Welcome back to another blog about coffee!

Finals are coming up for most students which call for late nights studying. Late nights means getting coffee is necessary. Because this is the situation I’m in right now, it gave me the perfect reason to go out and get coffee. I decided to get the teddy bear latte from Biggby Coffee! I usually don’t get coffee from Biggby Coffee because there are many different coffee places I like better, however, the teddy bear latte is one of my favorites from here. I didn’t even know this drink existed until my mom brought one home for herself. I ended up trying it and loved it right away. It’s been a while since I had it, so I decided it was time to get one for myself.

The teddy bear latte is espresso mixed with milk, caramel, and white lightning. White lightning is just white chocolate sauce, but Biggby’s calls it that. To top the drink off, whipped cream is added and drizzled with caramel. There’s not much to this drink, but all these ingredients mixed together create a taste you won’t forget. The drink is a little bit sweet because of the white chocolate and caramel, but there’s not too much of either. When the ingredients are all mixed together, you can taste all the flavors. This is because Biggby’s does a good job at balancing all the ingredients and making sure one isn’t dominant over the other. It is also possible to get additional shots of espresso if you want the coffee taste to be more dominant, but I think there is just enough espresso without adding more.

This drink is also offered iced if hot drinks aren’t your thing. I usually drink iced drinks, but I think this drink is great hot. Whatever your preference is, go out and try the teddy bear latte!

Welcome back! It’s time for another blog!

Imagine it is a hot, summer day. You’re outside enjoying the weather when you suddenly get thirsty. You don’t have any drinks that will satisfy you at your home, so you decide to go out. The first place you think of is Starbucks. You go there and get a strawberry acai.

That is pretty much what happened to me the first time I decided to try the strawberry acai! Because summer is close by and drinks like this are going to come in handy, I decided to write my blog on this drink! I know it technically isn’t coffee, but it still has many benefits! At Starbucks, you can basically add whatever you want to your drink. With that being said, you could add shots of espresso if you really need it. It is also possible to substitute other ingredients, such as a green tea substitution, to get the caffeine you need.

The strawberry acai refresher is a combination of strawberry flavors, passion fruit, and acai berries. To keep the flavor there, there are freeze-dried strawberries within the drink. The drink isn’t too sweet nor too bland which makes the best combination. Although this is a refresher, there is still some caffeine. To add some caffeine, this drink has a little bit of green coffee extract which can help give you some energy. This might seem a little odd since green coffee extract is somewhat of a twist when you compare it to regular coffee, but the taste isn’t even really there since it’s very light. Depending on the size of drink you get, you could get up to 45-55 mg of caffeine which might not be a lot, but at least there’s some, so you won’t be completely exhausted.

If you’re a fruity drink type of person, then this drink would be perfect for you. Summer’s just around the corner, so when you’re out in the sun, don’t forget this drink!

Welcome back to another blog about coffee!

It’s been a while since I last wrote, but I’m back with an exciting drink. Recently, a drink has returned to Starbucks due to summer being around the corner. This frappuccino might be my favorite frappuccino from Starbucks. That is why this week is going to be about the s’mores frappuccino!

Last summer, I went to Starbucks all the time. I tend to get the same drink, so I decided to try some new drinks. That is when I tried the s’mores frappuccino. I ended up loving this drink, so from that point on, I only got the s’mores frappuccino. It’s a seasonal drink, so once summer ended, I had to wait an entire year for it to come back. Well, it has been a year, and the drink is back!

The s’mores frappuccino is combined with milk, ice, and coffee. It is then mixed with milk chocolate sauce, vanilla, and marshmallow-like whipped cream, creating a creamy flavor. Once everything is blended together, marshmallow-like whipped cream is added to top the drink off. To make the drink even better, you can get graham cracker crumbles on top of the whipped cream. This drink seems like a lot, but once all the ingredients are mixed together, it tastes just like a s’ more! There are times where the coffee taste dominated the drink, but for the most part, all the ingredients are balanced. It is also possible to get this drink without coffee, but I think it’s better with the coffee. It adds more flavor and provides the caffeine that we all need.

I highly recommend everyone tries this drink at least once in their life. Besides the drink being flavorful, there are other reasons why it’s great. Imagine being outside on a warm, summer night. You’re sitting around a fire with all your friends. You’re enjoying s’mores and making memories that will last forever. Drinking this drink will bring back all those memories. It’s like a campfire in a cup. What’s better than that?

Welcome back to another blog about coffee!

I know I have done a fair share of blogs on iced lattes, but here we are again. I know reading about iced coffee each week might get exhausting, but I find it hard trying new drinks that aren’t iced. After all, I’m spending at least five dollars on a coffee each week, so it’d make sense that I get a drink that I know I will at least somewhat like. I mean, who would want to spend money on coffee that they know they would not like?

The posts that have been about lattes have contained a variety of other flavors, resulting in them being completely different. This week, I tried just a regular iced latte from Dunkin Donuts. I wouldn’t normally get a drink without any flavors because I’m a picky person, but I decided to this time. T-Mobile, which is my phone company, has deals every Tuesday, and the deal this week was a free latte from Dunkin Donuts. It was a perfect opportunity for me to get a free latte while getting a coffee for my blog.

The iced latte from Dunkin Donuts is a pretty simple drink. The drink contains only a few ingredients: ice, milk, and espresso. It is also possible to add whipped cream to top the drink off. Because I like my drinks more sweet and flavorful, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this drink. The latte was creamy from the milk, but the coffee flavor was strong which made me not really enjoy it. I think if I added cream and sugar or other flavors, I would’ve liked it better. Even though it might have cost extra for me to add more flavors, it would have been worth it.

Overall, I enjoy the coffee from Dunkin Donuts. They also have donuts that are worth it. I’d recommend going to Dunkin Donuts whenever you need some coffee and even pick up some donuts. They have a variety of drinks, so if this doesn’t seem like a drink for you, you still have options!

Welcome back to another blog about coffee!

This week is somewhat different than the other weeks. This week is about an iced chai tea latte. I had this drink earlier in the week and ended up not having time to go out again during the week. This drink technically isn’t coffee, but it’s a latte and contains caffeine, so it gets the job done. It’s also from Starbucks, which is a coffee shop, so we’re just going to go with it.

I wanted to try a new drink, and I’ve heard the iced chai tea latte was a quality drink. At first, I was hesitant to try it because I’m not a big fan of tea. I thought the tea would dominate the drink, however, I was wrong. I couldn’t even really taste the tea, and it tasted like a drink I would normally get.

The iced chai tea latte is a combination of black tea blended with cinnamon, cloves, and a variety of other spices. It is then mixed with milk and ice, creating a creamy flavor and look. All these ingredients create a spicy yet sweet flavor. Since there are many spices mixed in this drink, I thought the drink would have more of a spicy kick to it. It was the opposite, though. The drink had the right amount of spice, which allowed for all the flavors to be balanced. Even though there wasn’t a coffee flavor added, it still gave me the caffeine I needed to be awake. I didn’t realize this until after I bought my drink, but you can ask for shots of espresso to be blended into the iced chai tea latte to get that extra kick. Adding a few shots espresso could create the perfect latte!

I never thought I would get a drink that had tea in it and end up enjoying it. I would say that the iced chai tea latte is my new favorite drink at Starbucks! This drink is also offered hot if iced lattes aren’t your thing. Whenever you need caffeine, go to Starbucks and try this drink!

Welcome back to another blog about coffee!

It’s spring break, so I had all this time to go out and try a new coffee place. I went on a college visit in St. Louis, which has tons of coffee places that my hometown doesn’t have. Instead of trying one of those coffee places, I played it safe and got coffee from McDonald’s. I was going to get the chocolate chip frappe, but for some reason the McDonalds in St. Louis didn’t have that. That is why this week is going to be about a mocha frappe instead!

The mocha frappe is mixed with ice, a bunch of chocolate flavor, and coffee. Whip cream and chocolate syrup are added to top the drink off. There was too much of the chocolate flavor, which caused the coffee flavor to be not as apparent. Because the drink was mainly chocolate, the drink was extremely sweet. I usually like my coffee somewhat sweet, but when you can only taste the chocolate and not the coffee, it’s not the greatest. This drink could’ve been better if the chocolate and coffee flavor were balanced. I was still able to drink it, but it was really just a cup of sugar.

Once I got to the college I was visiting, I still had some of the frappe left. Instead of bringing it with me, I left it in my car. It was a sunny day and warmer than usual, so it wasn’t the greatest idea to leave a cold drink in my car, but I obviously wasn’t thinking. After the visit was over, I went back to my car, and the frappe was melted. I didn’t want to waste it, so I tried drinking it. It was warm and didn’t taste that good. I’d recommend drinking this frappe only when it’s cold. The warm frappe was like drinking chocolate syrup. It’s definitely better cold!

On the bright side, the frappe is only between two and four dollars. Mcdonald’s even has an app where you can sometimes get a dollar off the frappe or other deals related to their coffees! If you want to try this drink, go get the app and save some money!

It’s been a while, but welcome back to another blog about coffee!

March 20th is a very special day for a certain coffee shop. It’s the birthday of Biggby’s Coffee! Because of this, Biggby’s is offering a drink all of March to celebrate. Before the drink goes away, I figured I’d try it. Buckle up and get ready for the iced cake batter latte!

Usually when I’d go to Biggby’s, it would always be crowded since it was in the mall. That’s why I went to the Biggby’s that isn’t inside the mall. This Biggby’s is significantly bigger and offers an area to just sit and enjoy your coffee. When I went there, there were people studying, spending time with their friends, but the most memorable thing was this little girl. She kept coming up to cash register with different types of coffee and asking questions about it. The cashier would answer all the questions without acting annoyed. It was nice to see how welcoming the service at Biggby’s was. We all have been to a coffee place or just a walk-in place where the service is horrible and everyone is rude, and even sometimes have the worst drinks/food. Biggby’s is the opposite, and so is the coffee!

In my opinion, the coffee was as good as the experience. The iced cake batter latte starts with milk which is then mixed with espresso. After these ingredients are mixed, a cake batter sauce is mixed in. At the end, it’s topped with whipped cream and more cake batter sauce. To add some fun to the drink, you can add sprinkles. Having sprinkles in this drink adds flavor and makes for the perfect confetti drink. There was more milk than espresso which created a creamy texture and didn’t let the espresso dominate the taste. There was more of the cake batter sauce then everything in order to get the flavor that was needed. This latte had the perfect amount of sweetness and will keep you wanting to drink. There were times where you couldn’t taste the cake batter, but if you just mix everything a little more, the flavor comes back. Overall, I would say this drink was a success and should be around longer than a month! Cake batter and coffee are two of my favorite things, so making a drink with these two ingredients is like heaven.

The iced cake batter latte is offered hot and frozen, so if iced drinks aren’t your thing, you still have options! You only have a few weeks left to enjoy a fun drink that will brighten your day! Go get one before they’re gone for good!

What’s better than a great drink and a great staff?

Welcome back to another blog about coffee!

By now, it should obvious that iced coffee is my favorite type of coffee. I mean who wouldn’t love it? Anyways, this week is special because I went all the way to Chicago to try a new drink! A new cafe opened up recently, so I had to go check it out. L’ours, which is the name of the cafe, is a little place on Taylor Street where a variety of coffee is sold along with baked goods. What’s better than coffee and a sweet treat?

L’ours is close to the University of Illinois at Chicago’s campus, so it’s clear that this would be a place many students would go to hang out and study. When I went there, this assumption was correct because many of the seats were filled with studious college students who had the tables covered in college work. Then there’s me, a high school student who was just trying to get some coffee and relax.

I’m a picky person, so I chose a drink that I enjoy from other coffee places. I tried an iced white chocolate mocha which is composed of few ingredients. The espresso is combined with some white chocolate syrup, milk, and ice. To top it off, they draw designs with the chocolate syrup. On my drink, the barista decided to draw two hearts. It takes some skills to draw hearts on coffee as well as she did. Because the drawings have to show up, the ingredients aren’t mixed that well together. Since everything wasn’t really mixed, the first sip was extremely bitter. Once I mixed everything, it tasted so much better. The drink was still a little bitter overall, but it had a touch of sweetness which helped. The more I drank of it, the better I enjoyed it.

The drink is somewhat expensive, but it’s worth it. Most coffee shops in Chicago are expensive, so it’s better to come to a quality place and get your money’s worth. If you ever decide to take a trip to Chicago, I’d recommend trying L’ours at least once!

Is it time for another week of coffee? I think yes!

It has finally come to the point where I have changed my order up! I decided to get a golden truffle mocha from Kaffee Mahomet at IGA. I was a bit hesitant to get coffee from here because I’ve been told that it’s pricey compared to other coffee shops and that it isn’t that good. One of my good friends works here and I promised her I would come, so here we are.

Most people don’t know what Kaffee Mahomet is since it’s not as big as other coffee places, but I recommend checking it out. It’s a small part of IGA, but it’s a cozy spot to meet up with some friends. They have a variety of coffee there, so there’s almost a drink for everyone. Since it was my first time there, I had my friend make me a drink of her choice (risky, I know). The drink she made me was good, though! She made the drink in front of me which allowed me to make changes to the drink if I wanted. The golden truffle drink is a hot coffee with two shots of espresso. It’s then layered with some foam and mixed with caramel sauce. Finally, it’s topped with caramel syrup and white chocolate. It sounds like this drink wouldn’t taste well since the flavors don’t really get mixed, but it’s the opposite. Somehow all the flavors blended together, creating this sweet drink. You could taste the caramel, the espresso, and even some of the white chocolate. The drink could’ve been completely different, especially since my friend almost added four shots of espresso. I don’t know about you, but that would’ve been way too much for me.

This was a drink I would never have got on my own, so if it weren’t for my friend, I probably would’ve stuck to the same boring drink. I’m a pretty picky person when it comes to what I drink, so I’m surprised I actually enjoyed this drink. I recommend coming all the way to Mahomet to try this drink (and maybe even get a discount if you have my friend make the drink)! The drink is worth it!

Welcome back for another week of coffee!

Because my last two blogs have been about iced coffee, I wanted to spice it up and try something new. I planned on getting a black and white mocha from Starbucks, but my order got slightly altered and became an iced mocha. Next week will be different, but for now, get ready for another week of iced coffee!

I recently got a new car, so I was afraid of driving it into town for the first few days. I finally got over that fear, and the first place I drove to was Starbucks. I went through the drive through because who wants to get out of a warm vehicle and go into the cold? That probably wasn’t the greatest choice, especially since the line was so long that it was filling up much of the parking lot. I got up to the window to get my drink, but I happened to be too far from the window, so the person and I both had to lean out so far just so I could get my drink (it was embarrassing, but what can you do). I ended up not getting a straw with my drink, but I was still embarrassed about not being able to be close enough to the window, so I just drove away with no straw. Once I got home, I got one of my cheap straws and got to enjoy a new drink.

The iced black and white mocha is made with milk mixed with espresso and ice, topped with whipped cream and a chocolate topping. In my opinion, it was just a sugary drink with only a little espresso. Drinks that have a large amount of sugar can be acceptable sometimes, but when it dominates the entire drink, that’s where it gets to be too much.The drink was also filled with a bunch of ice which caused the drink to become watery quickly, so some of the flavors went away. Starbucks definitely has better drinks than this, but I think overall this drink was just okay. If there were more of a coffee taste, the drink would’ve been better. I’ve had this drink as a mocha, and I think it tasted better since the flavors were all mixed and the sugar was balanced.

This iced mocha is a seasonal drink, so if you enjoy sugary drinks or want to try something new, get one before it’s too late!