Battle of Baristas: Peppermint Mocha Edition

With the holidays being right around the corner, it’s only fair that I review one of the most famous winter weather specialties, which is the peppermint mocha. Despite the cold weather, I always prefer an iced drink over hot which can be controversial, but due to my preference, I will be taste-testing iced peppermint mochas. Throughout this taste test/review, I will give my opinion on the three local coffee chains located around the Ashburn/Brambleton area. When giving my final rating, I will take into consideration the flavor and price. 

3.) Starbucks

Now, Starbucks being in third place was quite a shock to me, considering the fact that many people speak highly of Starbucks and the variety of drinks they offer year round. Some fan favorites can vary between their famous fall speciality drink, the pumpkin spice latte, to the almond milk sugar cookie latte, which is also a winter speciality drink. With the drink being about  $5.75, I was expecting it to be the best out of all three, but I was sadly disappointed when all I could taste was the overwhelming amount of peppermint and no chocolate or coffee. The thing about peppermint mochas is that you have to make sure you don’t overdo it or it can easily taste like toothpaste. The drink included whip cream and chocolate shavings which was nice and made the drink taste less pungent; after mixing in the whip cream it helped make the drink more enjoyable towards the end. Overall, I would rate it a 5.5/10, and unless you are a diehard fan of peppermint, I wouldn’t recommend it. 

2.) Dunkin’

Putting Dunkin in second place was a well deserved ranking. I usually prefer Starbucks over Dunkin due to my opinion that I feel their iced coffees tend to be watered down, so this decision is completely unbiased. Compared to Starbucks, the drink was about $4.59, which is considerably cheaper, so when it comes down to flavor and price you already have a better deal compared to Starbucks. The drink came with whip cream as well as chocolate drizzle, which is a nice addition, and their peppermint mocha was better at balancing the flavors of peppermint and mocha. That being said I felt that the coffee was almost undetectable and was more so an iced peppermint hot chocolate. Considering the more enjoyable peppermint flavor, I would rate it a 7.5/10. I would have definitely given it a 8/10 if it had a better coffee flavor, but I feel like that could easily be fixed if you were to ask for an extra shot of espresso. 

• Peet’s

Last but definitely not least, Peet’s. If I’m being completely honest, I did not think Peet’s was going to come in first place. I had a bad experience with their pumpkin spiced latte and was determined to strictly stick to their iced coffee and steer clear of their seasonal selection, but I was pleasantly surprised. Peet’s drink was around $5.62, which is a little cheaper than Starbucks but not a significant amount that I would recommend strictly for price. I would say that Peet’s is the best option due to the perfect balance of peppermint, chocolate and coffee, also not to mention their whip cream was the best. Due to this, I would give the drink a 10/10, and I would 100% recommend it, especially if you are looking to try one for the first time.