Costa and Starbucks Spark Outrage with 'Inauthentic' Ube Drink Ranges
Coffee giants Costa and Starbucks have ignited controversy with their new beverage lines inspired by the popular Philippine flavour 'ube', with many from the Filipino community branding the offerings as outright 'scams'. The drinks utilise purple yam, a staple in Southeast Asian desserts and sweet beverages, but have been met with fierce criticism for failing to capture the authentic taste.
Social Media Reviews Highlight Flavour Failures
Charmie Jane, a Cheshire-based TikToker of Filipino heritage, conducted a detailed review of both chains' ube offerings. Sampling Costa's Sweet Ube Hot Chocolate and Ube Frappe, she noted that while visually 'respectable', the drinks left her deeply skeptical. 'Ube is the Philippines' pride and joy,' she stated. 'It can't just be simply "whatever".'
After trying the frappe, which she described as tasting 'nice' and reminiscent of 'cotton candy', Charmie insisted: 'It's not ube though. Just call it cotton candy frappe. They need to stop lying. Enough with the lies.' She awarded it five out of ten, emphasising that authentic ube possesses a distinct nutty, sweet taste that was absent.
Her experience with the hot chocolate was even more disappointing, leading her to feel 'scammed' and demand her £4.55 back. 'That's just straight up hot chocolate,' she declared. 'Ube where?! Big companies are not doing it right.'
Starbucks Range Also Falls Short
Charmie extended her critique to Starbucks' ube range, which includes the Ube Vanilla Velvet Latte, Ube Vanilla Velvet Matcha Latte, Iced Ube Vanilla Velvet Matcha Latte, and Iced Ube Vanilla Macchiato. Sampling the Iced Ube Vanilla Velvet Matcha, she conceded it was better than some alternatives and had a nutty hint, but labelled it a 'Temu version' of the real thing. 'There's a hint of ube, but it's not legit,' she concluded.
The Iced Ube Vanilla Macchiato similarly lacked the distinctive flavour, tasting like standard Starbucks beverages, while the Ube Vanilla Velvet Latte was dismissed as 'just a latte' with 'added purple'. Charmie rated the entire ube range five and a half out of ten, stating: 'The drink is nice there's just zero ube flavouring in it.'
Community Backlash and Calls for Authenticity
Charmie also highlighted the lack of cultural acknowledgment, questioning why the chains don't credit the Philippines explicitly. 'You know what's mad? They don't call it Filipino ube or inspired by the Philippines or inspired by traditional Filipino desserts...' she told viewers.
Her sentiments were echoed widely in the comments, with one person exclaiming: 'BRO WHY ARE THEY MIXING IT WITH MATCHA? UBE IS UBE.' Another added: 'The non-Filipinos coffee chains trying it again with the ube. JOLIBEE UK needs to come out with the REAL STUFF smh.' A third remarked: 'It tastes good but IT'S NOT UBE.'
On her Costa review, commenters expressed similar frustration: 'All these major coffee chains need to stop profiteering from our UBE! They are ruining Ube and the Philippines reputation!'
Influencers Join the Criticism
Influencer @angeltries also sampled the Starbucks range, describing it as a 'disappointment'. While she appreciated that marketing materials acknowledged ube's popularity across Asia, she noted: 'I like the sweetness of it, but it doesn't taste like ube in the Philippines. It has a slight tinge of ube... I wouldn't say it's authentic ube but I guess this kind of works.'
This is not the first time major chains have faced backlash over ube experiments. Pret a Manger's Ube Brûlée Iced Latte launched last summer received mixed reviews, with many complaining the coffee taste overpowered the ube. Similarly, Black Sheep Coffee's Ube Matcha drink released last year was met with raised eyebrows.
Corporate Statements and Ube's Rising Popularity
In introducing its ube range, Starbucks stated: 'This is an ingredient brimming with heritage and packed with flavour. In fact, long before it appeared on café counters and social feeds, it was a staple of national culture and family dinner tables all over the Philippines.' The company highlighted ube's centuries-old role in Filipino cuisine, describing its 'gently sweet, nutty taste'.
Costa described its Sweet Ube Hot Chocolate and Sweet Ube Frappe as having a 'creamy-sweet vanilla and subtly nutty flavour', with a 'dreamy purple hue and a light whip finish'. Both chains have been approached for comment by The Daily Mail.
Ube, the Tagalog name for purple yam, has long been popular in Southeast Asia and has gained significant traction in the US and UK over the past decade. Its vibrant purple colour makes it a social media favourite, and it is increasingly being incorporated into various sweet treats. Coffee news outlet Perfect Daily Grind has suggested ube could be 'the next matcha'.
Britt, COO of BIGFACE BRAND, explained the appeal: 'When you put ube into drinks, it makes this really beautiful hue that people obviously love to share and take photos of, so it's a mix of both utility and aesthetic.' Additionally, ube offers health benefits as a natural source of potassium, vitamin C, and antioxidants, aligning with growing consumer demand for nutritious, flavourful coffee alternatives.
