Indulge in a Bit of Luxury

I first heard about the Starbucks Dark Cherry Mocha from a review written by @woopak_the_thrill. Since I would be going to Target today and I knew there was a Starbucks by their food court, I decided to indulge in a bit of luxury. I was extremely lucky because I tried two versions of this mocha: one made the traditional way with espresso and the other made as a hot chocolate with added flavoring. 

The two drinks were very different from each other. The espresso version was very "coffee" tasting with a hint of cherry. At some points it reminded me of dark chocolate covered espresso beans that you buy as a snack. It was a very rich and sweet drink despite the fact that dark chocolate usually tastes bitter (I blame the cherry syrup). The hot chocolate version was also rich and sweet, but it had a very strong taste of cherry flavoring which overpowered the hot chocolate. They both came with whip cream and dark chocolate shavings on top, which I ate first before trying the actual drink. Between the two, I enjoyed the original hot mocha the best. The person who was with me enjoyed the hot chocolate version more.

The question readers must be asking themselves is: How do we know which version of the drink to order? Well, it will depend on your mood and taste preferences. Both drinks are very sweet, thanks to the cherry syrup, so be prepared for a sugar overload. If you are not in the mood for a caffeine rush, then getting the hot chocolate version will be a wiser choice. Otherwise, I recommend choosing the drink based on the flavor you want to stand out more: dark chocolate or cherry.

Even if you are not a fan of either flavor, the drink is worth buying at least one time just for the experience of a new flavor of coffee. If you are a little nervous ordering outside your comfort zone, I recommend buying the smallest version of the drink before indulging in a larger size. There is always time for another visit to Starbucks later in the week if you find it to your liking.

The drink was what I expected it to be: very chocolaty. I actually expect more of a "cherry flavor," but the espresso overpowered it. That wasn't a problem for me because I am not a fan of cherries unless they are in their natural state (either fresh or dried fruit). Thus, I was pleasantly surprised and thought the drink was better than I expected. However, it's not something I would regularly order because it would give me a "chocolate overload." Still, I was very happy to try a Dark Cherry Mocha from Starbucks because the company is always creating new spins on traditional coffee drinks that are pure decadence! It was an indulgence in a bit of luxury, but it won't be a regular drink order. I prefer Starbucks Vanilla coffee drinks or their Blended Strawberry Lemonade.