Starbucks’ Crystal Ball Frappuccino is sweetly delightful

Maybe the name would be better suited for a Halloween drink, but the flavors of Starbucks’ Crystal Ball Frappuccino are perfect for spring if it’d show up.

Starbucks’ Crystal Ball Frappuccino probably shouldn’t have come out at the start of spring just by the name alone. Granted, the general signifiers of spring — flowers, rain, rabbits and eggs if you celebrate Easter — don’t really lend themselves well to naming a drink. A Bunny Frappuccino would have just made me think of eating rabbit, and when you go to Starbucks for non-coffee drinks, you expect sweetness.

And yes, the Crystal Ball is sweet, even after you get past the rock candy sprinkled on the top. I got blue candy, if it makes any difference. (According to the press release, it does. Guess I’m having an adventure today.) A delicate peach flavor dominates, though there are notes of cream as well beyond just the pile of whipped cream. While it’s easy for fruit flavors to trip over into all sweetness and no bite, the Crystal Ball retains some of that tangy flavor that you get towards the end of eating an actual peach.

Good on you for that, Starbucks.

Whether or not you should try the Crystal Ball Frappuccino probably depends on your personal tastes. If your go-to drinks at Starbucks are the teas or the crème Frappuccinos, then this is probably just another drink you’ll enjoy. Good luck, however, figuring out how to recreate it when it’s gone, since it won’t be as easy as things like the Birthday Cake Frappuccino. (The secret for that one is hazelnut syrup, at least in the drink itself.) Additionally, if you like a little adventure, then it’s certainly worth a try too.

But if that little bit of coffee makes your day worthwhile, or you agree with the weather and just aren’t ready to let go of winter just yet, then take a pass on the Crystal Ball. Although it does retain some decent complexity in its flavors, the base flavor is sweet, not bitter.

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Have you tried the Crystal Ball Frappuccino at Starbucks yet? What’s your take on it?