Iced Cafe Mocha

Cafe Mocha a la Wikipedia: A Café mocha is a variant of a caffè latte. Like a latte, it is typically one third espresso and two thirds steamed milk, but a portion of chocolate is added, typically in the form of sweet cocoa powder, although many varieties use chocolate syrup. Mochas can contain dark or milk chocolate.

Saturday mornings are hectic at my house: Ciaran is taking hip-hop dance lessons which start at 9 a.m. and, at least starting next weekend for the next month, I am taking fitness boot camp. While it makes it much easier to get everything done (because we did not sleep in), it does call for an injection of happiness in the form of caffine.

This Saturday morning, instead of going to watch Ciaran, and in preparation for boot camp, I decided to clean out my closet. What does cleaning out the closet have to do with boot camp, you ask? Well, I need to make sure I have workout clothes that fit, right? :D  So, I asked that Ciaran and his father bring back an iced cafe mocha, after dance class. I anticipated that the iced drink would make for a refreshing taste after slaving through the closet.

When they returned with the drink, I was struck by the color. While the iced vanilla latte was almost tan, the iced mocha was almost black. I had asked for a grande (Starbucks' medium) and when I received the drink at home, it was topped in whipped cream. The scent, like that of the iced vanilla latte was almost non-existent, so I moved onto the first sip. I anticipated, given that it is an iced drink that it would be light in taste and boy was I wrong. The iced mocha bit me; it bit me hard. The flavor was bold, tasting like ... chocolate milk with a shot of coffee. The thing that turned me off in this drink was the after taste of bitter chocolate which lingered.

I decided yesterday that I should refine my brackets. Perhaps instead of opening my brackets to all of the chain or local coffee shops in Denver (which would lead the brackets to be pretty open ended), I would concentrate on working my way through the Starbucks menu to start. Additionally, I decided that I need a consistent size for the drinks: having a small iced vanilla latte versus a large vanilla latte does put the iced drink at a disadvantage given the one versus two shots of espresso. Final rule that I decided upon yesterday was this: once I start a drink, no matter how good or bad the drink is, I need to finish it to give it a fair review.

As the ice began to melt in the iced mocha, the drink took on new qualities. The aftertaste decreased significantly. The drink began to be as refreshing as I thought it would be in the beginning. When the whipped cream started to melt and mix into the drink, it was quite delightful, adding a touch of creamy lightness. By the time the cup was ready to be disposed of, my review of the iced mocha was very different than it was in the beginning. This is a drink that I would give an OK to. I would not normally order it in the future, but, perhaps, after my brackets are complete, I will give the iced mocha, perhaps with cream, another shot at becoming a stable in my medicinal caffeine needs. :)

Vanilla Latte versus Iced Vanilla Latte

I read last night that a latte is made of espresso and steamed milk (literal translation was "coffee made with hot milk" or "strong espresso coffee with a topping of frothed steamed milk").

This morning I decided to stop in at my local Starbucks on the way to work. As normal, I went through the drive through. It being Friday, I decided I would need as much "strength" as possible to get through my day and that a Latte (of some fashion or flavor) would be the way to go.

I ordered the Venti Vanilla Latte. My normal barista, John, asked me why I did not order one of my "normal" drinks, and I informed him very kindly that I was going to start trying all of the drinks, one at a time, to figure out which I liked the best. He smiled. I wished him a happy weekend, and drove to work.

Along the way, the scent of the vanilla waifed to my nose. I have always found that with a latte, the first sip is the most divine; it is the sip that makes or breaks a drink. As such, I waited until I was stopped at the light before I took that first velvety sip. This morning's vanilla latte was smooth. The strength of the drink (a venti contains two shots of espresso) crept up on me. The drink was not too hot, nor filled too high to seep out the top (when I hit bumps). On my "scale," I would give it a "Good."

Perhaps I should take a moment and define my scale. For me, there are four ratings a drink can get, from top to bottom: Divine, Good, OK and No.

• Divine...moves you. When you take that first sip, you drift off, happily, blissfully on a cloud.
• Good....a regular stand-in drink. I would order this drink again. It is not divine, but there is nothing terrible about this drink. I would order it again, many times.
• OK....it's not bad. This is the type of drink that, yes, I have tried it. Yes, I don't mind it. But it isn't something I would normally go for on a day to day basis.
• No....thank you. There may not be anything wrong with this drink for you. It is just not in my tastes. 

Now ... onto work.

I work with an amazing group of talented, wonderful women. Who happen to like coffee.  :)  Our office is divided up into offices and cubicles. Our cubicles are divided up into groups of four, called a pod. My pod mate, Irenka, being as motivated as I am/was today, decided that she needed to get some coffee as I was finishing the vanilla latter. I asked her to bring a drink back for me.

That drink: a tall iced vanilla latte.

Didn't you just do a vanilla latte this morning? Yes. What better time to review the iced vanilla latte?

The iced vanilla latte was light. It was refreshing. The vanilla scent did not come on strongly, but it was light in taste.  I would rate it a good.

So, which do I prefer? The iced vanilla latte lacked the depth in taste that the latte did. If it was a hot day, I would probably order the iced, but just on a typical morning commute, the vanilla latte will win, hands down.

Why Coffee Madness?

Along the vein of NCAA's March Madness (a tournament which I never win the office pool on), I have decided to create a Coffee Madness series of brackets.

Why?

I am a newcomer to the world of coffee. Prior to the birth of my son, five years ago, I had only had a handful of coffee beverages in my life. Since Ciaran was born, I have been a dedicated devotee to the world of coffee.

But what am I drinking? Am I simply a coffee, just black drinker? No! Do I only drink fru-fru drinks? No! Do I just frequent one store over another? No! I am not a coffee snob. But at the same time, I am not someone who will drink any coffee simply because it is put in front of me (well, I'll try it ... I may not finish it).

So, let the coffee drinking begin!