When Did Starbucks' Valencia Orange Refresher Get Taken Off The Menu?
Whether you're a fan or not, there's no denying that Starbucks is largely responsible for pioneering coffee culture in modern society. Without the java giant, there would likely be no Frappuccinos, cold brews, or even seasonal coffee drinks. If there is one thing the company is good at, it's giving thirsty patrons lots of rotating flavors. Unfortunately, this means that drinks people fall in love with are sometimes swiftly taken off the menu, never to be seen again.
Sometimes new Starbucks drinks are only offered to specific test markets, but other times the entire nation is exposed to new and exciting drinks that last for years and then inexplicably are pulled off the menu. In the summer of 2013, Starbucks released the Valencia Orange Refresher, an iced drink made with real fruit juice and green coffee extract, flavored with orange zest, cardamom, jasmine, and apricot, served with an orange slice on top. Not surprisingly, people absolutely loved the thirst quencher but were only able to enjoy it for a short amount of time before the company axed it.
It lasted only two years
While some Starbucks drinks quietly drift away, this wasn't the case with the Valencia Orange Refresher. Fans let it be known that they were exceptionally peeved at this decision by signing online petitions to bring the drink back and voiced their frustrations on social media. Unlike the Eggnog Latte — which fans enjoyed for a whopping 35 years — the Valencia Orange drink was discontinued after only two years. This seems surprising since the Refreshers line of drinks at Starbucks debuted in 2012 and proved to be wildly popular from the get-go.
The summertime beverages offered real fruit and juices combined with a small amount of caffeine. The Valencia Orange flavor was one of the first flavors and word has it that it was removed to make room for the Strawberry Acai flavor, which is still available at the coffee chain. Fans of the Refresher hoped that their calls to bring the drink back would move Starbucks to concede to their request, but so far, this hasn't happened. As of now, the green coffee extract blend joins the ranks of the Unicorn Frappuccino and the Chile Mocha, drinks that were gone way before their time.