Review: Starbucks - Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino

Starbucks' new Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino features Frappuccino roast coffee blended with milk, ice, and caramel sauce, topped with a layer of new dark caramel sauce, whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and a new "crunchy" caramel sugar topping.

A 16-ounce Grande was $2.22 during the Happy Hour promotion, down from $4.65.

If you've had a Caramel Frappuccino before, this is a lot like that. It's cloyingly sweet with a strong note of caramel. The dark caramel sauce adds an extra note of bitterness to the drink, but also adds more sugar. They forgot the caramel drizzle on mine, but I can safely say I wasn't missing the extra sugar and caramel. It also wasn't blended that well; there were a couple of whole ice cubes in my Frappuccino.

The crunchy caramel sugar doesn't really add to much flavor unless you're inclined to pick it off the top of the Frappuccino. Even if you mix it in, there's not that many pieces to go around. The topping has a taste and texture similar to crumbled brown sugar. I'd say it's more crispy than crunchy.

Overall, if you like Caramel Macchiatos or Caramel Frappucinos, the new Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino is probably right up your alley, although it might be even sweeter (they're all too sweet for me). I really liked the new dark caramel sauce though. If you enjoy caramel, but are looking to tone back the sugar, it might be worth a try to order a Frappuccino made with just the dark caramel sauce rather than pairing it with various caramel ingredients.

Nutritional Info - Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino - Grande with nonfat milk and whipped cream (16 fl oz)
Calories - 560 (from Fat - 170)
Fat - 18g (Saturated Fat - 12g)
Sodium - 300mg
Carbs - 95g (Sugar - 93g)
Protein - 4g