Starbucks Japan's Black Halloween Frappuccino Conceals A Sweet Surprise

It may be an eerie black, but the new Halloween-themed Booooo Frappuccino from Starbucks Japan is an unsurprisingly sweet drink. That sweetness is cranked up even further with the addition of a vibrant pumpkin pudding that hides in the depths of this inky coffee beverage. The coffee itself is flavored and colored by bitter black caramel, which is also drizzled over the ghostly white mound of whipped cream on top. The bitter sweetness of the black caramel plays against the pudding's creamy mouthfeel and squash sweetness.

If that wasn't enough to celebrate the spookiest time of the year, Starbucks Japan also rolled out a jet black cupcake dubbed the Halloween Chocolate Cake. But, beneath its hard chocolate frosting layer, a dollop of purple blueberry cream casts a striking glow in the cupcake's cocoa shroud.

Both items are available for just a limited time, running from October 11 to October 31, 2023. The Booooo Frappuccino retails for 678 yen ($4.54) to go and 490 yen ($4.62) in stores. The Halloween Chocolate Cake rings up for a to-go price of 324 yen ($2.17) and in store for 330 yen ($2.21).

Of course, this isn't the first time Starbucks Japan has pulled out a show-stopping beverage for Halloween. In 2022, purple was the theme, and it flowed throughout the Purple Halloween Frappuccino like the inside of a vampire's cape thanks to the addition of purple sweet potato, or murasaki imo in Japanese. The beverage was further sweetened with sweet potato-vanilla sauce. Accompanying the Purple Halloween Frappuccino was the Melty Raspberry in Halloween Cake with an oozing red center.

Here in the U.S., though, you'll have to think a bit outside the box to sample a Halloween beverage at Starbucks. The chain doesn't officially offer anything Halloween specific in the U.S., but as customer-created secret menu items continue to remain popular, some Starbucks superfans have authored twists that reflect the season. For example, if you get a Venti Cold Brew, darken it with several pumps of mocha syrup, and ask for vanilla powder in the cold foam, you'll get an unearthly, streaked drink that some call the Wednesday Addams. And, a Grande Green Tea Frappuccino with mocha chips, peppermint sauce, whipped cream, and a mocha drizzle makes for a Frankenstein Frappuccino. You can sample the existing Halloween-themed secret menu items or even try create your own.