The Ultimate Ranking Of Starbucks International Drinks

Starbucks is more than an American coffee chain. Its international presence is strong, with more than 32,000 stores located in about 80 different countries. That diverse portfolio comes with different menus, and different menu items, that are specific to each nation. While there are some recognizable international drinks — such as lattes, Frappuccinos, or macchiatos — that you'll find everywhere, the specific flavors available worldwide can vary. But this turns out to be anything but disappointing. Visiting a Starbucks abroad allows one to try something not available on your local menu.

The idiosyncrasies of international Starbucks drinks make them fascinating, as they are sometimes inspired by the native cuisine or local flavors of a certain country. In places like Japan — where melon is a popular flavoring — you'll find melon Frappuccinos. In the United Kingdom — where candies like butterscotch were invented — you can order a butterscotch latte. In China — where desserts are often made with red adzuki beans — there are menu offerings that let ingredients such as this shine. In this way, visiting an international Starbucks location allows you to sample the regional food culture.

When creating our ranking, we chose international Starbucks drinks with these things in mind. We selected drinks based on their reviews, their uniqueness, and their ability to represent flavors from their home country. Drinks that didn't meet these criteria did more poorly, whereas beverages that had no problem with it excelled. Read on to learn our ultimate ranking of the best Starbucks international drinks.

The Ristretto Bianco is a Starbucks drink you can order in the Philippines. It's very similar to a Flat White, which you can get in the United States and other countries. Both drinks are made with two ristretto shots, steamed milk, and latte art. Per Starbucks, a ristretto is a type of espresso shot. It's cut short, producing a smaller amount of coffee that's made with less water and tastes more intense.

Flat Whites and Ristretto Biancos differ in at least one way when served at Starbucks. According to the chain, the Ristretto Bianco is "steamed to microfoam" whereas the Flat White is simply made with steamed milk.

Starbucks customers in the Philippines — such as the blogger LivingMarjorney — appear to like this drink. They complement the richness of the coffee, which combines with the smooth taste of steamed milk. However, this drink is much too similar to a Flat White to be placed higher in this ranking. Furthermore, there's not much about this drink that celebrates the Philippines or the food there.

The Punch Graffiti Blended is a Starbucks drink sold in South Korea. According to the international coffee chain, this drink contains an abundance of tropical flavors. It's made with pink guava, mango, apple, and pineapple flavorings and has red and pink ribbons of color that are meant to mimic graffiti patterns.

As the blog Coffee With Raina pointed out, the graffiti theme within this drink seems like an odd way for Starbucks to appeal to Korean street culture. Graffiti is also a relatively new art form in South Korea. According to the Korea Times, it has gotten more popular in recent decades, but remains fairly new. By comparison, graffiti has been around in the United States since the 1960s, per PBS.

Starbucks may be trying to pick up on the rising popularity of graffiti in South Korea by decorating its drink this way. We still think it's a little strange. However, the flavors of the Punch Graffiti Blended are something we can get behind. The combination of various fruits in a blended drink is unlike anything you can get at Starbucks in the United States. Although this drink doesn't necessarily reflect Korea, it's a little interesting.

The Summer Berry Panna Cotta Frappuccino is a Starbucks drink introduced to Singapore in 2015 (per TrendHunter). It is a Frappuccino made of three layers. Starting from the bottom, there is a layer of actual panna cotta pudding, an Italian, gelatin-based dessert. Next up is a layer of Summer Berry-flavored Frappuccino. Finally, the drink is topped with whipped cream. That whipped cream is decorated with a matching sweet berry drizzle, according to Singapore Promotions.

As Brand Eating points out, this drink is made without gelatin, an animal product and thickening agent sometimes used to make panna cotta. Since this Starbucks beverage is not vegan — there is dairy in the whipped cream and other ingredients — we don't think this substitution is meant to accommodate plant-based dieters. Instead, the removal of gelatin (which is sometimes made from pigs) might make the drink more accessible to patrons who are Muslim, a religion that eschews the eating of pork. According to HiveLife, Islam is one of the more popular religions in Singapore. We appreciate the fact that Starbucks made this substitution, as it benefits these customers.

However, this still isn't the best Starbucks international drink. Its flavors don't necessarily reflect the local cuisine, as it's inspired by an Italian dessert. To make matters worse, some customers found it difficult to drink, due to there being pudding in this beverage.

If you ever visit a Starbucks location in China, you'll be able to try the Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino. This beverage uses a green tea Frappuccino for its base. This is very similar — if not identical — to a menu item called the Matcha Crème Frappuccino, which is sold in the U.S. However, the Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino comes topped with a healthy scoop of whole red beans, making it more interesting (via FoodBeast).

Red beans, also called adzuki beans, are a popular ingredient across different Asian cuisines. They are eaten in both sweet and savory Chinese dishes, according to China Daily. Green tea, as well, is a popular beverage in China (via Born Tea). Due to both components of this Starbucks drink having a place in China's food culture, we think it's one of the better menu items. Also, these components work great together. Foodology complimented the way the beans were not too sweet, helping them to pair with the sweetness of the green tea Frappuccino.

The Maple Macchiato is a Starbucks drink sold in Canada. According to FoodBeast, it's made with espresso, steamed milk, vanilla, and maple syrup. Per the Starbucks Canada Facebook page, the maple syrup comes from the Beauce-Appalache region. As Cabane À Pierre explains, the area is also referred to as "the Beauce" or "Maple Country," as about 20% of the world's maple syrup is made in this part of Canada. We appreciate the fact that Starbucks is using beloved Canadian flavors while supporting local producers at the same time.

Per Foodology, this is a tasty and sweet drink. Some people may even find it too sweet since it is sometimes made with caramel as well as maple syrup. If this is the case for you, you can ask the Starbucks baristas to make it half-sweet. While this eliminates a potential problem, we wish this drink was less intensely sugary on its own. A great international drink shouldn't need modifications.

The Brigadeiro Frappuccino is a drink sold at Starbucks stores in Brazil. According to the chain, the base ingredient is Frappuccino roast, a coffee powder that's used to make many of Starbucks' blended drinks (via Fluent In Coffee). The Frappuccino roast is then mixed with mocha sauce, white mocha sauce, milk, classic syrup, and ice. It's all placed in a cup that has been previously coated with Brigadeiro sauce. Finally, the whole thing is topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

This beverage uses one of the most iconic and beloved treats in Brazil: brigadeiros. These chocolate balls are made of condensed milk and cocoa powder. After chilling to set, individual Brigadeiros get coated in chocolate sprinkles. Sometimes, flavors of ginger, sea salt, and almond are added. It's great that Starbucks uses one of Brazil's favorite candies in this Brazilian menu item. We especially loved that there is a unique syrup created for this beverage, rather than an existing combination of Starbucks ingredients. But ultimately, it's more chocolate than Brigadeiro.

Ponche Navideño or Ponche De Frutas is a type of Mexican beverage served during the holidays, especially Christmas. It's a party punch that can also be mixed with tequila or mezcal. But the star of this recipe is the fruit. Its base of pears, golden apples, prunes, and tangerines combine to make something extra refreshing. With the addition of flavoring agents such as guava paste, cinnamon sticks, and tamarind, the drink becomes even more delicious.

Starbucks Mexico has its version of this drink on the menu (via Twitter). Per the company, the drink is made with hibiscus tea, with flavors of apple, guava, cinnamon, and brown sugar added in. This drink is pretty true to the original Mexican recipe. It's also a tea drink, which seems to stand out as something different from popular American Starbucks items. As far as international drinks go, this one is nearly the best. However, there is one item we'd be even more excited to taste.