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.

Zagat ranks Starbucks as no. 1 coffee

The newest Zagat ratings are out, and Starbucks ended up with the Number 1 Best Coffee ranking in the Fast Food and Quick Refreshment category and the No. 1 Most Popular Quick Refreshment Chain overall. Its competitors included Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, Peet’s Coffee & Tea and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, just to name a few of the 28 establishments that also fill that category.

Zagat’s ratings are not done by food professionals, but are compiled from user-submitted reviews of the restaurants and eateries that they regularly (or irregularly, if they’re bad) visit. This makes the Zagat reviews significant because they offer companies some insight into how the consumers are enjoying their products.

Fresh Raspberry Latte

It’s easy to put fresh fruit into cold, blended coffee drinks. Bananas and other fruits simply blend up into the drink as they would in a milkshake. It’s harder to get fruit flavors into hot drinks, however, as pureed fruit doesn’t combined well with hot coffee. Generally, you have to use pre-made, sugar-based syrups to get the effect.

This raspberry latte uses fresh raspberries, incorporating them into the drink in the same manner that they are incorporated into some cocktails. The raspberries are muddled (mashed) with some sugar at the bottom of a coffee cup to release their juices. A shot of hot espresso – or some hot coffee – is poured in on top of the raspberries, dissolving the sugar, and topped with steamed milk. I finished mine with whipped cream and fresh raspberries.

The drink was delicious, and the fruitiness was subtle, unlike the fruitiness of drinks made with thick, fruit syrups. The raspberry went pretty well with the coffee and made the drink taste very fresh and perfect for spring.

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No new summer drinks from Starbucks?

Starbucks rolled out new menu boards and signs (which are very nice, by the way) to launch their summer promotions this week, but unlike last summer and the summer before, the “new” menu doesn’t include any new drinks. Probably due to cost cutting somewhere down the line, Starbucks has opted to promote Caramel Frappuccinos and Iced Coffee as their two big summer beverages this year. Both these drinks are good – and you can get the iced coffee sweetened or with mild added to it if you’re not the black coffee drinking type – but it’s a bit of a let down for some customers who look forward to trying something new. They have to wait until the next promo period comes around to see if any new drinks make the cut then.

If you want a new Starbucks drink right now, consider heading over to a Barnes and Noble Cafe Starbucks instead. The one I checked out this week was offering Mocha Mint Chip Frappuccinos (which have been available at the regular ‘bucks before) and Mocha Toffee Chip Frappuccinos.

Black Forest Coffee

Maraschino cherries and coffee aren’t elements that are put together all that often, but make a surprisingly good combination when they do come together – especially when chocolate is involved. This Black Forest Coffee is inspired by black forest cake, a cake with dark chocolate layers, and loads of whipped cream and maraschino cherries. This is a little simpler and a little less rich, while still incorporating the same flavor elements.

The coffee is slightly sweet with a hint of cherry flavor. My recipe here doesn’t include milk, but you could certainly add some in to make the base more like a mocha latte than just chocolate+coffee. My favorite part is the whipped cream with the cherry on top. No harm in finishing that part off, adding another layer of whip and another cherry, and calling it dessert, right?

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