Coffee Jelly Caramel Frappuccino from Seoul

I have to say that I was a little bit surprised that there wasn’t anything too exotic on the menu at Starbucks in Seoul, Korea, where I was last week. Not that I was expecting to see a kimchi-flavored frappuccino, or anything like that, but I did hope that there would be something to make me say “wow!” other than the Seoul City Mug I added to my collection. The closest I came was with a Coffee Jelly Frappuccino. This is essentially a regular frappuccino with a whole lot of coffee-flavored gelatin at the bottom of the drink. It’s a lot like having an espresso-flavored jello shooter. The flavor is excellent and it really did a lot to improve the overall coffee flavor of the caramel frappuccino I ordered it in.

The only small criticism I would make is that it was disconcerting to suck up firm jello through a straw. It came out in squiggy lines that reminded me a bit of gummy worms (but tastier)! Still, the flavor gets two thumbs up. I just might try it with a spoon next time.

Coffee Bean Tiramisu Ice Blended, reviewed

I immediately liked the idea of a Tiramisu Ice Blended when I saw it appear as a “possible” new menu item a few weeks ago at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.  Tiramisu is a dessert that has a lot of great espresso flavor to it in its own right, and actually seemed like a fairly natural extension to a cold, blended drink (I wouldn’t want it hot, though).  Fortunately, the drink did the dessert justice. It was very creamy, with a little bit of extra dairy flavor that you might get from the mascarpone or whipped cream in a tiramisu, and seemed to have hints of butter cookie and sweet marsala in it, too. The best thing about the whole drink was that it had a really nice flavor of espresso to it. As a coffee fan, I’d say it was even better with an extra shot of espresso blended in to bring of the coffee flavor more

Seattle’s Best Chocolate Coffee Crunch Javakula, reviewed

I have to say that the summer promo drink at Seattle’s Best has a great name: Chocolate Coffee Crunch Javakula. Chocolate, coffee and some kind of crunchy element is a combination used in all kinds of great chocolates, from truffles to candy bars to chocolate chip coffee ice cream. This drink starts with cold-brewed coffee, chocolate syrup and espresso syrup. Espresso beans are blended in to add some crunch and a little bit of an extra caffeine boost.

The drink works well, if you like chocolate-covered espresso beans. It has a great coffee flavor and is smooth and rich-tasting, when you’re not crunching a little bit of coffee bean. I really like the element that the beans add to the drinks, but I also know people who don’t like the crunch of a coffee bean, so if you fall into that category, I’d have to urge you to give this one a miss. If not, it’s a great mix of coffee and chocolate, emphasis on the coffee, and a refreshing drink for summer.

Leonidas White Chocolate Caramel Blended

I’ve been a big fan of the Southern California Leonidas Cafes for  some time now. They not only have excellent, fresh Belgian chocolates, but they have coffee drinks (mostly with chocolate), too! My summer favorite is the blended White Chocolate Caramel Coffee drink. Unlike other white chocolate drinks, like the ones at Starbucks, this one isn’t too sweet at all and has the same creamy, milky flavor that you find in a really good white chocolate – complete with notes of vanilla. The caramel increases the sweetness of the drink slightly, but it also adds a buttery richness. That said, the drink is very smooth and light. It’s easy to drink a big one, as they’re much less filling than similar drinks at some other coffee houses.

McCafe Mocha, reviewed

After weeks of seeing “coming soon” signs taped over the McCafe menus, the McDonalds in my area finally started serving their much-hyped espresso drinks. The iced coffee drinks they’ve had on the menu for a while are actually pretty good, not to mention a good value, but this was the first chance I had to try a hot espresso drink from a McCafe in the US (I’ve tried McCafe in other countries before). I opted for the mocha.

The drink is actually pretty good, although how it stacks up to your favorite coffee shop will depend on what features you like in your mocha. This one is creamy (I ordered it with whole milk, but it comes in a nonfat option), with a lot of not-too-sweet chocolate flavor. The coffee flavor, however is minimal, and there isn’t any foam from steamed milk on the drink. Instead, it’s topped with whipped cream and the same syrup they put on top of hot fudge sundaes. Although the whipped cream melts into the drink quickly, the fudge really is a nice touch. The ingredient list for this drink is surprisingly short – whole milk, espresso, chocolate syrup – but it does have corn syrup as opposed to, say, melted chocolate in it. That said, the chocolate sauce probably isn’t all that different from what you’d find at other coffee shops.

In the end, I’d still prefer to have a more heavily coffee-flavored drink, I think that it will find a solid audience with chocoholics and I wouldn’t turn it down if I was in the mood for something very chocolaty with an extra boost of caffeine in it, either.