We tried Starbucks' newest over-the-top Frappuccino - and it's clear why it won't be the next Unicorn Frappuccino

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

• Starbucks launched the new Crystal Ball Frappuccino on Thursday.
• The Frappuccino is sickly sweet, but fake peach connoisseurs and Pop Rocks fans may find something to enjoy about the beverage. 
• However, the Crystal Ball Frappuccino is falling short in the one way that matters: Instagram appeal.

Starbucks wants to recapture the magic of the Unicorn Frappuccino - but its latest attempt fails in one key manner. 

On Thursday, Starbucks debuted the Crystal Ball Frappuccino. Like the Unicorn Frappuccino, it will only be available for four days, or as supplies last. Like the Unicorn Frappuccino, it's a sweet, brightly colored treat that's ideal for Instagram. 

And, like the Unicorn Frappuccino, most people except those with the sweetest of teeth will find the drink disgusting. 

To be fair, most of Starbucks' uncaffeinated Frappuccinos are going to miss the mark with those who don't like the idea of pouring hundreds of sugar packets in a creamy slush and then chugging it. Like most of the chain's fruity, cream-based Frappuccinos, the Crystal Ball Frappuccino - which is supposedly peaches-and-cream flavored - tastes mostly of liquid sweetener.

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

For the fake-peaches connoisseur, the fruity undertones in both the Frappuccino and its whipped cream provide a pleasant surprise in the turquoise beverage. 

"It's gross, but I like it," Business Insider's visual-features reporter Hollis Johnson said, calling the drink "sweet peachy sugar milk." 

I personally enjoyed the crystallized candy gems, which added a nice touch of texture to the drink. Frankly, they reminded me of Pop Rocks, with a little less punch - and I'm never going to say no to Pop Rocks. 

However, at the end of the day, Starbucks' limited-time Frappuccinos need to deliver on aesthetics, not taste. 

While the Crystal Ball is a turquoise, marble dream in Starbucks' press materials, the Frappuccinos purchased by Business Insider in Manhattan and Brooklyn revealed a more subdued color palate. 

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

The Unicorn Frappuccino was vividly colored and packed a punch. Meanwhile, the most the Crystal Ball can promise is some blue-ish tinges. 

A Frappuccino's Instagram appeal is key to its success, especially when Starbucks isn't doing much to promote the drink. While some stores are highlighting the Crystal Ball Frappuccino, others haven't even publicly added it to the menu. 

The Unicorn Frappuccino drove sales by going viral. The Frappuccino generated roughly 180,000 Instagram posts in just one week, according to UBS research. Meanwhile, as of Thursday at noon, the Crystal Ball Frappuccino hashtag had less than 2,000 entries. 

Starbucks needs to find a new Frappuccino strategy, as the category's sales have slumped over the past two years. In late January, Starbucks announced plans to end its popular Frappuccino Happy Hour deal after the promotion failed to drive sales in summer 2017.

"What we are trying to do this year is sort of reinvent Happy Hour," Starbucks CFO Scott Maw said of the promotion at a JPMorgan forum earlier in March. Starbucks plans to use digital assets - such as personalized marketing on its mobile app - to target certain subsets of customers.

While the Frappuccino Happy Hour has lost its shine, Maw said that the Unicorn Frappuccino acted as a significant sales driver last April.

"It was a wonderful product and we have got some other things planned that I think will be pretty cool as well," Maw said.