By Jodi Smith | Food Porn | March 22, 2018 |
By Jodi Smith | Food Porn | March 22, 2018 |
In the great tradition of Zombie Frappe, Unicorn Frappe, and Christmas Tree Frappe, Starbucks have rolled out yet another limited time flavor: Crystal Ball Frappuccino®. The draw this time isn’t holiday-specific, cashing in on a craze, or strange flavors. I’m not sure what the reasoning was for bringing Crystal Ball Frappes to the masses.
I went to Starbucks with no idea what flavors I would be getting or even an idea of the draw of the drink. There was no signage announcing the special beverage as there had been for every other limited time concoction. I googled to make sure I had the right timeframe and then asked the barista if they had them. With a sad smile, she replied yes and rang me up.
There are three possibilities with a Crystal Ball Frappe, all involving the candy gems sprinkled on top, which are random and unknown to even the barista who pours them from an opaque container. Blue foretells adventure, green is for luck, and purple means you’re getting some magic, wonder, and enchantment soon. The drink itself doesn’t change, starting with a creme Frappe base before adding a peach infusion, turquoise sprinkles, and then peach whipped cream on top.
I couldn’t place the flavor until I looked it up. It tasted pretty good; not too sweet and nothing strange like sour powder or matcha. It wasn’t an amazing taste experience, it took me a while to drink it, and the peach dissipated long before the drink was actually gone.
I was underwhelmed with it, to say the least. The candy gems were lovely to crunch and had a sweetness to them that was quite nice, but the drink itself is overall forgettable. It tastes like what happens when the boss’s kid gets to choose the Next Big Flavor and no one has the guts to tell them it’s too tame after the roster of insanity released for other limited time runs.
Here’s hoping we get something bonkers for the next limited time Starbucks drink.