It's the time of year when our minds turn to Christmas coffee... and then, we post about the coffee we drink, so we can help YOU have a Merry Caffeinated Christmas Season!
WORLD MARKET: CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT This is the second year in a row where we've featured reviews of Christmas-themed flavored coffees here at Shades of Gray. Last year, the Holiday Season was dominated by Bones Coffee flavors (with
Eggnog and
Jingle Bones being the faves, which you should also check out if you have a chance), but this year we're sampling offerings from a few different roasters, leading off with another of World Market's house-blends.
Coffee with peppermint flavor is not a favorite here at Shades of Gray, but, since it's a Christmas standard we'd be failing all you fine folks out there if we didn't give it a try during the Season of Joy. Did we find joy in our cups, though?
Yes... with World Market's Chocolate Peppermint, we did. But we think this coffee will bring you even more comfort and joy that it did us if you're a lover of peppermint.
First off, when the sample pack from which our test-pot was brewed was opened, the aroma of coffee mixed with chocolate and peppermint rose into the air. The smells were evenly mixed, and we hoped they carried a promise of a similarly balanced flavor profile.
As we put the blend through our usual taste-tests, we found that, as is often the case, the flavors shifted depending on what we mixed with the coffee.
When the coffee was consumed hot and black, the dominate flavor was that of a mellow, medium-roast coffee--probably one based in Colombian beans. The peppermint flavor was there as an undertone, but it grew stronger in our mouths the more we drank. In fact, the peppermint flavor stayed in our mouths long after we'd finished our cups of coffee. The same held true when this blend was consumed with Unsweetened Almond Milk added--the peppermint flavor grows the more of this you drink, and it stays in your mouth even after the coffee is all gone. If you want peppermint, this brings the peppermint!
But what about the chocolate, you may be wondering. Well, there was no detectable chocolate flavor when this blend was consumed black, nor when the unsweetened almond milk was added. This was disappointing, because the blend is called Chocolate Peppermint. That said--the small print (which says that this is "a festive holiday mix of peppermint and chocolate flavors") does put peppermint first, so that is kinda-sorta setting the record straight. In the spirit of being charitable, what with this being the Christmas Season and all...
The chocolate flavor showed up when we mixed this coffee with the sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer. It added a nice dimension to drink, with the tartness of the peppermint blending nicely with both the chocolate tones and the sweetened cream flavor. However, as the cups were drained, the peppermint once again came to dominate and continued to remain in our mouths until we got rid of it by drinking some water.
As the blend cooled to room temperature, the peppermint flavor grew more dominant, regardless of what we'd mixed the coffee with. So, if you're a fan of peppermint, drinking this coffee at a leisurely pace is definitely the way to go!
Finally, when this blend is consumed iced, initially the only flavor that's evident is that of coffee with a slight saltiness. This is true whether the coffee is consumed black, with Unsweetened Almond Milk, or with sugar-free Italian Sweet Cream creamer. As our cups were drained, a mild peppermint flavor emerged and lingered in our mouths for a bit. It was nowhere near as strong as it had been with previous cups, but it was still enough to bring truth to the name of the blend. Well, except for the chocolate.
If this seasonal blend sounds interesting to you, you find it on the shelves of WorldMarket stores and at Amazon.com.
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