The Cutest Starbucks Pastry You Don't Know About
Starbucks knows exactly what it’s doing with its holiday menu.
From the start of the fall season through the holidays, Starbucks essentially enters its golden hour of menu item debuts. This author recently took a trip to Mexico, and on her way back from adventures and reconnecting with her roots she spotted something in a Mexican airport that reminded her just how much better Starbucks is in other countries: the Starbucks Rosca de Reyes.
What is a Rosca de Reyes?
The Rosca de Reyes is a large, heavily decorated sweet bread baked in the form of a wreath that is traditionally eaten on January 6 in celebration of Three Kings Day, or the feast of the Epiphany.
For Christians, this day is recognized as the day three kings traveled to visit the newborn baby Jesus and present him with gifts. The Mexican tradition is that people gather with family and friends to cut pieces of the Rosca and eat together, but the catch is that within the Rosca are a few (or just one, depending on the size of the bread) small plastic baby figures. Just like the New Orleans king cake, the baby figures represent baby Jesus, and if you get a piece with a baby in it then you are tasked with bringing tamales to the next gathering in February.
Starbucks’ Rosca de Reyes
Leave it to Starbucks to commercialize this religious tradition with something so irresistibly adorable. At some Starbucks locations in Mexico you'll find a small, prepackaged Rosca de Reyes for sale alongside the other pastries.
The little circle of sweet bread is decorated just like its larger traditional counterpart, and Starbucks even goes so far as to hide a little plastic surprise inside each one. Although people in Mexico are familiar with the tradition of the Rosca and likely wouldn't be surprised to find a small plastic figure in this particular pastry, Starbucks does cover safety concerns by placing a warning on the packaging telling consumers that there is a plastic item in its Rosca.
However, a number of TikTok videos reveal that the hidden plastic item is not in the shape of a baby savior. Instead, customers will find either a small green Starbucks cup or a teddy bear holding an even tinier Starbucks cup. Both green plastic figures can be used as stoppers on Starbucks cups, according to Reddit users who have purchased the Starbucks Rosca.
@the.real.la.mama Look at this Starbucks rosca I found in CDMX!! Would you buy one?? _________ #starbucks #cdmx #starbuckshack #starbuckscup #starbuckssecretmenu #dontmissout #roscadereyes #traveltiktok #travellife #supercute #fyp
Unfortunately, as many Starbucks customers in the U.S. are likely used to by now, this pastry is not available at Starbucks locations in the United States. Despite the pastry not being available at my local Starbucks, the cuteness of it is just undeniable. In the words of a now highly used TikTok audio, capitalism really popped off today.