SEATTLE -- Forget whipped cream, vanilla syrup and coconut flakes, a new Starbucks drink comes adorned with a slab of jerky.
A complete 180 from the nauseatingly sugary unicorn frappuccino that took the nation by storm this spring, Starbucks' Pepper Nitro with a Jerky Twist takes a cue from the flavors of the Congo. The coffee is slow-steeped as cold brew and served on draft through a nitro tap, according to Starbucks, and then finished off with an infusion of malted fennel and black pepper syrup.
Honey cold foam sits atop the coffee, and baristas finish the drink off with cracked peppercorn and a skewer of beef jerky.
"The sweet and herbal spice notes naturally paired well with savory ingredients," Raegan Powell with Starbucks R&D said of the drink. "We want to celebrate our passion for coffee, but also create the unexpected with flavors that we know Roastery customers love."
The drink, which is part of the company's charitable efforts to rebuild Congo's coffee industry, is available at Starbucks' Seattle Reserve Roastery for a limited time.