REVIEW: Starbucks Frozen Lemonade Refreshers

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Summer is here, and so are new cold drinks at Starbucks. A look back through my last several months of Starbucks reviews reminded me that most of the newly released Starbucks drinks have been coffee-based, but the three new items on the menu this season are made using the Starbucks Refreshers. The coffee chain has introduced three frozen lemonades: Pineapple Passionfruit, Mango Dragonfruit, and Strawberry Acai. I tried the first two for some initial thoughts.

The Frozen Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade Starbucks Refresher Beverage (that’s a mouthful!) is the Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher blended with strawberry puree, lemonade, and a scoop of diced dried pineapple. Similarly, the Frozen Mango Dragonfruit Starbucks Refresher Beverage uses the Mango Dragonfruit Refresher base with – you guessed it – lemonade and dried dragonfruit pieces. While these drinks had some similarities, you’ll soon find interesting differences, too. More on that below.

Pineapple Passionfruit is very tart, and the pineapple overshadows any taste of passionfruit. The pineapple also masked the strawberry puree. I am a big pineapple fan, so this didn’t bother me too much. But what I would have liked was more presence of the lemonade. Since this is billed as a frozen lemonade, you’d think it would be more prominent. But I felt this tasted like they had blended the Refresher base itself.

The Mango Dragonfruit was similar in that it tasted JUST like the Refresher with a lack of lemonade. I liked that it was smooth, wasn’t overly sweet, and the strawberry puree meshed nicely here. (Hence a slight increase in rating for this one over the other.)

I find it easiest to lay out the rest of my thoughts in a list:

  1. DO NOT mobile order this drink if you’re not going to pick it up within a few minutes of them making it. While I tried my beverages, I saw a Pineapple Passionfruit waiting on the mobile order table, and you could see the separation of the frozen concoction. You’d be stirring that bad boy up and potentially even sticking it in the freezer unless you want it super liquidy. Interestingly enough, as I sipped, the Mango Dragonfruit did not separate in the same way the Pineapple Passionfruit did. I never had to stir that one up, but I did with the Pineapple Passionfruit. I can only chalk it up to the different Refresher bases, as everything else is so similar. (Another reason for the slightly higher rating for Mango Dragonfruit.)
  2. I recommend getting a straw – or bringing your own reusable straw – for these. Since it’s frozen, I had difficulty sipping it through the small hole in the cup lid.
  3. Personally, I wouldn’t go any bigger than a grande on this one. I think a venti would cause some serious brain freeze.
  4. These frozen lemonades feel like a fun non-alcoholic cocktail from an exotic resort. They are a nice option for folks to have if they’re only tea or Refresher drinkers.

All in all, I liked both of these, but I don’t think they’re Starbucks’ best brainchild. A nice, fun, and tasty drink if you’re a Refresher fan, but if you never get a chance to try one, I promise you’ll be OK too.

Purchased Price: $5.45 each
Size: Grande
Purchased at: Starbucks
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Pineapple Passionfruit), 7 out of 10 (Mango Dragonfruit)
Nutrition Facts: Frozen Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade – 160 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 33 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of protein, and 50 milligrams of caffeine. Frozen Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade – 150 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 33 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of protein, and 45 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Burger King Fiery Nuggets

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After multiple tries, Burger King is once again throwing its paper crown into the spicy nugget ring. Will it finally strike while the iron is hot, or will it flame out again?

Spicy chicken is nothing new for BK, but I feel it has always lagged behind the other behemoths in that category. Its spicy nuggets came and went with zero fanfare, the sandwiches never made much noise, and while I like hot Chicken Fries just fine, BK definitely has some catching up to do.

Those countless feeble attempts are actually what intrigued me about BK’s new Fiery Nuggets. I just assumed they were a re-branding of the previous spicy nugget, but they turned out to be much more. The innovators of the chicken fry have created something familiar but new here – chunks of chicken that exist between a standard nugget and a boneless buffalo wing.

“MEHHHH, boneless wings ARE just saucy nuggets.” – You. That’s you, right now.

You’re partially right when it comes to Fiery Nuggets, but I still think these are unique.

They may look like a redder version of BK’s traditional chicken nuggets, but they’re coated with “an irresistible spicy glaze” that contains cayenne pepper, bird’s eye chili pepper, and black pepper. Those flavors combine to give these a mildly sweet and spicy flavor unlike anything on the menu.

The nuggets are somehow both dry and super greasy. The coating isn’t quite a dusting, but also not quite a sauce. They feel a little slimy but still hold a slight crispiness. I don’t know how they landed in the middle of everything here, but they did.

The flavor is all over the place, but it’s… excellent? I’m still not sure what’s going on. The sweet into heat reminded me of teriyaki on some bites, but honey BBQ on others. It almost tasted like a Lay’s Flamin’ Hot BBQ. They ride the line between spicy, sweet, and salty really well. That grease though…

They’re so greasy! It’s definitely to their detriment. The bag was dripping. I devoured the eight nuggets and didn’t feel great about it. That being said, they went down pretty easy in the heat department. I saw some rumblings that this might be the hottest chicken in fast food, but I think I had spicier chicken at Wendy’s and Chick-fil-A during recent visits.

Your mileage may vary on BK nuggets. I like ’em, but I can see how someone might say they taste like an old yoga mat. I think Fiery Nuggets are a hit despite the sickening amount of grease. If they had the dry, crispier structure of McNuggets, I might’ve flirted with a perfect score.

I don’t know if I can say they’re better than the old reliable Wendy’s spicy nuggets just yet, but I have them above Spicy Chicken McNuggets.

I like to think BK dropped these in honor of the Heat-Nuggets NBA Finals, but the truth is they put them out for me. These are for me and people like me, and I appreciate it. Try ’em. They’re only three bucks.

Long live The King.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 8 pieces
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 530 calories, 39 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 1220 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 19 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Jack in the Box Jack Wraps

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How my Jack in the Box Crispy Jack Wraps were made can’t be right, right? From above, they look like ghost burritos with the way the tortillas are folded. There is something inside the tortilla, but less than half of it being used.

I checked YouTube and saw Jack Wraps folded in various ways. One video showed one just like mine, another looked like a burrito, and another was made with the excess tortilla folded over the other half, which allowed the ingredients to pop out of the top.

I picked up both Crispy Jack Wrap varieties — Classic and Spicy. The Classic comes with one chicken strip, shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar, pickles, Good Good Sauce, and buttermilk ranch dressing in a warm, oversized tortilla. The Spicy version has jalapeños instead of pickles and swaps the Good Good Sauce with the spicy version. Either one is also available with grilled chicken, which I unintentionally tried. I’ll explain later.

With the way my Classic Crispy and Spicy Crispy Jack Wraps were made, the first bites would’ve been ALL tortilla, so I rewrapped them into burritos. Unfortunately, that didn’t prevent my jaw from getting a little workout, thanks to the tough tortilla, which felt like it wasn’t warmed up to soften it. But I did some microwave magic to make everything less chewy.

The Classic Crispy Jack Wrap has a lot of flavor, thanks to the Good Good Sauce and ranch. The pickles added a tasty pungent kick. The chicken strip inside was a bit dry and had little crispiness, but the sauces and vegetables mostly compensated for those issues. As for the Spicy one, the jalapeños overwhelmed the whole thing, and after eating a third of it, I took them out. For something so small, there were a lot of jalapeños in it. But even with them out, their flavor lingered a bit too much.

Unsatisfied with my experience, I went to a different Jack in the Box location for another Crispy Jack Wrap. This time, I ended up with one wrapped like a burrito. But, despite my receipt saying I ordered a Crispy version, I had grilled chicken in mine. This time, the tortilla was much easier to chew and had some crispiness, and overall I liked grilled chicken Jack Wrap as much as the Crispy version.

While the Classic Crispy and Grilled Jack Wraps were tasty, I’m not completely impressed. Their price seems a bit high for something with ONE chicken strip in them, even at the advertised price of three dollars, and those tortillas were comically too big. Jack in the Box knows there are smaller tortillas, right?

Purchased Price: $3.29 each*
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Classic Crispy), 5 out of 10 (Spicy Crispy), 6 out of 10 (Classic Grilled)
Nutrition Facts: 380 calories each for the Classic Crispy and Spicy Crispy Jack Wraps. Other nutritional info is not available.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Raspberry Watermelon Refresher

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If you need a refresher on Refreshers, they are Dunkin’s line of caffeinated, fruit-flavored cold drinks. They were first introduced in 2020 with a green tea base that remains a steadfast option, but over the years, coconut milk and lemonade variants have been rolled out as well, and all three are available to accompany this summer’s newest flavor, Raspberry Watermelon.

I’ve loyally tried every Refresher so far, and typically if I order one without explicitly specifying the base I’d like, it comes with green tea by default. I was planning to leave the base for this review up to fate but was pleasantly surprised when the Dunkin’ employee asked me which base I’d like. While I’m a huge fan of milky drinks, the coconut milk can be overpowering even for me, and the green tea can be a bit too mild (probably because I’m a slow drinker and the flavor doesn’t hold up great when melted ice cubes water it down, which may not be a problem for most people), so lemonade struck me as the perfect option here. Plus, what could be more fitting to celebrate some overdue warm and sunny weather in my city?

My drink was a gorgeous deep reddish pink, a trait that I assume the green tea variant shares, though coconut milk Refreshers are inevitably cloudier and white-tinged. The pretty color seemed like a positive sign, and my first sip proved me right; this Refresher was as fruity and vibrant as I would expect from its vivid hue. The flavor was impressively cohesive. I find that sometimes when a drink is made up of two different flavors, one dominates the foreground while the other just appears in the aftertaste. But I couldn’t pick the raspberry and watermelon apart here, and I really enjoyed the way they mingled. Both fruits are sweet and juicy, and so is this drink. Yet, like a raspberry, it also had an identifiable tartness, which was evened out by the smooth mellowness of watermelon. The end result was an appealing candy-esque quality that never veered too sharply into overly sour territory.

The lemonade bolstered the tartness, of course, but it did so in a wonderfully balanced way. This may seem like a small difference, but I was glad that this definitively tasted like a lemonade-flavored raspberry watermelon drink rather than a raspberry watermelon-flavored lemonade. The only element of its flavor that I can’t speak to is how it tastes once the ice cubes start to melt because this was just so tasty that, for once, I gulped it down too quickly to find out! And, in case anyone was doubting this drink’s energy boosting powers, I can confirm that I was feeling quite sluggish before my purchase but left the sipping session feeling refreshed indeed.

If you appreciate jewel tone colors, zippy fruit flavors, or feeling like you’re slurping down the essence of summer no matter the weather, “water” you waiting for? Don’t blow this flavor a raspberry; it would make a fine choice for your next refreshment.

Purchased Price: $3.89
Size: Small
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 160 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of cholesterol, 20 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 38 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Sonic Strawberry Shortcake Snowball Slush Float

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Sonic sells Strawberry Shortcake Snowball Slush Floats now, and I gotta tell you, they’re a mouthful.

Sonic. Sells. Strawberry. Shortcake. Snowball. Slush. Floats.

Yeah, that’s literally a mouthful. Sally should ditch the seashells and lace up some roller skates. I’m sure there’s a Sonic drive-in near her sea town.

How fast can you say that? Because I honestly get a little tripped up at “shortcake,” which will be a running theme of this review.

Sonic sells Strawberry Short—ah!

Yeah, I can’t get past that without slowing down. Brain freeze before the brain freeze, right? Anyway…

The S5F consists of “strawberries and a sweet shortcake flavor all swirled into an icy slush. Topped with a snowball of ice cream and sugary snow crystals.”

The float starts with a huge plop of vanilla ice cream sprinkled with crystalized sugar, which really got the snowball off and rolling. Not sure why simply adding a little generic sugar helped the ice cream, but man, was it good. I mean, it’s ultimately unnecessary and quickly gets swallowed up in the rest of the float, but those first couple of crunchy spoonfuls were awesome.

Once I dug around the ice cream blockade a little, I got into the nitty-gritty of the float, which was the strawberry and shortcake (?) flavored slush.

I don’t know why this threw me off so much, but I don’t understand which flavor was doing what here. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked it, but the shortcake flavor just seemed to exist as its own entity, which I couldn’t pinpoint. I thought I was gonna get a bunch of actual cake at the bottom, but no, an air of cake was just there, emanating.

Sonic’s site simply calls it “shortcake flavor,” with a picture of a generic powdery swirl underneath it. The ice cream isn’t cake flavored, and the cake pieces never came.

Why are there no genuine cake pieces in this thing? They toss stuff like that into floats and shakes all the time. I thought for sure that was gonna be a lock.

Whatever, I’m overthinking it because this genuinely tasted like a strawberry shortcake. The syrupy pieces of real strawberry blended in popped, and that strong unexplainable angel’s food cake flavor powder tasted real to me.

So, I guess this is simply crushed ice, strawberry, cake flavor swirls, and vanilla ice cream. Let’s go with that. Hey, it works. It reminded me a lot of Little Debbie’s Strawberry Shortcake Rolls, which recently got an ice cream spinoff, so I definitely need to try that.

Even without real cake, I’d recommend this. I’d also recommend just dumping it in a bowl and eating it like ice cream if you can. Half the float is too thick for a straw, and I didn’t think mine was layered all that well. You could even toss some actual cake in the bowl, like Sonic should have.

Oh, and a small one is plenty. You’ll be more than satisfied unless you were really hoping for cake pieces. Ok, that’s enough of that.

Sonic sells Strawberry Shortcake Snowball Slush Floats. Got it.

Purchased Price: $2.79
Size: Small
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 280 calories, 9 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 48 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 41 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

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