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They Should Have Seen This Coming
Starbucks Crystal Ball Frappuccino - Review
QUICK FACTS:
Where: Starbucks
When: Limited time only (arrived March 22nd)
Gimmick: Colour changing crystals that “reveal your fortune”
Flavour: Peach
On March 22nd, Starbucks launched its latest limited edition Frappuccino, following up the unicorn, dragon and zombie versions of 2017 with the Crystal Ball Frappuccino. This is definitely one of those made for Instagram drinks: it’s super pretty, all pale green and white, with a shock of colour from the sprinkles on top of the whip cream. And it’s really the sprinkles that are the key to the gimmick: apparently they are colourless until they are sprinkled onto your whip cream and only the fates can decide which colour you get… and each colour signifies something different. As with all of these limited edition frapps, none of the signage tells you what flavour it is, and even the barista seemed unsure when I asked her about it! The answer I got was that it uses the peach infusion iced tea, so I figured what the hell, that’s along the lines of what I was in the mood for so I’ll give it a shot! Spoiler alert: I wish I had just gotten the iced tea.
I will say that it does taste like peach. It really does. It’s just unfortunate that it is RIDICULOUSLY sweet. I have a sweet tooth and I was wincing as I drank it - my mom kept asking me if I was sure I wanted to keep drinking it, and I really wasn’t because it was pretty gross, but I took one for the team and did it for you babes! You’re welcome. I have no clue what the green syrup splashed on the inside of the cup was for other than it being pretty, but I suspect that there was some kind of sweetener in everything involved in this drink, including that, making it so insanely sweet. Apparently there was also classic syrup (read: sweetener), peach infusion (usually sweetened), as well as the green stuff, topped off with sweetened and flavoured whipped cream and of course the sugar crystals. Serious sugar overload.
The crystal part was cool: there are three possible colours you can get, and each signify something different that is coming into your life - the only reason I know what they mean though is because I got an email from Starbucks the day before they were launched with the breakdown. So if you didn’t get that email or didn’t read it, here it is:
- MAGIC (purple): “Wonder and enchantment are headed your way. Also owls.”
- ADVENTURE (blue): “Better pack a snack today. Maybe an umbrella.”
- LUCK (green): “Wherever you go, good fortune will follow.”
My crystals turned blue, so apparently I should have packed a snack? I hate to doubt the powers of this Frappuccino, but I got it on my way home and I had a completely uneventful night! Traffic was even smooth, which if you’ve ever tried to get home in Toronto during rush hour you know that is not normal - it would have been far more spooky if that had happened after I’d gotten the green crystals… Oh well!
The best part of this drink was the whipped cream - it wasn’t overly sweet and it was just the right amount of peach flavour (of course they also flavoured the whipped cream peach, Starbucks does nothing by halves). I honestly would have taken a cup of just the whipped cream over the rest of the Frappuccino, but I’m also a big fan of whipped cream so that may be just me.
Moral of the story, if you like insanely sweet drinks and peach, then you may find this worth it - I won’t be ordering another one that’s for sure, and I’m definitely going to be warning people about how sweet it is! If you’re dying to try it (or just want it for the Instagram photo), I’d suggest ordering it without the classic syrup, that will probably take the sweetness down to a more bearable level.
My prediction? This is one limited edition drink that won’t be missed!
