Making Something of My Addiction

I drink a lot of Starbucks, and I'm trying to justify my addiction. This will probably be a secondary blog that I run from my phone. Also, I write these as I'm drinking my drink which is usually earlier than my brain would like to function.. so... apologies for incoherentness.

[justifymyaddiction]

Whaaaaaaaaaaat. NEW POST?! This is the Twix Frappuccino!

I’m not going to lie, I went in for a horchata frappe (which is okay but basically a cinnamon dolce frappe and not really a horchata frappe) WHEN I SAW THIS ON A BOARD ALL OF IT’S OWN. I was in Millbrae for the art and wine fest and it was BLAZING so I went to a Starbucks there, and unfortunately I haven’t seen it elsewhere, nor do I know if they still have it.

But it was delicious. Maybe it’s because it was 80-90 degrees out, but this was so great. It tastes vaguely like a Twix, but if your favorite part of a Twix is the cookie (which is what  whole heartedly believe), then this may not be what you’ve been looking for.

Overall, would I get it again? Yesssss. If only I knew what was in it or where I could get it. Guess I’ll have to rely on my trusty friend, the internet.

[justifymyaddiction]

Mmmm more frappes! This is the Caramel Waffle Cone Frappuccino (WCF)!

I was pretty excited about this frappe, albeit a little confused.. because how would drinking this work? It was very cute with the waffle cone bits on top of the whipped cream, but I figured it was okay because I eat the whip + topping first anyway. 

But then, the waffle invasion.

Somebody out there help me, my cup was swarming with soggy squishy waffle bits. Frankly, it was disgusting.

Why are they all sitting at the bottom of your cup Jenn? Because, it was impossible to suck through the straw. I honestly have so many questions for this. Why would you put so many waffle bits inside and underneath the frappe..? Why would you make the waffle bits so large? Just.. why?

But back to business, the frappe itself was pretty normal. A caramel frappe (that’s what I assume one to taste like, I’ve never had a caramel frappe before). Pretty normal. nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing bad nor good about it.

Would I get it again? Honestly, probably not. It was an exciting buy, but more of a one-time deal.

[justifymyaddiction]

Don't forget Frappy hour starts this Friday! Half price frappes from 3-5pm!

[justifymyaddiction]

It was definitely spicy.. and that’s all I was sure of. This is the Spicy Chorizo, Monterey Jack & Egg Sandwich breakfast sandwich!

I like chorizo. It’s spicy and delicious and it’s meat. Who doesn’t like meat? (Yes, I know vegetarians don’t like meat, that’s not the point.) Was this chorizo? Not really..? 

When I think of chorizo, I think of amazing burritos.. mm. This was more like.. a spicy sausage, egg and cheese sandwich, but not really chorizo. No, not all spicy sausages are chorizo. You can’t just serve me a spicy sausage patty and slap on a chorizo label. Also, I was somehow disappointed by the fact that it was a sausage patty. I don’t really know what else I should have been expecting.

Also, was the cheese even monterey jack? I could not even tell. The egg was meh as usual. Easy to pick out if you don’t like egg.

I will admit that I like the bread on these sandwiches. It’s really soft but nicely toasted to give it a bit of texture.

Would I get it again? Yeah. Maybe. Eh. It just fell a bit short of my expectations (though I really shouldn’t have had any.

[justifymyaddiction]

It’s the Starbucks birthday season again! Yay? This is the Birthday Cake Frappuccino (Happy!)!

Let me first of all preface this by saying, I don’t even like eating cake. I don’t eat cake at parties. I don’t eat cake at my own birthday. I eat ice cream. This is not ice cream. This is cake (supposedly). But this does not mean I do not know what cake is like. SO. Eh. And I mean, I like frosting... :D

The most noticeable thing about this is the resemblance to a cupcake, which I thought was cute, and therefore appreciated. That’s about all I liked.

The whipped cream is pink, but don’t let it’s appearance fool you (nor should you let other websites fool you). This whip is plain and borderline greasy and gross. It felt heavier than usual and disappointing. Unfortunately it own’t be as cute without it. What a dilemma.

The frappe itself is a vanilla bean frappe with hazelnut (is what I read on the Starbucks website). It’s really sweet. The normal vanilla bean frappe is pretty mellow and pretty good, but this is.... oh man. My face was seriously cringing for so long.. oof.

Did this frappe make me happy like it was my birthday? No. Would I get it again? No.

[justifymyaddiction]

Yum yum yum yum yum, delicioso! :D This is the Smores Frappuccino (SMRF)!

I don’t know why I didn’t post about this before because this is definitely one of my favorites. I guess I hadn’t started blogging yet when this drink was released.

There’s something about the thought of a warm delicious smore.. in a frappuccino... mmm. There’s a layer of thick chocolate sauce and whipped cream at the bottom of the cup (already so yum), and the frappuccino (which tbh is pretty subpar, very average), topped with marshmallow whipped cream (yes, it is different) and graham cracker crumbles... everything is so great.

For some reason, whipped cream with (or without) its toppings really sets the stage for what kind of frappe it’s going to end up being.. I really like the fact that you can actually tell the difference.. and the graham cracker bits are oddly satisfying.. :)

It can get pretty sweet because of the chocolate sauce.. so I guess that’s a thing. It’s not an awful sweetness though, so no worries there. And if you’re worried that the whip cream at the bottom will change the frappe in some way, don’t worry. It’s like it’s not even there.

Would I get it again? Yes! Most definitely.

[justifymyaddiction]

TBT to when I got this written on my cup. 

[justifymyaddiction]

Don’t judge a frappe by it’s name. This is the Caramel Cocoa Cluster Frappuccino (CCOCF)!

This “fan favorite” has been brought back for a limited time since recently National Caramel Day recently passed! Trying it for the first time, I expected something sickeningly sweet similar to the Caramelized Honey Frappe or chocolate covered toffee. I was.. let down..?

Maybe my sweet levels had been thrown off by the CRHF, but this drink wasn’t as sweet as I expected it to be. Don’t get me wrong, if you don’t like sweets then don’t get this drink (why are you getting frappes at all if you don’t like sweets...?).

Neither flavor was very prominent in the drink, perhaps they cancelled each other out or the struggle to dominate my sweet sensitive taste buds resulted in the brutal murder of them. Either way it just ended up being sweet, but not too incredibly sweet.

Would I get it again? Probably not before it goes away...

[justifymyaddiction]

Note to self, never forget to ask for lite ice in iced drinks from Starbucks. This is the Iced Caramelized Honey Latte (CRHL).

I’ve definitely talked about how the iced lattes all taste the same, right? Well that’s what I think and this wasn’t really the exception. A sweet iced latte. With a bit of extra sweetness.

There is nothing else to say about this drink. HOWEVER. May I bring your attention to the level of ice in my cup? Ridiculous.

Would I get it again? No thanks, but if someone bought it for me I would not turn it down (but I would definitely hint to them not to get it anymore).

[justifymyaddiction]

Do you like sugar? This is the Caramelized Honey Frappuccino (CRHF).

Again I will ask, do you like sugar? And by that I mean, do you like drinking sugar? Because that’s basically what this drink is. Imagine a frappe with it’s only flavoring being brown sugar, mix in some honey and white sugar, and then top it with raw sugar for good luck.

This was the sweetest drink I’ve ever had from Starbucks so far. Sweeter than their Caramel Ribbon Crunch frappe (which is much too sweet). It felt like I was just drinking a sugar frappe. I cannot stress this enough.

It’s. All. Sugar.

The only thing that made this drink worthwhile was the whip with the caramel crunch bits (aka granules of sugar) because I’m weird and I like to eat my whip + topping before I drink the actual drink. That alone was more than enough sugar, and then there was still drink left to be consumed.

This is good if you’re really craving sugar though.. I guess..

Would I get it again? That’s like asking if I would like to get fillings again for the cavities that would form from consuming this product ever again.

[justifymyaddiction]

Honey meets coffee? Though apparently that’s already a thing. This is the Caramelized Honey Latte (CRHL)!

I’d like to start by saying that I will honestly confess that I’m not a big fan of the lattes at Starbucks. They just aren’t.. very.. good... but I usually can come to the general conclusion that their flavored lattes aren’t bad. This one was right there with the others.

Not bad is the only thing that I can say about this latte. It’s not the best thing I’ve ever had, but it’s not bad. Tasting neither caramel nor honey nor caramelized honey, I was a little disappointed. It was basically just a sweet latte.

Would I get it again? Probably not, but it’s still an option...

[justifymyaddiction]

Errr so spring is here… thus, the Cherry Blossom Frappuccino (CBF)!

This was a limited time drink and it's already gone.. Whoops. But you didn't miss anything if you didn't get to try it.

It was epically underwhelming. If you did miss the chance to try this drink out, get a strawberry frappe. It's the same thing only a little sweeter. Do you even need the extra sugar? Probably not. I didn't really know what else I could have been expecting, but I was still disappointed.

Would I get it again? No, not that I could even if I wanted to..

[justifymyaddiction]

Mmmmm mistakes (more on this to come). This is the Mango Black Tea Lemonade (MBTL).

I know what you’re thinking. It doesn’t say MBTL. I know. It’s because they messed my order up. I felt so bad especially because it was a venti.. but it was right before I took a midterm so I wasn’t really gonna deal with that.

I was surprised by how much I liked this drink. I like the tea lemonades quite a bit, so that wasn’t a deciding factor. But I don’t always like everything mango flavored as it can be grossly artificial. This time it still had that artificial tang but it wasn’t bad... I don’t really understand it myself.

It was a black tea lemonade with obviously additional mango flavoring. It was not like you mixed a mango black tea with lemonade.

Would I get it again? Yes. Simply, yes.

[justifymyaddiction]

Mmmm more subpar blended drinks. Yum! This is the Java Chip Frappuccino (JCF).

This was the soupiest frappe I’ve ever had in my entire life. Sometimes when I get nonfat milk my frappes end up a little more liquidy, but I forgot to ask for nonfat milk, so there is no excuse............ whatever.

Putting the lack of thickness that I like so much in a frappe aside, it wasn’t a terribly bad frappe. It was basically a double chocolatey chip frappe but supposedly with coffee.. which I didn’t taste. So basically it was a double chocolatey chip frappe.. which I was okay with. I think the texture (or lack thereof) was so off-putting which made the overall experience so disappointing.

Overall it wasn’t a bad frappe. Maybe blended too long. Maybe the chocolate chips were a little smaller than I like them to be. Maybe they added too much milk. Maybe that’s just how it’s supposed to be. I don’t know.

Would I get it again? Probably sometime in the future.

[justifymyaddiction]

I just dug this up from the depths of my photo gallery on my phone... whoops. Here’s lost post number one I guess.. this is the Strawberry Smoothie (SS)!

In case you’re wondering, the +PR is added protein.. cause I like it.. not that it really makes a difference anyway.

If anything, the fact that I lost this post should be a testament to how (not) good this drink was. I mean, it’s pretty standard. A strawberry smoothie. Can’t be that bad. I wouldn’t say it was bad necessarily, so much as it was painfully subpar. It tasted faintly of strawberries, but mostly like a watered down strawberry smoothie wannabe.

I’m not gonna say never get this because I’ve definitely had good strawberry smoothies in the past back in the good ol’ days when it was just strawberry banana. Maybe I just had a bad smoothie is all. Who knows.

The thing I will mention about their smoothies is that they aren’t all that thick.. awfully liquidy for my tastes. Then again, maybe that’s just how smoothies are. Maybe I’m the weird one.

Would I get this again? Ultimately, yes. Despite all the bad things I said about this smoothie, I believe hope that this was just a one-time thing.

[justifymyaddiction]

So uh.. this is the last new drink and well.. yeah. This is the Citrus Green Tea Latte (CGTL). When I first took off the lid to take a picture of the drink the lemony smell it gave off slapped me in the face and all of a sudden I was awake. It was quite alarming. When I took a sip, oh man, it was.. very.. different than anything I've ever had. Actually, that was a lie. It was like a grassy mojito. I know, you're probably thinking, "JENN, YOU DRINK?!" I don't. When I was on a cruise BEFORE I WAS 21 I had a "no-jito" (mojito without the alcohol) and it was actually the worst thing I've ever had. Maybe the alcohol would've helped the drink, but I doubt it. The point is, the CGTL had minty and citrusy notes to it, similar to that of a mojito. Did I ever want to revisit these feelings? No. I don't really know what else I should've been expecting, but basically, imagine a mojito but made with green tea instead of alcohol? My other analogy if you have never experienced a no-/mojito, is freshly cut and washed grass. Like that fresh cut grass smell and sensation that you smell/feel in the morning. In a drink. Yeah. After the first sip horrors, it wasn't the WORST thing I've ever had... But still not great. If anything I feel like I've just been dulled to the taste and now I'm just used to it. Maybe you'll like it if you like mojitos or grass or the combination of lemon, grass, and matcha. Would I get it again? Nope. No thanks. Please no. Probably not.

[justifymyaddiction]

Another new drink! Kinda! This is the Smoked Butterscotch Frappuchino (SBF)!

After the confusion with the SBL (Smoked Butterscotch Latte), I decided I would give the frappuchino version a shot in the hopes that it would be more well blended together (hahaha see my SBL post for the insight on the joke.. ahaha..).

Was it more well blended? Yes. Did it taste better? Meh. Was there any hint of smokiness? No.

Let’s be honest, it tasted like sugar. Vaguely reminiscent to the coffee + TN frappe that I like so much, so this was in no way hard for me to get through. It certainly wasn’t what I was expecting it to taste like (did I even have any expectations to begin with?) but again, it was in no way bad.

The whipped cream on top (yes, I got the full amount of whip for once) was topped with what seemed to be the same sugar sparkles from the SBL, which makes sense. When I have a frappe with whipped cream on top it’s almost always because it’s either: - Flavored (ex: chocolate) - Topped with a topping (ex: caramel drizzle, sugar sparkles, chocolate shavings, etc.)

These reasons combined with my impatience means that I almost always eat all of the whipped cream off my frappe before I actually get to the drink portion. The sugar sparkles definitely made the whipped cream much sweeter and added a subtle texture which was pleasant. If my eating the whipped cream off my drink rather than mixing it is the reason for my drink being neither smokey nor butterscotch-y, then someone please tell me.

Would I get this drink again? I would rather get a coffee frappe + TN, but if I ever get sick of that, this will suffice.