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. :)