What Starbucks Baristas Wish You Knew About The Mango Dragonfruit Refresher

Anyone that has ever worked as a barista at Starbucks or anyone that has ordered a secret menu drink from the coffee chain knows that some of the orders can be complicated to say, let alone make. However, there's one drink that's now on the menu that has really got a lot of Starbucks baristas in a tizzy. Some have even taken to Reddit to express their frustrations towards this item: the ever-popular Mango Dragonfruit Refresher.

For those not familiar with the drink, the caffeinated beverage (made with green coffee) features mango and dragonfruit flavors as well as diced pieces of dragonfruit for an extra dose of tropical flavor (via Starbucks). Overall, the drink gives off a beautiful Insta-ready purple-pink hue that people love to sip and gawk at. However, due to shortages affecting many food outlets, some Starbucks locations have been running out of the fruit inclusions that are the magic that turn this drink purple. And many customers have been less than satisfied with their order if it doesn't have the shocking bright color, according to baristas posting on Reddit.

One barista took to Reddit to vent that a customer wouldn't accept the drink without it being the bright purple color, even though it tastes exactly the same. That's when other baristas started chiming in. Another responded, "But people swear it tastes different if it's not purple." Someone else commented they "said these exact words to a customer and she said 'I get it because it's purple.'"

Someone else explained that even they, as a barista, kind of understood, writing, "It's a placebo effect. My boyfriend insists on it tasting different even though we both know it doesn't (have both worked at Starbucks) and he even admits that he knows it doesn't but that it just doesn't taste the same. Brains are weird things man." Another Starbucks barista replied with, "I don't even get it. It only makes it look pretty. [In my opinion] the fruit inclusions taste disgusting." And finally, another Starbucks employee said, "I feel like having the powerful need to drink a specific color is about 60% of Starbucks' customer base." 

Maybe that's the case or maybe people just can't get over the color not being responsible for the flavor. Either way, be ready to roll with the colorless drink or have a backup order in mind next time you visit.