada.  Rating: 5/5

Sharing is caring!