Starbucks Christmas Tree Frappuccino tastes like sugar and regret (but I took many photos)
Nothing says Christmas like a cold cup of sugar.
At least that's what I kept telling myself as I took a sip, and another one of the Christmas Tree Frappuccino. It's Starbucks' latest concoction that has people running out to corporate coffee shops, where they spend $5 and most likely take a bunch of smartphone photos to later post on social media.
Like this:
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Like any good business reporter, I jumped on the trend Sunday. After my editor shared a piece by The Denver Post reviewing the drink and some tweets of people's reactions, I asked if I could go get one and try it myself. Because that, my friends, is reporting.
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Well, I've been wanting to get one ever since my sister shared the Starbucks ad in our family group Thursday morning.
Three hours later, my mom shared a picture of hers. Her review: "It is delicious." Her favorite part was the candied cranberry topping.
I had participated in two of the previous limited-edition Starbucks drinks.
The Unicorn Frappuccino, a trend debut, was actually not too bad in my biased opinion. Though I think I was on an emotional high because I drank them with Chloe the Mini Frenchie (RIP).
The Zombie Frappuccino was strange, but I was also in the middle of emceeing an event in Columbus, Ohio.
I definitely couldn't let this one escape me.
And so that's how I ended up drinking 420 calories on a Sunday morning. Fortunately, I live four blocks from a Starbucks, so it wasn't too burdensome to put on a jacket and walk out in the cold weather for a frozen beverage.
The most embarrassing part was probably ordering when I asked for a "Christmas Tree Frappuccino" and the barista replied, "What?" So then I had to repeat myself over a cringeworthy order while the person in front of me just sipped her cup of hot coffee.
I waited to take a sip until I could take photos. Because, of course, that's exactly what Starbucks wants us all to do. All of our tweets are free ads. Actually, they're not just free. We're not getting paid. We're paying them. Starbucks is making money having us all make ads for them. It's brilliant, and I'm happy to be part of it.
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I got home and looked at the drink on my counter. The Matcha whipped cream had melted to half its height from before. I finally noticed that there was no candied cranberry topping. But I regretfully took a sip. And oh man, it was not good.
Thin Mints are great (Disclosure: I'm a Girl Scout). Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream is awesome.
The Starbucks Christmas Tree Frappuccino is not either of those things. Every sip of this beverage is an overload of sugar. I'd rather crush up a bunch of Thin Mints and mix them with some ice and milk in a blender than continue sipping this.
I'm not going to tell you not to get a Christmas Tree Frappuccino because you can probably make your own decisions. But this is not good and you can spend $5 on something else. If you need the picture, go to Starbucks and just wait for someone else to order one. But be good to yourself, and don't drink it.
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Please.
Kerry Flynn is a business reporter for Mashable covering the tech industry. She previously reported on social media companies, mobile apps and startups for International Business Times. She has also written for The Huffington Post, Forbes and Money magazine. Kerry studied environmental science and economics at Harvard College, where she led The Harvard Crimson's metro news and design teams and played mellophone in the Band. When not listening to startup pitches, she runs half-marathons, plays with puppies and pretends to like craft beer.
