I Tried “The Joker,” the Newest Starbucks Secret Menu Item. Here’s What I Thought.

Isadora Baum
Isadora Baum
Isadora Baum is a freelance writer, content marketer, and author of 5-Minute Energy. She can't resist a good sample, a margarita, a new HIIT class, or an easy laugh. She writes for various magazines, such as Men's Health, Women's Health, Well+Good, LIVESTRONG, POPSUGAR, SELF, Health, Cooking Light, Eating Well, and more.
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updated Oct 16, 2019
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When it comes to scary movies, my answer is always “no” — trust me, I’ll likely scream bloody murder, which wouldn’t be fun for anyone. Yet the new Joker Frappuccino “secret” drink at Starbucks with delicious matcha, mocha, and whip? TOTALLY down. 

It is a bit trickier to make than some of the other secret menu items I’ve tried thus far like the Jack Skellington Frappuccino or the IT Frappuccino. But it was totally worth it, in my opinion. (And my BFF barista was a real sport about it.)

Created by Totallythebomb.com and Brittanie Pyper, with help from an inspirational barista friend of hers, the newest concoction has a big red smile to resemble the Joker’s (but don’t worry, it’s made of strawberry syrup) and just looks really pretty, too, which makes it even more exciting to sip on. Not so scary in appearance, huh?

How to Order It

Basically you ask for a strawberry syrup smile to go along the side of the cup in the middle, and then you get a regular Matcha Green Tea Creme Frappuccino inside the cup. For the whipped crème, you sprinkle matcha powder on it and then drizzle with some rich chocolate syrup. 

My Thoughts

Joker? Scary AF. The Joker Frapp? Tasty AF. I happen to love matcha, too, so perhaps I am a bit biased, but if you’re a matcha fan like I am, you should definitely give this one a shot. 

And what I loved the most? It wasn’t that sweet! Yes, there’s a tiny bit of chocolate syrup and strawberry, but it’s basically just matcha, which is more bitter than sweet in general. I didn’t feel like I was sipping on a sugar bomb. (I probably was TBH — it is still a Frapp from Starbucks with whipped cream and syrup, but still.)

If I were to add anything to it, I’d maybe want some java chips sprinkled on top of the whipped crème and matcha powder for a bit of crunch and that delicious chocolate-coffee flavor. I think it’d be a great addition!

Another variation?

If you don’t want matcha overload, you can get another recipe instead. There’s another one from @bizinatch on Instagram that features a Vanilla Bean Frappuccino with strawberry purée, mocha sauce, and matcha powder on top. So, swapping vanilla for matcha — you still keep the color block combination to be Joker-esque.