It’s a summer miracle: Starbucks Granitas have arrived, and they look absolutely magnificent. But, you might be asking, when can I get a Starbucks Granita? Well, I’ve good news and slightly less good news for you. The good news is, they’re available right now. They dropped on June 14, and since June 14 is today — well, you do the math. The slightly less good news is that there are two… well, I don’t want to call them restrictions; parameters is probably a better word. Basically, you can only get them at certain times of the day, and only for a limited amount of time. But don’t worry — I’ve got you covered. Here’s what you need to know about when you can snag this tasty summer refresher.
First things first: What’s a granita? Starbucks’ take on the classic Italian treat features “a scoop of finely shaved ice that is lightly sweetened and topped with bold espresso, white tea, or limeade,” according to a press release. Available in three flavors — Starbucks Caramel Espresso, Teavana Youthberry White Tea, and Starbucks Strawberry Lemon Limeade — they’ll set you back a different amount depending on what market you’re in; generally, though, you can expect to shell out $3.45 to $3.75 for the white tea and limeade ones and $3.95 to $4.25 for the caramel espresso one.
Now, as for when you can get them — here are those parameters I mentioned earlier:
You Can Get A Starbucks Granita After 3 p.m….
Because they’re part of the Starbucks Sunset Menu, you can only order a Granita after 3 p.m. And actually, I kind of like the fact that they’re an afternoon and evening thing: Too early for a boozy happy hour? Have a Granita instead. Need something to get you through the last push of your workday? Have a Granita. Looking for a refreshing aperitif before dinner? Have a Granita. Everybody wins.
This isn’t the first time Starbucks has offered specific menu items at specific times of the day, by the way; Starbucks locations that participate in the Starbucks Evenings program, for example, offer a variety of food items and — perhaps more importantly — wine and craft beer starting in the very late afternoon/early evening. The first Starbucks Evenings store kicked up in Seattle in 2010, with a number of new locations joining the ranks throughout the successive years.
… All Summer Long
Alas, though, all good things must come to an end, and the Granita will only be around for so long. Although we don’t have an exact end date, the official first day of fall in 2016 is Thursday, Sept. 22 (that’s when the Autumnal Equinox is this year); most of us probably think of the end of summer as being the end of August, though, so we can probably expect that the Granita will vanish sometime around then. But hey, when it goes, at least we’ll have the Pumpkin Spice Latte to take its place, right?
Oh, and hey, here’s a bonus: From June 14 to June 26, if you go to Starbucks in the morning, bring your receipt back after 3 p.m. You’ll be rewarded with a $3 Grande Granita at participating locations. Heck. And yes.
Images: Starbucks; Giphy (2)
