The Grande Easy-Iced Berry Hibiscus Refresher

It might be the middle of October, yet Victoria’s weather feels more like a cool day in August. Because of this strange natural phenomenon, called “smautumn” (it’s a combination of summer and autumn… I made it up just now),   I’ve been struggling with deciding what Starbucks drinks I should order.  You see, as much as I love their fall and winter drinks, I can’t bring myself to buy one when the weather is so nice. This is where the Berry Hibiscus Refresher comes in. It was so hot today and I was so overheated due to the fact that I was wearing fall appropriate clothing (I mean… it is fall, right?) that I needed something to cool me down quick. This drink did just that; it was incredibly nice and refreshing, as the name would suggest. I have to say though, it tasted very watered-down, and I’m sorry, but if I’m paying $4.50 for a drink, I want it to be rich in flavor;  as I’ve said before, no one wants a watery beverage, unless you are in fact drinking water. That being said, this drink was surprisingly good. It came off as not too sweet but at the same time, not bland either. I really tasted the raspberry, but not in an over-powering way, it was more like a subtle aftershock that came after the initial taste.  The one very bad thing about this drink was the berries that they put in the bottom. Now, don’t get me wrong, the berries add a nice flavor to the drink, but whatever you do, do not… I repeat DO NOT eat the berries! I thought that I should give you all a thorough review of this drink, which included eating the berries at the bottom. That was by far the worst decision I’ve made all day. Seconds after I bit down on the berries, a chemical taste filled my mouth. It was as if the berries were completely fake and made of plastic. I know that can’t be true, because I’m pretty sure that Starbucks would have been sued by now. However, I am sure that there was something wrong with those berries! Either way, this blog isn’t called “Emma’s Berries”, it’s called “Emma’s Starbucks Drinks” so I can’t actually judge this drink based off of the disgusting berries. If I exclude the berries, then this drink would earn at least 7.5 stars out of 10, I would for sure order this again if I was in dire need of refreshment… But I would definitely throw out the berries next time.