Tag: Coffee

QUICK REVIEW: Starbucks Salted Cream Cold Foam Cold Brew

Heather 3 Comments

Starbucks Salted Cream Cold Foam Cold Brew

What is it?

Starbucks is continuing down its cold foam path with a new summery iced beverage, the Salted Cream Cold Foam Cold Brew. It’s description says it best – it’s the “signature, super smooth Cold Brew. sweetened with a touch of caramel and topped with a salted, rich cold foam.”

How is it?

I liked this drink, but I didn’t love it. My friendly barista, who knows me by name (being a Starbucks regular was on my bucket list, so I’m living the dream), likened it to the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew but with caramel.

Let me give you this warning: If you don’t like the idea of salt in your coffee, do NOT try this drink. My first sip was very salty, and I wasn’t sure how the rest of the experience would go.

Starbucks Salted Cream Cold Foam Cold Brew 2

Fortunately, it did look up: The Cold Brew itself was very smooth and subtly sweet. I didn’t taste too much caramel, but the salt could have overpowered that. Once the salt and the cold foam settled, I enjoyed the way it dispersed into the cold brew. That part did remind me of the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew – it became a creamier drink, in a good way.

Is there anything else I need to know?

This was the first time I tried one of the cold foam lids and sipped straight out of it, and I give it two thumbs up. Don’t throw your coffee grounds at me, but I was one of those people still sticking a straw in when I would order the cold foam cappuccinos Starbucks released earlier this year. But now that I’ve gone strawless, I won’t look back.

Conclusion:

The Salted Cream Cold Foam Cold Brew is most definitely worth a try. But if you don’t like a salty-and-sweet combo, it may not be for you.

Purchased Price: $4.45
Size: Tall
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Tall) – 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 240 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 17 grams of sugars, 1 grams of protein, and 140 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: McDonald’s Cold Brew Frozen Coffee

Marvo 10 Comments

McDonald s Cold Brew Frozen Coffee

Superman is Clark Kent without glasses and a suit.

McDonald’s Cold Brew Frozen Coffee is the Golden Arches’ Cold Brew Frappe without the whipped cream and chocolate drizzle.

While it’s hard to believe no one realizes Mr. Kent is the Man of Steel, it’s easy to see the Cold Brew Frozen Coffee is a Cup of Slush.

The fast food behemoth’s newest attempt to cool and caffeinate you at the same time is a combo of the chain’s new cold brew coffee Frappe base and ice that ends up looking like a chocolate shake. Sadly, McDonald’s isn’t offering a non-frozen version of the beverage. Although, if you wanted a less crystalline drink, you could buy this and let it melt in the summer sun.

With McDonald’s Frappe, the whipped topping, drizzle, and syrup in and on it create a coffee camouflage that does a great job at hiding from your taste buds the fact you’re drinking java.

McDonald s Cold Brew Frozen Coffee 2

This blended beverage is still sweet and creamy, like a Frappe, but without the added sugary ingredients, the coffee flavor stands out a bit more. The cold brew process creates a sweeter and smoother cup of joe than hot brewed, but it’s impossible to tell in this since it comes with a bunch of sugar and cream.

Although I didn’t try the Frappe version, this has the right level of dairy and sweetness for me. Whenever I order a Frappe or a Starbucks Frappuccino, there’s almost always a point when it gets too cloying and I don’t want to finish it (but I somehow find the strength to muscle through it). But with this, I sucked the whole thing through a straw without hesitation.

Okay, not completely without hesitation. There were moments when I had to pause due to brain freeze.

Because I like my McDonald’s java drinks to be sugary, creamy, and made with a proprietary coffee base, this is right up my caffeinated alley. So if you enjoy McDonald’s Frappe beverages, but wished there was something that tastes and looks less like a dessert, the Cold Brew Frozen Coffee might be for you.

Of course, if you have coffee running through your veins from a country I can’t find on a map, you will probably shun this delicious combo of cold, coffee, caffeine, cream, and sweet crystals.

(Nutrition Facts – small – 290 calories, 100 calories from fat, 11 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 34 grams of sugar, 0 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.50
Size: Small
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: A delicious combo of cold, coffee, caffeine, cream, and sweet crystals. Tasty way to get caffeinated. No whipped cream, syrup, or drizzle to mask the coffee’s flavor. Not cloying like a Frappe (but still sweet).
Cons: Hard to notice the nuances of cold brew coffee. Was so easy to drink that I got brain freeze. Unknown amount of caffeine. McDonald’s cold brew should also come in a non-frozen form.

QUICK REVIEW: Dunkin’ Donuts Cookies & Cream Bottled Iced Coffee

Marvo 4 Comments

Dunkin Donuts Cookies Cream Bottled Iced Coffee

What is it?

It’s the first new flavor added to the Dunkin’ Donuts line of ready-to-drink bottled iced coffee, joining Original, Espresso, Mocha, and French Vanilla. It’s available at Dunkin’ Donuts locations and other retailers. I believe it’s currently the only way to get a cookies & cream iced coffee from Dunkin’.

How is it?

Here’s the good news — it’s mostly mochalicious.

Here’s the bad news — it’s mostly mochalicious.

Unless you’re one of those people who have a special tongue that can detect the slightest nuances in flavors, you will think to yourself, “This is a tasty bottled mocha iced coffee.” But then you’ll remember it’s supposed to be “cookies & cream” and then you’ll wonder if your tongue is broken because you don’t taste anything that would make you think of cookies & cream.

But don’t worry, it’s not broken. For the most part, it doesn’t differentiate itself from any of the multiple “mocha” beverages I’ve caffeinated myself with over the years.

In the aftertaste, there’s a very slight cocoa flavor that, I guess, could be considered cookies & cream, but I want that in the duringtaste.

Is there anything else I need to know?

You know how some products say “Shake Well”? Well, shake this well because there’s a lot of sediment on the bottom of the bottle and it takes some tectonic plate-level shaking to make it disappear.

Also, there are a whopping 189 milligrams of sweet, sweet caffeine per bottle.

Conclusion:

Dunkin’ Donuts’ Cookies & Cream Bottled Iced Coffee is a mochacceptable bottled iced coffee. But if you’re hoping for some C&C flavor in your coffee, you probably won’t taste it with this.

Purchased Price:
Size: 13.7 oz. bottle
Purchased at: Dunkin’ Donuts
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 290 calories, 9 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 100 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 41 grams of sugar, and 8 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Starbucks Toasted White Chocolate Mocha

Heather 1 Comment

Starbucks Toasted White Chocolate Mocha

I frequent Starbucks a little too often. (Mom, if you’re reading this, Starbucks gift cards are a very acceptable Christmas gift). I also am a sucker for the holiday and/or limited edition drinks, like Starbucks’ new Toasted White Chocolate Mocha.

The beverage includes espresso, caramelized white chocolate, whipped cream, and candied cranberry sugar. When I received my hot drink, I was super pleased that what I got DID look like the promotional picture.

There’s plenty of whipped cream (although it was sunken in due to the heat of the drink when I took off the lid) and cranberry sugar that, in my opinion, kind of looked like bacon bits. (Hey Starbucks, there’s an idea! A drink with bacon? This would have done wonders for the Maple Pecan latte that was released this fall. The drink fell flat for me, and bacon would have seriously enhanced it with the maple. I end my rant.)

The first sips of the drink were mostly whipped cream, which is never a bad thing. Once I got to the actual drink, I was definitely a fan. I didn’t taste too much of the “toasted” flavor, but the white chocolate was strong and delicious. While there is espresso, I didn’t taste any coffee – I felt like I was drinking a fancy white hot chocolate.

This is definitely a fun “dessert” drink or mid-afternoon pick-me-up (I’m plotting it for a Black Friday sugar rush), but don’t count on it for your morning caffeine jolt. It DOES contain caffeine, but it just wasn’t too noticeable for me. I usually avoid caffeine after 5 p.m. so I can get to sleep like a normal person at night, but I had this at 7 p.m. and my 10 p.m. bedtime wasn’t a problem.

Starbucks Toasted White Chocolate Mocha 2

Back to the candied cranberry sugar — this was the most unnecessary part of the drink. Not only did I not taste any cranberry flavor, once the fruit bits got soggy, their texture was too soft and chewy. Because cranberry isn’t in the name of the drink, I think you could do without it.

I drank the Toasted White Chocolate Mocha over the course of an hour, and the flavor and temperature held strong. One key takeaway is although this is a sugar bomb – 41 grams in a tall! – it’s not overly sweet. Perfect for sipping and shopping, if you ask me.

Starbucks, another well-done holiday drink. Can’t wait to see what you come up with next. (cough, bacon, cough.)

(Nutrition Facts – 12 oz – 330 calories, 12 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 300 milligrams of sodium, 45 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 41 grams of sugar, 11 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $4.25
Size: Tall (12 oz.)
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Strong white chocolate flavor. Didn’t keep me up all night.
Cons: Bacon bit-looking cranberry sugar on top that just wasn’t necessary.

Click here to read our previous Starbucks reviews.

REVIEW: Coca-Cola Coffee Plus (Japan)

Marvo 1 Comment

Coca Cola Coffee Plus

Coffee and Coke sounds like the morning ritual of an 80’s Wall Street banker. It’s also the combination found in a new beverage in Japan that’s exclusively available at vending machines — Coca-Cola Coffee Plus.

For those of you who were in diapers a decade ago, Coke did offer a coffee-flavored cola called Coke Blãk. If you’re wondering if it was Coke Blech, I thought it was pretty good. But the rest of America didn’t think so because it wasn’t around for very long.

Since being discontinued, I could’ve easily and cheaply make a Coke Blãk-like beverage by combining the Coke and coffee already in my kitchen. But, nope, I did it the hard way by purchasing a can of Coca-Cola Coffee Plus from eBay for a ridiculous price plus international shipping from a seller in Japan, which would take two weeks to arrive.

But the thing about Coca-Cola Coffee Plus is that it’s not made by combining two liquids. It gets it coffee in the form of an extract powder. The cola and coffee combo gives the can’s contents 34 milligrams of caffeine, which is not a lot in this day of caffeine-filled espressos and energy drinks. But, granted, the can is a wee one. It holds about 6.5 ounces, which makes spending about $15 for a can a bit silly.

The beverage’s aroma is a bit weird. At times, it smells like coffee. Other times it’s coffee with cola spices. But that’s not why its weird. That’s expected. What’s odd is that sometimes, while finding out if my nose could pick out the coffee and cola, there were moments when I thought I smelled Japanese curry.

Coca Cola Coffee Plus 2

As for its flavor, it tastes better than what I remember Coke Blãk was like. The coffee flavor hits my tongue first. It’s not bold, like drinking black coffee. It’s mild and goes well with the cola spices. From what I can taste, it doesn’t seem to have artificial sweeteners like Coke Blãk did, which is why I enjoy it more. It’s tasty enough that I’m sad it didn’t come in a larger can or bottle. Also, that would’ve meant more sweet, sweet caffeine.

So is Coca-Cola Coffee Plus worth picking up? If you’re in Japan and in front of a vending machine that offers it, then absocoffeely. If you’re a former 80’s Wall Street banker with lots of money because you quit cocaine early in your career, then go ahead and burn some cash.

But if you’re a normal person in front of your computer’s monitor looking at an online Japanese snack store or eBay seller that offers it for 10 times its regular price with shipping, then NOke-NOla. As much as I like it, its can size alone makes it not worth it.

(Nutrition Facts – 100 ml – 22 kcal, 0 grams of protein, 5.5 grams of carbohydrates, and 0.02 grams of sodium.)

Purchased Price: $5.49 + $9.99 shipping
Size: 190 ml can
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Pleasant combination of coffee and cola spices. Worth a try if you’re standing in front of a Japanese vending machine that offers it. Coffee and Coke.
Cons: Not worth $15. Wish it came in a larger can or bottle. Spending $15 to get a 6.5-ounce beverage from Japan. At times, it smells like Japanese curry.