Review: Starbucks - Teavana Youthberry White Tea Granita

Starbucks' Teavana Youthberry White Tea Granita consists of lemonade-flavored shaved ice topped with Teavana Youthberry White tea (a blend of white tea, tropical pineapple, fruity acai, and hibiscus) and is part of the new Sunset Menu the chain introduced for the summer.

A tall order cost me $3.45.

The granita looks stunning when it is first made; the way that the concentrated tea is poured over the shaved ice creates a beautiful, tie-dye effect when the drink is first presented. Unfortunately, as is the nature of physics, the ice and tea quickly separated.

Because the ice is so finely shaved, it also tends to melt rather quickly. This can be either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on whether you want to enjoy the granita with a straw or spoon.  I opted for the spoon route, which I found personally more enjoyable. I liked being able to control the ratio of shaved ice to tea better with a spoon.

The lemonade flavor of the sweet ice was very mild; in fact, I wasn't aware it was supposed to be lemonade-flavored until I referenced the description of the drink. What I did taste at the time was that it was only lightly-sweetened and extremely refreshing. It paired wonderfully with the tea to help cool me down on that hot evening.

The signage in store is not very clear on what Teavana Youthberry White Tea is supposed to be flavored with, so I was surprised to learn that it contained pineapple, acai, and hibiscus. Honestly, it tasted like a generic berry flavor to me, one that bordered on tasting candy-ish. However, it was not overwhelmingly sweet, but it did consistently remind me of berry-flavored candy the whole time I was drinking the granita. I could taste the undertone of the white tea, although the acai berry was apparently the main star of the show.

Overall, I enjoyed Starbucks' Teavana Youthberry White Tea Granita a great deal. It was only mildly sweet when evenly mixed with the shaved ice, and extremely refreshing for these hot summer days. I would not recommend drinking it with a straw, however, because you mind end up drinking all the tea before you reach the shaved ice floating at the top.

By Renee.

Nutritional Info - Starbucks Tall Youthberry White Tea Granita (12 fl oz)
Calories - 100 (from Fat - 0)
Fat - 0g (Saturated Fat - 0g)
Sodium - 10mg
Carbs - 26g (Sugar - 25g)
Protein - 0g