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The Jimmy Butler Saga Is Finally Over As He Got Traded To The Warriors

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Jimmy Butler‘s time as a member of the Miami Heat has come to an end. Butler, the veteran wing whose relationship with the team had turned sour over recent months, received the move that he’s coveted ahead of the NBA’s trade deadline on Thursday afternoon, as the Heat decided to send him to the Golden State Warriors.

According to Shams Charania, Golden State will send Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, and Kyle Anderson to the Heat along with a first round pick — after pivoting from a pursuit of Kevin Durant earlier in the week. The Pistons joined the deal as a third team to take on salary, per Charania, as they entered Wednesday as the only team in the NBA below the salary cap number. They were not alone, though, as the deal got expanded to five teams, including the Utah Jazz, per Charania, Jake Fischer, and Chris Haynes.

The Raptors’ initial inclusion in the deal fell apart and, for the moment, no one is quite sure exactly where Kyle Anderson is going, per Fischer and Charania.

Warriors get: Jimmy Butler
Heat get: Andrew Wiggins, PJ Tucker, and a 2025 top-10 protected first round pick via GSW
Pistons get: Lindy Waters and Josh Richardson
Jazz get: Dennis Schroder
Someone gets: Kyle Anderson

Butler joined the Heat via a sign-and-trade with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019, and has had some of the most productive and successful years of his career in Miami. He led the team to a pair of NBA Finals berths, although the team has not been able to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy with Butler at the helm.

That last thing was brought up by Pat Riley at his end of season press conference last year, which laid the groundwork for the ongoing tension between the franchise and Butler, who is eligible for a contract extension this summer but never seemed like he was going to get one from his current employer. It has led to a prolonged trade saga, one in which Butler has made clear that he wants a change in scenery and the Heat have suspended him on multiple occasion.

Now, he’ll head to the Warriors who have been desperately searching for a second star to pair with Stephen Curry. Butler initially said he would likely to decline his player option this summer and hit the free agent market, but with few teams capable of paying him without it being a sign-and-trade, the Warriors were also able to negotiate a two-year, $121 million extension with Butler, per Charania. That extension will kick in next season as Butler is declining his player option for the new deal.

The Heat wanted to avoid taking on any long-term salary in the trade, which is why the Warriors couldn’t really get involved until Wednesday when Dennis Schroder became eligible to be aggregated with other players in a trade. Wiggins has one more year on his deal before a player option and Tucker is on an expiring (and is familiar with the Heat). They also move off of Richardson’s contract by sending him to Detroit, which negates some of the incoming money as well. The Heat also got a real first round pick, as the Warriors right now are expected to land outside the top 10 of the lottery, for this year to continue injecting some youth into their roster.

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Megan Thee Stallion Is Getting ‘KPOPPED’ With Psy In Apple TV’s New Song Battle Series

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Over the past few years, K-pop has emerged as a force in music, with the genre’s artists taking over the Billboard charts and forming timely collaborations with established stars Stateside. The East-meets-West fusion will deepen with the premiere of Apple TV’s new series KPOPPED, a song battle show which pairs stars from both continents to remix their fan-favorite hits.

Executive produced by Lionel Richie and Miky Lee, the show will be hosted by Megan Thee Stallion and “Gangnam Style” rapper Psy. Set in Seoul, each episode will pair a different Western recording artist with a K-pop idol to remix, then perform tracks before a live audience in a competition to see whose “K-popped” song comes out on top.

Megan Thee Stallion is an excellent choice to co-host, as her experience with K-pop is more extensive than most. She was one of the first American rappers to acknowledge the genre, teaming up with BTS in 2021 to remix their hit “Butter.” More recently, she reconnected with BTS rapper RM for “Neva Play” from Megan: Volume 2, and followed up with the TWICE collaboration, “Strategy.”

Meanwhile, Psy also makes for a compelling pick, as his 2012 hit “Gangnam Style” was one of the first-ever K-pop hits to cross over in the US. Its viral success led to the opening of a new market in North America, becoming the most viewed video on YouTube for a time and sparking a number of parodies, remixes, and reaction videos.

The premiere date and performers for KPOPPED will be announced soon.

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When Will The Next Episode Of NBC’s Divisive ‘The Hunting Party’ Air?

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Melissa Roxburgh’s time with NBC thus far included a controversial cancellation of Manifest, which was a bonkers, nonsensical series but nonetheless wildly appealing, to the point where viewers campaigned for resurrection. That prayer came true at Netflix, ever so briefly, so clearly, there’s an appetite for leaning into objectively not-great shows that qualify as escapism. NBC knows that specific type well in the sci-fi genre, as evidenced also by La Brea, among other shows that could be a discussion for another day.

Roxburgh’s latest show (although not sci-fi but a crime procedural) qualifies in that category, at least after the season premiere. The show currently holds a 0% Rotten Tomatoes rating, and the late Roger Ebert’s website labelled it as “one of the most insulting network shows in years.” Some of the user reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, however, indicate differently, so people are certainly tuning in for more. Or trying to do so.

When Will The Next Episode Of NBC’s The Hunting Party Air?

Monday, February 10. The absence of an episode this week was due to NBC pushing up the series premiere to January 19. As a result, it only feels like the second episode is on a multi-week delay, but The Hunting Party is simply reverting back to its original schedule. If you haven’t yet caught the series and are looking for a The Manifest-level of “wtf,” NBC provided a synopsis:

The Hunting Party is a high-concept crime procedural about a small team of investigators who are assembled to track down and capture the most dangerous killers our country has ever seen, all of whom have just escaped from a top-secret prison that’s not supposed to exist, only known as “The Pit.”

The Hunting Party also streams new episodes on Peacock.

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Anthony Edwards Wants To Sit Courtside For Luka Doncic’s Return To Dallas

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It’s not often that a trade happens in the NBA that everyone has thoughts on and everyone is talking about. Even when stars get traded, if it’s as part of a request or has a lot of smoke around it, other stars around the league aren’t asked about it constantly and they definitely don’t bring it up on their own.

The Mavericks trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis was one of those rare deals, and we’ve seen stars, coaches, and executives from all over speak on the move that has sent shockwaves across the league. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Edwards all spoke at length about their reaction to the deal and what it means that a 25-year-old superstar still yet to enter his prime could get traded away suddenly in the middle of the night with no notice.

Edwards, in particular, was stunned and was thinking about it so much that he posted some extended thoughts to his Instagram page on Wednesday. The Wolves’ All-Star guard still is in disbelief, particularly having just lost to Luka and the Mavs in the Western Conference Finals and seeing how he led that team, and also thinks the Mavs just created an even bigger problem for the rest of the league with the spin they’ve put on it talking about his conditioning. The best part is at the end when Edwards says he wants to buy courtside seats to watch Doncic’s first game back in Dallas,

“Man it’s crazy. He just took them to the Finals,” Edwards said. “He beat me and took his team to the Finals. I’d just feel so tried, that like, if they say I couldn’t do this I’d go [do it]. You know what I’m sayin? Whatever they sayin about me, I’ma change the whole storyline. The whole campaign, it’s gonna be my campaign. He just took y’all to the Finals. Hell yeah [the created a monster]. If the respect that I got for him is where I think it is, yeah they created a monster. Hell yeah. And I’m excited to play the Lakers now, cause they created a monster, boy. Man, what? He was gettin 35 like it ain’t nothin. Now like, they finna make him drop to 240 and all type of sh*t. Like he gon’ be in shape. Dunkin sh*t.

“I’m excited to see the first time the Lakers play Dallas the first time they play in Dallas. I’m super excited to see that. Oh my god. It’s in a few weeks? If we not playin I’m buyin front row tickets to that b*tch. Hey, for real.”

Edwards is one of the funniest personalities in the NBA and I really hope he actually makes it to Dallas on April 9 when the Lakers make the trip and is sitting courtside with a bucket of popcorn. The Timberwolves travel schedule makes this a very real possibility, as they’re in Milwaukee on April 8 and Memphis (which is a very short flight from Dallas) on April 10.

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The Sacramento Kings Traded For Jonas Valanciunas

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The Sacramento Kings have had a busy week, as they were part of the second biggest blockbuster trade of this weekend when they sent De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio for Zach LaVine and a number of draft picks in a big three-team deal (that was overshadowed by the Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis stunner).

The Kings do not seem intent on trying to tear things down and rebuild despite trading their star point guard, and instead seem determined to stay in the Play-In hunt out West. That was the idea behind adding LaVine (along with two real first round picks and a third that will almost assuredly become two seconds) and they continued to bolster their roster with veterans on Wednesday before the deadline, acquiring Jonas Valanciunas, who is averaging 11.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this season, from the Wizards, per Marc Stein, Shams Charania, and Bobby Marks.

Kings get: Jonas Valanciunas
Wizards get: Sidy Cissoko and two second round picks (2028 DEN, 2029 SAC)

Cissoko was part of the Fox trade and will now take one of the longest reroutes one possibly could in the NBA, going from San Antonio to Sacramento for a couple days to now going all the way across the country to Washington, D.C. This was the second trade made by the Wizards on Wednesday, as they sent Kyle Kuzma and Patrick Baldwin Jr. to Milwaukee for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, and a 2028 pick swap. Washington made clear coming into the season that they were still in the tearing things down phase, and have now made good on that promise by trading two of their top veterans ahead of the deadline.

For the Kings, they add some center depth and Domantas Sabonis’ teammate on the Lithuanian national team. While it’s not abundantly clear what the plan is defensively in Sacramento, they do continue to add a lot of offensive players ahead of the deadline and seem determined to try and make the Play-In by winning shootouts in the second half of the season.

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Kevin Durant Had ‘No Desire’ To Return To The Warriors, Who ‘Abandoned’ Trade Talks

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The most successful years of Kevin Durant’s career from a team perspective were his three seasons in Golden State, where he helped lead the Warriors to two championships where he was Finals MVP both times before losing to the Raptors in their quest for a three-peat after he and Klay Thompson suffered injuries.

However, that last season in the Bay featured a pretty clear rift building between Durant and the Warriors, most famously playing out in a spat on the bench with Draymond Green. That summer, Durant would leave for Brooklyn to team up with Kyrie Irving and has failed to lead another team to the top of the league in his time with the Nets and Suns. With Phoenix in Play-In position and Bradley Beal unwilling to waive his no-trade clause, the Suns have been exploring their options to shake things up, with Jimmy Butler hoping to land in the desert amid his trade request from the Miami Heat.

That has led to rumors this week that the Suns are listening on trade offers for Durant, with the Golden State Warriors being the most aggressive team in pursuit of the future Hall of Famer. The problem for the Warriors is, Durant has no interest in going back to the Bay. On Wednesday, after a couple days of very loud rumblings about a Warriors deal, numerous reports surfaced with one clear message from Durant: He doesn’t want to play for the Warriors again.

Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported he had “serious reservations” about coming back, before Shams Charania made it abundantly clear with his report on ESPN that he has “no desire in a reunion with the Warriors. He does not want to go back to the Warriors.”

Brian Windhorst followed that Charania report by suggesting his best guess is Durant either remains with the Suns or ends up with the Heat, which would be a wild return for Miami to get for Butler. All of this begs the question…why are the Suns suddenly so desperate to trade Durant?

I think at least a part of it — and the reason why the Warriors are trying to get in on every All-Star in the NBA — is that other owners are losing their minds at the Lakers landing Luka Doncic. There’s not really a good basketball reason to trade Kevin Durant, but Mat Ishbia has enjoyed making splashy moves at every possible turn (including bringing Durant to Phoenix). The other reason is also not dissimilar to what Dallas just did (just with very different and more understandable circumstances), which is Phoenix likely anticipates Durant looking to leave soon and potentially asking for a trade this summer. He did not re-sign on an extension this past summer and it seems pretty clear this Suns team as constructed isn’t a real contender, which would make it reasonable for the 36-year-old Durant to want to find a new team that gives him one more run at a title.

If the Suns see that as a possibility, I understand why they’d at least see what’s out there on the market right now. If they were to turn Durant into a few quality players (either young or in their prime) and some draft assets they desperately lack, I could understand trying to reset a touch and try one more build around Devin Booker. That said, if the plan is to turn Durant into Jimmy Butler, I do not see how that solves their problems, but we do know Butler would re-sign longterm when Durant seems to not want to do the same.

On the Warriors side, they have apparently received that message from Durant and have pivoted to their own pursuit of Butler — despite Jimmy stating he didn’t plan on re-signing there if traded. According to Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic and Marc Stein, Golden State has “abandoned” talks with the Suns and moved on to Miami to try and work out a deal for Butler. At this point, if the Warriors strike out on Butler, they’ll have to reassess their position and circle back on guys like Nikola Vucevic or perhaps Brandon Ingram. If Thursday’s deadline comes and goes without a legitimate star going to the Warriors, it’ll be hard for them to explain away to their fans after such a public pursuit of so many guys.

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The Notorious B.I.G.’s Family Is Suing Target And Home Depot Over Prints Of ‘The King Of New York’

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The Notorious B.I.G.‘s estate has filed a lawsuit against Target, Home Depot, and more, arguing that canvas prints of a famous photo of the rapper were sold by the companies without authorization.

According to Billboard, the photo at issue — titled “The King Of New York” and taken by Barron Claiborne days before his death — was illegally reproduced by iCanvas and sold a list of retailers including Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, Nordstrom, and Target.

“Defendants specifically chose to use Mr. Wallace’s persona, name, image, likeness … in an attempt to capitalize on their fame and extraordinary financial value,” reads the lawsuit, which includes both B.I.G.’s estate and Claiborne as plaintiffs. “Mr. Wallace’s fan base has continued to expand since his passing. Mr. Wallace’s persona, name, image, likeness, and artistic works are so well known that they are almost universally and instantly recognizable, even by those born after he died.”

When contacted about the photo, the estate writes, Target and Home Depot did remove it from their inventory, but Bed Bath & Beyond and iCanvas continued selling it for the past eight years. The instance joins a string of recent incidents of copyright infringement involving deceased rappers such as MF DOOM.

“The King Of New York” is considered one of the most well-known images of the late Christopher Wallace, featuring the rotund rapper adorned with a plastic crown in front of a red backdrop. A mural in his home neighborhood, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, is based on the photo, and the crown from it even sold for over half-a-million dollars at auction in 2020.

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How Park City Song Summit Is Carving A New Lane Among Music Festivals

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Call it the Taylor Swift effect, but music fans are mixing their love of live music with travel more than ever by “gig-tripping” – planning travel around concerts and music festivals. According to Skyscanners Travel Trends 2024 Report, 44% of US travelers would fly short-haul to see their favorite artists live.

This should come as no surprise, as plenty of data in the last several years confirms that young people prefer spending their hard-earned money on experiences rather than things. With live music, travel, and wellness at the top of many Millennial and Gen Z’s priority lists, combining them just makes sense.

Enter Park City Song Summit, a new breed of music festival that blends it all in the beautiful mountain surroundings of Park City, Utah.

Emily Hart

WHAT MAKES PARK CITY SONG SUMMIT DIFFERENT?

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Park City Song Summit is a relatively new music festival but has quickly gained popularity for its unique approach to the live music experience. Beginning in 2022, the Park City Song Summit has aimed to create an immersive and intimate gathering for music enthusiasts and artists.

Unlike traditional music festivals, Park City Song Summit truly prioritizes meaningful connections between artists and audiences by offering intimate performances, daily panel discussions, and workshops where attendees can engage with their favorite musicians and industry professionals.

The festival emphasizes wellness and mental health for attendees and touring musicians with daily schedules packed with wellness activities, yoga sessions, and discussions on topics ranging from mental health awareness to addiction recovery and inclusivity.

SUMMIT LABS:

Emily Hart

The festival (held this year on August 15-17) contained ten unique sessions, or “Summit Labs.” Park City Song Summit describes them as the “heartbeat of the festival,” and after attending several, I’d have to agree. Held in an intimate and inviting space at Pendry Park City, the conversations ranged from navigating creativity in the age of AI to breaking gender norms in the brass section and driving transformative impact in a transactional world.

Some of my favorite labs were artists in conversation, featuring legendary artists like Darryl DMC McDaniels discussing dignity in dialogue and embracing artistic freedom, and Jim James of My Morning Jacket discussing the toll of heavy touring and mental health with iconic rock photographer Danny Clinch.

FOCUS ON WELLNESS, MENTAL HEALTH AND RECOVERY:

Yoga, Meditation and Sound Baths

One of Park City Song Summit’s Core Values is “Where Music Meets Wellness,” and the schedule at the festival fully aligns. Yoga, meditation, and sound baths are offered each morning on the beautiful rooftop of Pendry Park City, with views of the surrounding epic mountains.

Song Summit Village and Artists Lounge

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Festival attendees and artists have plenty of options for wellness activities throughout the day. At the Song Summit Village, attendees could book a chair massage, IV hydration, B12 shot, or cuddle some puppies with Nuzzles and Co. pet rescue. Artists and crew had dedicated space to indulge in mocktails, IVs, oxygen, reiki, and many other wellness activities.

A unique aspect of the festival is the Recovery Hangs, offered multiple times each day as a safe place to connect and support those in any and all types recovery. While the festival isn’t alcohol-free, there is a heavy emphasis on addiction recovery and inclusivity for all that stands out.

AND OF COURSE, THE MUSIC:

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I mean, this is a music festival at the end of the day, and the diversity of artists here is well worth the trip on their own. From Mavis Staples to Cimafunk, Larkin Poe, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, and My Morning Jacket – there is a wide range of music throughout the day on various stages and the gorgeous amphitheater at night.

WHERE TO STAY:

Hyatt Centric Park City

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Park City Song Summit takes place in the Canyons Village area of Park City Mountain, where plenty of options exist for lodging, restaurants, and shopping. I stayed at Hyatt Centric Park City, which was quickly walkable to all the festival offered.

The rooms and suites at the Hyatt Centric Park City range from deluxe guest rooms to spacious four-bedroom residences. Each features comfortable furnishings, modern amenities, and stunning mountain views. The resort also offers a variety of on-site amenities, including a restaurant, bar, fitness center, and year-round outdoor pool.

Pendry Park City

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Pendry Park City is a luxurious, modern mountain resort in the heart of Park City Song Summit, where many of the festival’s events occur on its property and grounds. Uniquely blending contemporary design and alpine charm, the ski-in/ski-out resort provides easy access to the slopes of Park City Mountain in the winter and to Canyons Village and all the other offerings the rest of the year.

Pendry Park City offers a variety of dining options, including a rooftop bar with panoramic views of the mountains, a fitness center, a spa, and an outdoor pool, providing travelers with ample opportunities for relaxation and rejuvenation between festival events.

WHAT TO DO OUTSIDE OF THE FESTIVAL:

Park City Main Street

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A trip to Park City is only complete with a visit to its historic Main Street. If you’re staying in Canyons Village, getting there is easy: riding a Park City Transit bus, using a ride-sharing service, or taking a scenic walk or bike ride the 5 miles to Main Street.

The charming historic district has unique shops, art galleries, bars, and restaurants. My top tip for a genuinely authentic Park City experience is to visit Burns Cowboy Shop. This iconic store has been crafting custom hats for over 50 years, with skilled hat makers helping patrons design one-of-a-kind hats.

Hiking

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Park City, like all of Utah, honestly, is a hiker’s paradise, offering stunning mountain scenery, diverse trails, and fresh mountain air. Surrounded by the majestic Wasatch Range, there are hikes for all levels here, offering breathtaking views of awe-inspiring peaks, alpine lakes, and lush forests. AllTrails has tons of options, including these easy to moderate hikes nearby:

Bloods Lake Trail

Just outside of Park City lies one of the area’s most popular trails: Bloods Lake. The trail is moderate and offers stunning alpine views and Bloods Lake itself, a pristine alpine lake surrounded by towering peaks.
Length: 2.8 miles
Difficulty: Moderate

Armstrong Trail to Dawns Trail Loop

Another popular trail near Park City is Armstrong Trail to Dawns Trail Loop. At 711 feet of elevation gain in 3.5 miles, it is moderately challenging and offers panoramic views of the Wasatch Range.
Length: 3.5 miles
Difficulty: Moderate

Alpine Lake Trail

An easy trail closest to the festival itself is Alpine Lake Trail. The just 1.6-mile trail is relatively flat, with stunning views of the surrounding peaks and a serene alpine lake.
Length: 1.6 miles
Difficulty: Easy

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When Does ‘Invincible’ Season 3 Premiere On Prime Video?

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No straightforward superhero stories will be found on Prime Video/Amazon, and that’s more than fine. This year, Gen V‘s second season will arrive to follow up on Homelander’s arrival during the campus bloodbath. Additionally, Robert Kirkman’s Invincible will return after an arguably too-slow season, but perhaps that will change with Mark Grayson’s Blue Suit era coming viewers’ way.

Steven Yeun’s character will also make his thoughts clear on the bureaucratic antics of Walton Goggins’ Global Defense Agency chief, Cecil Stedman. A trailer reveals that their working relationship has hit the skids, and February TV is about to bring the graphic comic violence.

When Does Invincible Season 3 Debut On Prime Video?

Premiere day is February 6 with streaming times varying across time zones (3:00am EST, 12:00am PST), and the first three episodes will stream at once. From this season’s synopsis:

Based on Robert Kirkman’s award-winning comic book series, Invincible follows 19-year-old Mark Grayson, as he inherits his father’s superpowers and sets out to become Earth’s greatest defender, only to discover the job is more challenging than he could have ever imagined. Everything changes as Mark is forced to face his past, and his future, while discovering how much further he’ll need to go to protect the people he loves.

Invincible‘s massive ensemble cast includes Ross Marquand, Zazie Beetz, Seth Rogen, Sterling K. Brown, Ben Schwartz, Zachary Quinto, and Gillian Jacobs. The first two seasons are already streaming in full.

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We Tried Starbucks’ New Valentine’s Day Drinks And Ranked Them All — Here Is The Only One Worth Ordering

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It’s February, Valentine’s Day is on the horizon and nothing says “romance,” more than… new drinks at Starbucks?

Okay, maybe Starbucks isn’t the first (or second, or third, or fourth, or fifth) thing we think of when it comes to the year’s most romantic holiday, but that hasn’t stopped the big coffee chain from introducing a grip of new drinks for the season.

Whether you give in fully to Valentine’s Day or are one of those people who see the holiday as just a way for our society to sell us stuff we don’t need, the new drinks capitalize on the flavors most closely associated with the holiday, like strawberries and chocolate, and feel however you want about February 14th, but that’s a flavor combination too good to deny.

The new drinks include the Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Crème Frappuccino, the Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Cold Brew, and the sexily named Midnight Drink. There is no way all of these drinks are worth your money, so we picked up all three, put ‘em to a taste test, and ranked them from least to most essential.

Here are our thoughts.

4. Midnight Drink

Dane Rivera

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

Despite its admittedly evocative name, the Midnight Drink tasted too muted to really appeal to us. The drink consists of a blackberry fruit infusion shaken with coconut milk. Visually, it looks appetizing, but flavorwise it tastes like dirty water tinged with a bit of tart berry undertones.

The coconut doesn’t come through well enough. Overall, it tastes like this one is missing a few key ingredients to make it worth ordering.

The Bottom Line:

Skip this one. It looks great and sounds appetizing, but it tastes muted to the point of near flavorlessness.

3. Chocolate Covered Strawberry Crème Frappuccino

Dane Rivera

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

This is the one drink out of the four that seems explicitly Valentine’s Day-themed, and because of that I would’ve liked to rank it higher but, here it is sitting at third. Despite being second to last, that isn’t to say this drink isn’t good. Unlike the Midnight Drink, Starbucks didn’t forget to pack this one with flavor.

This drink takes the Strawberry Crème base and builds on it by adding a heavy drizzle of chocolate syrup, blended chocolate chunks, and a thick layer of Strawberry purée. The flavor balances sweet and creamy strawberry tones with more tart sensations, with a nice rich dark chocolate finish.

It’s everything you want a Frappuccino to be — indulgent, sweet, and taste-bud pleasing with a nice decadent twist.

The Bottom Line:

Delicious enough that you’ll want it to be part of Starbucks’ permanent menu. It’s a shame it’s not.

2. Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Cold Brew

Dane Rivera

Of the four new Valentine’s Day drinks, the Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Cold Brew is the only one that has any coffee in it, so if you’re all about that heavy dose of caffeine, this is the drink for you.

The Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie Cold Brew features a nutty, buttery, and earthy flavor with a hint of chocolate and a whole lot of sweetness, which pairs nicely with the soft cocoa flavor of Starbucks’ cold brew base. The foam on this cold brew features little flecks of chocolate which help to emphasize that chocolatey vibe even more.

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

A welcome twist to Starbucks’ cold brew. Especially if you’re into chocolatey Nutella vibes.

1. Blackberry Sage Lemonade Refresher

Dane Rivera

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

Starbucks’ Refreshers line are essentially mocktails, which makes them incredibly easy to write off. A big criticism of mocktails is that you don’t get anything out of them, it’s essentially an elevated sweet drink, which begs the question, why not just have a Coca-Cola? Well, drinks like the Blackberry Sage Lemonade Refresher make the whole concept of a mocktail valid.

This drink features a sweet and tangy lemonade base infused with blackberries and a hint of sage. It’s a true joy to drink. It’s tangy, tart, earthy, a bit woody, and has this addicting bright and minty finish. The way the Blackberry Sage Lemonade Refresher hits your palate takes your tastebuds on a journey. It’s surprisingly nuanced and complex, and it is easily Starbucks’ best lemonade ever.

The Bottom Line:

Don’t write off the Refreshers as simple mocktails. The Blackberry Sage Lemonade Refresher, with its complex, earthy, tart, and sweet flavor is absolutely worth a trip to Starbucks.

That’s not something we ever thought we’d say about this line of beverages.