Celebrating the frappuccino’s twentieth anniversary, Starbucks offered customers a limited-edition birthday cake flavored frappuccino for one week, from March 26-30.

Although the time frame to get your hands on the blended beverage quickly passed, those who missed the opportunity can still taste the concoction with a few modifications. The limited-edition version consisted of a vanilla bean frappucino, one pump of hazelnut syrup, and raspberry whipped cream. Everyone familiar with the secret Starbucks menu may recognize this combination as strikingly similar to the “Captain-Crunch frappuccino”. Maybe that explains the distinct taste of sugary cereals upon taking a sip of the birthday cake frappe. In fact, the drink contains faint birthday cake flavors, but extreme sweetness prevails once again.

With so many birthday cake flavored ice creams, milkshakes, and other treats on the market, Starbucks’ frappuccino fails to add an interesting twist to existing desserts. If you like Captain Crunch, Fruit Loops, or Lucky Charms, the birthday cake frappuccino may provide adequate satisfaction. But, if you expect to taste cake batter and icing in a delicious blended beverage, as I did, prepare for disappointment. Also, I continue wondering who decides to serve anything labeled “birthday cake” without sprinkles. If Starbucks had included sprinkles on top, like they add java chips or caramel crunch to other frappuccinos, I may have given the drink a better rating. In other words, the birthday cake frappuccino does not taste bad, but it also does not taste as expected.

So if you missed the deadline, save your resentment. The birthday cake frappe combines unlikely flavors that only slightly live up to expectations. Simply put, the icy beverage tastes mediocre. But, if you pride yourself on trying every Starbucks drink on the menu, order a vanilla bean frappe and add hazelnut. You may miss the added raspberry whipped cream, but the overall flavor remains similar.

I, on the other hand, wish this Starbucks birthday present came with a gift receipt. When is the macchiato’s birthday?

The Chant’s Grade: B-