The Grande White Chocolate Mocha

I’m sad to say that this is probably one of the simplest drinks that I have ever ordered from Starbucks. But sometimes, I like to enjoy the simpler things that life has to offer, like the Grande White Chocolate Mocha. It was nice and sweet but not to the point where you feel sick after one sip. I also really enjoyed that it was white chocolate, I feel like white chocolate is a flavor that is horribly misrepresented. I mean, how many people eat the white ones first from a box of chocolates? I’m guessing not many. Personally, I love white chocolate and was very excited to try it in drink form. Needless to say, I throughly enjoyed the White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; there was one serious down-fall to this drink… IT WAS COLD!  Now, as you may have noticed, I always get my hot drinks “extra hot” but this day I was in a rush and I forgot to add the “extra hot” before my order. Big mistake. After the first sip, I realized that it was only slightly above room temperature. Gross. Now, I’m sure some people like lukewarm lattes, however I do not. I’ve learned my lesson and I will always… ALWAYS get my drinks “extra hot” from now on.  Despite the temperature mishap, the drink was pretty good. Nothing extraordinary, but definitely not the worst drink I’ve ever tried. It could have done with a bit more whipped cream, but that’s not really a big deal to me. I can imagine that lots of UGG wearing, IPhone using, diet coke drinking sixteen year-old girls would love this drink for the fall. All jokes aside, I would totally order this beverage again, it would get a good 4 out of 5 stars… I just hope that next time it’s actually hot. 

The Grande Easy-Iced Berry Hibiscus Refresher

It might be the middle of October, yet Victoria’s weather feels more like a cool day in August. Because of this strange natural phenomenon, called “smautumn” (it’s a combination of summer and autumn… I made it up just now),   I’ve been struggling with deciding what Starbucks drinks I should order.  You see, as much as I love their fall and winter drinks, I can’t bring myself to buy one when the weather is so nice. This is where the Berry Hibiscus Refresher comes in. It was so hot today and I was so overheated due to the fact that I was wearing fall appropriate clothing (I mean… it is fall, right?) that I needed something to cool me down quick. This drink did just that; it was incredibly nice and refreshing, as the name would suggest. I have to say though, it tasted very watered-down, and I’m sorry, but if I’m paying $4.50 for a drink, I want it to be rich in flavor;  as I’ve said before, no one wants a watery beverage, unless you are in fact drinking water. That being said, this drink was surprisingly good. It came off as not too sweet but at the same time, not bland either. I really tasted the raspberry, but not in an over-powering way, it was more like a subtle aftershock that came after the initial taste.  The one very bad thing about this drink was the berries that they put in the bottom. Now, don’t get me wrong, the berries add a nice flavor to the drink, but whatever you do, do not… I repeat DO NOT eat the berries! I thought that I should give you all a thorough review of this drink, which included eating the berries at the bottom. That was by far the worst decision I’ve made all day. Seconds after I bit down on the berries, a chemical taste filled my mouth. It was as if the berries were completely fake and made of plastic. I know that can’t be true, because I’m pretty sure that Starbucks would have been sued by now. However, I am sure that there was something wrong with those berries! Either way, this blog isn’t called “Emma’s Berries”, it’s called “Emma’s Starbucks Drinks” so I can’t actually judge this drink based off of the disgusting berries. If I exclude the berries, then this drink would earn at least 7.5 stars out of 10, I would for sure order this again if I was in dire need of refreshment… But I would definitely throw out the berries next time.

The Grande Extra Hot Salted Caramel Mocha (Seasonal)

 For starters, I would like to give a big shout-out to the wonderful barista who put extra whipped cream and salted caramel on this drink for me, you're the best! Okay, now onto the actual drink... I usually hate anything that’s salted caramel; I’m just not a fan of the whole “sweet and salty” thing. This obviously means that I will be completely bias in this review and I apologize in advance. I don’t know what possessed me to order the Salted Caramel Mocha, considering I hate this combination, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is definitely not my favourite beverage, however, it didn’t totally repulse me either, which is always a good sign. I liked that it was nice and warm on a cold day, getting it “extra hot” was a good call on my part. The drink was incredibly sweet and chocolaty; the sweetness was almost over-whelming. I didn’t taste too much salt, even with the extra added on top, which was a bonus for me. In general, it didn’t really taste like mocha to me, it tasted more like pure hot chocolate. I thoroughly enjoyed the extra whipped cream on top though; it was by far the best part. As for the rest of the drink, it was fine, but I will not be ordering it again. This is one of those drinks that I would recommend for children or “tweens” who want to seem cool by drinking a fancy Starbucks drink, but secretly hate the taste of coffee. There is literally no coffee taste to this drink, which I am betting is nice for some people, but I’m someone who really appreciates the delicious taste of coffee, so I was a bit disappointed when all I tasted was chocolate. I know that tons of Starbucks Junkies love this trendy drink and can’t wait for it to come out in the fall, but I simply cannot get onboard with it, the Salted Caramel Mocha just doesn’t cut it for me. I hope to find the perfect fall drink one day soon, but sadly, my hunt will have to continue as the Salted Caramel Mocha is just not it. 

The Grande Extra Hot Soy Chai Tea latte with One Pump Of Hazelnut Syrup and Whipped Cream

If you've ever eaten cardboard, then you know exactly what this drink tastes like. Ew. Seriously, whoever invented soy milk should be fired from their job. Not only does the Soy Chai Tea Latte with a pump of hazelnut syrup taste like a cardboard box, but the hazelnut syrup gave it this weird after-taste. It was like a combination of dirt and wood. Now, i'm not someone who enjoys the outdoors, so I did not appreciate the "woodiness" of the hazelnut syrup. I assume that hipsters around the world are rejoicing, knowing that Starbucks offers a Soy version of their favorite Latte. Just think, somewhere in the world someone wearing a beanie and cargo pants is enjoying the disgusting taste of this horrible drink. I hope that one day the hipsters of the world will actually grow some taste buds and realize that soy anything is gross and should be banned from the planet Earth. But, I guess everyone just has different preferences and what might be nasty and "cardboard-y" to me, could be a holy grail drink for some hipster. I personally hated this drink, but I'm sure they're people out there that love soy drink. If I disregarded my personalopinions, then this drink would get a good 7/10, but since i'm bias and judgmental towards soy beans, I give this drink a -3 stars out of 10.

The Grande Extra Hot Green Tea Latte with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup

I decided to order this drink on a whim. I am a huge fan of green tea, but I was a little bit hesitant to get the latte version. I was worried it would be too sweet and ruin the taste of green tea for me... I have never been so happy to be wrong! This drink is delicious and not only does it actually taste like green tea, but it is also weirdly refreshing. This is a perfect drink for those people who don't really enjoy the taste of coffee, but still want a warm, calming drink on a cold day. It is smooth and creamy, with just enough sweeteners to make it taste good, without being too much. I was initially alarmed by the colour. At first, the bright green caught me off guard, but nonetheless, once the lid is on, you don't even remember that your dink is the same colour as Kermit the Frog. It's not just the colour that's unique about this drink, it's also the fact that not many people have actually heard of a green tea latte. But yes, they do really exist! I feel like hipsters everywhere would enjoy this beverage, I mean, it practically screams "look at me, I'm different!" which is what hipsters are all about, right? I don't know about you, but if I was I hipster, I would be all over this drink. All this being said, I have never hated a drink more in my life. Minutes after I ordered it and sat down at one of the few tables available to start the hours of homework I needed to get done and then I spilled this stupid thing all over my Social Studies and Chemistry notes. You know that old excuse "my dog ate my homework," well I was almost tempted to use that because there was no way I was going to say "I dumped my extra-hot green tea latte with sugar-free vanilla syrup all over my homework" to my teachers. I had to spend an extra hour re-copying my notes just because my other ones were stained green. I know I shouldn't blame an inanimate drink for this, but I refuse to accept the fact that I was the problem, so I will continue to hate this drink for as long as I live. The silver-lining to all of this is that one of the sweetest baristas ever felt so bad for me that she purchased me a new drink, free of charge. This was by far one of the nicest things a stranger has ever done for me. If I don't take into consideration the spill, then I would give this drink an 8.5/10. It is defiantly one of my new favourites from Starbucks... Even if it did cost me my homework.