Starbucks Blackberry Sage Refreshers Review: A Tasty Drink, But It's Curiously Missing A Key Flavor

Starbucks Refreshers have become nearly as synonymous with the coffee giant as espresso based drinks and even the milkshake-esque Kenny G-invented Frappuccino. Several Refreshers flavors have come and gone the way of the spicy lemonade refreshers, and when seasonal menus roll out (with Taylor Swift's favorite classic autumn drink, for instance), it's not uncommon to see new Refreshers offerings among the new drinks, pastries, and long awaited coffee offerings. Admittedly, I still prefer an espresso based Starbucks drink over a fruity one, but I've been increasingly impressed with the creativity around these drinks. The Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refreshers during the 2024 holiday menu season was my favorite drink of the holiday season, so I was eager to try these herby, fruity drinks.

Right before these later winter drinks landed on the menu, I got the opportunity to sample this new Refreshers line, and to a Starbucks regular, it sure was a treat. I went in with plenty of questions, wondering how sage would work within the mixture or if it would feel too much like a cocktail. After all, I love cooking with sage, but what would drinking it taste like? There's only one way to find out, I suppose.

Refreshers are a line of caffeinated fruity drinks that offer a little caffeine boost without the flavor of coffee. The newest Refreshers lineup includes three drinks: Blackberry Sage Refreshers, Blackberry Sage Lemonade Refreshers, and the Midnight Drink. All three include the blackberry inclusions, which are just freeze dried blackberries with sage powder and coconut oil, and the Refreshers base. Then, depending on the drink, it is shaken with ice and water, lemonade, or coconut milk. The Midnight Drink is the newest addition to the coconut milk drink menu, joining the Dragon Drink and Pink Drink — which was so popular it made a delicious grocery store debut.

Like many of the newer drinks that appear throughout the year, the Blackberry Sage Refreshers were inspired by the season. Specifically, this late winter time of the year when the temperatures are freezing in many parts of the country and spring feels too far away. Lead beverage developer Billy Altieri explains that "During the winter months, we found that customers want something refreshing, yet balanced." Its color is meant to reflect feelings of being inside, cuddled from the chill, while the magenta, purple, and pink are cheery, calm, and comforting. Though a cold beverage, it fits right in with the ski lodge vibes from late winter.

Beginning February 4, 2025, customers will be able to order the whole line of new drinks and secret menu creators will get their hands on Starbucks' newest ingredients. Though it's unclear exactly how long these drinks will stick around, I've been told they'll be around for a few months while ingredients last. With the way Starbucks is marketing the drink as a winter elixir drink, they don't seem to be meant for the flower blooming months of spring.

When I sampled these Refreshers they weren't in the barista's cashier system yet, so I was rung up as having purchased a Strawberry Açaí Refreshers, Strawberry Açaí Lemonade Refreshers, and a Pink Drink. Therefore, it stands to reason that the Blackberry Sage line will be the same price as others in the same categories on the menu. For me, as three grandes, that was $5.25 for the Refreshers made with water and $5.75 for the lemonade and coconut milk drinks. Of course, prices vary by location, so it may be slightly different at your local Starbucks. The price range for a grande across the country for a Blackberry Sage Refreshers is $5.25 to $5.95, Blackberry Sage Lemonade Refreshers goes from $5.75 to $6.45, and the Midnight Drink ranges from $5.75 to $6.45.

Since my earliest days of working as a barista at Starbucks, I have preferred the lemonade versions of tea and Refreshers. I found that the teas needed that extra sweetener, and the Refreshers just weren't enjoyable enough on their own without the lemonade addition. Normally, there's such a huge separation between the water and lemonade beverages that I notice it by color, but also in the first sip. Interestingly, with the Blackberry Sage Refreshers, the difference between a typical water and lemonade is much more slight. They look very similar in color, but since there's so much flavor in the Refreshers base, it doesn't even need the lemonade as others do.

The berries are very large and that was a majority of the flavor I got. There is some herbiness to it, but sage doesn't come through super strongly. It's more just a richly berry flavor. I love cooking with sage for all of the aroma that it brings, but I don't get much of that here, either. Those concerned that the herbaceous taste might be a little off putting don't really need to be worried about it with this flavor.

Even though the addition of the lemonade doesn't change the drink very much, it adds some sweetness to it that, in my opinion, improves the drink, if even a small amount. The little bit of sage flavor that is there does get swallowed up by the lemonade, so for those who are really looking for that herb type drink, I'd forgo the lemonade.

I tend to prefer drinks that are a little bit on the sweet side, so I like this lemonade addition, but if sweetness isn't one of your goals, you might prefer it without. It doesn't overpower the berry flavor in any way, and instead makes it feel something closer to a refreshing drink in the dead of winter to remind you of the brighter days to come.

When I first read about the Midnight Drink, all I could think about was Taylor Swift's "Midnights" album. Whether it's a reference to Swift or not, this version of the drink was surprisingly my favorite of the three. Traditionally, the coconut variations of the refreshers haven't been my favorite ways to enjoy the drinks, but this one does it right. It's just enough sweetness from the base of the Refreshers to make the coconut milk a creamy base rather than one that just feels like a thinned out not-quite-creamy-even-though-it-looks-like-it drink, an effect that coconut milk can have.

My only frustration with coconut milk is it creates kind of a weird texture over time, so if the appearance of that curdling might make you a little uncomfortable, you may wish to steer away from this coconut milk version of the drink. Swifties, on the other hand, will no doubt flock to the Midnight Drink, and it feels like Starbucks is attempting to get ahead of a secret menu creation that could've possibly come out of this new beverage.

As Starbucks explains, you'll find that the Starbucks Refreshers line tends to pair common fruit with less common elements. Think grocery store prevalent strawberries buddied with the less common açaí. Or, with the long gone Kiwi Starfruit Refresher, it was the familiar fuzzy kiwi with the less well known starfruit. Essentially, it's fruit you know well with fruit you'd need to look up how to cut or prepare. The Blackberry Sage Refreshers line is distinctive because it takes the blackberry and pairs it with a herb, though it's one we see in cooking regularly.

While there is some sage taste, it's just so mild. In the end, this is a fruity drink that happens to have a little sage in it, so it doesn't feel a whole lot different from the other Refreshers. It's hard to know whether Starbucks was aiming for something wholly different, but it doesn't taste or feel much different once you sip the drinks.

I also noticed that the inclusions don't soften up quite the same way that the dragonfruit, strawberry, or pineapple inclusions do. Instead, the blackberries feel very seedy and rather hard.

It was only with continued sips that I found the Midnight Drink was my favorite of the three drinks. Initially, I thought it might be the one with lemonade, but coconut milk eventually won out. I really enjoyed the balance of flavors. You get the berry, a little of that sage, and a nice smooth coconut milk to pull everything together. I think ordering this drink (or the lemonade offering) frozen just makes sense, perhaps with more inclusions from other Refreshers added in.

If you are a Refreshers fan already, these are a must try. However, if you don't particularly like Refreshers drinks, these probably aren't going to convince you. They're fruity like the others are, but the herb element isn't strong enough to pull in people looking for something ultra different.

While I appreciate Starbucks' drive to match the season with the drink, I'm not sure if I totally buy the whole blackberry-sage-equals-winter thing. Instead, I'd have liked to see Cran-Merry last longer or possibly something with rosemary. Sage is simply too mild of an herb for the intent. Not to mention, blackberry season isn't until the late spring and early summer, so it just doesn't quite make sense in the late winter season.

To decide if these drinks were worth a try, I sampled them before they were released with a prearranged tasting with Starbucks. I made my decision based on the taste of the drinks and how enjoyable they were. With the new herb element, I also considered how much of a departure they are from the typical Refreshers lineup. These drinks were intended to fill that late winter gap in the Starbucks menu, so I also considered how well they accomplished that task.