Peet's Coffee & Tea

Update Reviews, 2018

Cold Brew

Peet's joined the cold brew trend in 2017, offering up an assortment of cold brew based beverages, all using their Baridi blend.

"Bold, smooth, and never bitter. Every batch of our Cold Brew starts with carefully selected Baridi Blend beans, roasted specifically to offer a bright, crisp cup when served cold."

The basic option is just the cold brew, served over ice.  Simple, classic.  From there, you can go for the Black Tie, with sweetened condensed milk at the base, chicory throughout, and a float of half and half on top.  It looks so fancy!  The Coconut Black Tie adds coconut syrup to the party as well. 

Some limited locations also serve a Nitro version.  And grocery stores and other retailers carry the bottled versions, either black, or with milk, almond milk, or milk and chocolate.  These require refrigeration.

But my favorite is the Cold Brew Fog.  A blended drink, just whipped with a little ice and chicory syrup, to create a fun frothy beverage.  A coconut version of this is available as well, as is a latte version.

San Francisco weather doesn't often lend itself to the cold brew, so I haven't had it that many times, but I literally head straight to Peet's now whenever the weather snaps warm for a day, just for this drink.

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Cold Brew

"Freshly ground Baridi Blend steeped with cold water for 12 hours to produce a sweet, smooth, and refreshing iced coffee without acidity or bitterness."

I really liked the regular cold brew.  Deep flavor, and, exactly as advertised, no acidity or bitterness.  Just incredibly pleasant coffee, intense but not too intense, very smooth, very drinkable, absolutely perfect for a hot day, without any sugar or cream added.

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Nitro Cold Brew

The Nitro cold brew is fairly limited, mostly only on tap in a few locations in California (you can find the details on their website).

I like nitro other places, and I liked the regular cold brew, but ... Peet's nitro I did not like.

It isn't the nitrogen effect that was the problem, it is actually the taste.  A more bitter, darker roast it seemed.  I've tried it several times, and never cared for it.  This confused me.

Cold Brew Fog. Large. $4.00.

"Our East African Baridi Blend Cold Brew with a touch of chicory, whipped until velvety smooth."

This.  Was.  Awesome.

Greatest discovery ever at Peet's.  Great invention by ... someone.

The concept is pretty simple.  Regular cold brew, chicory syrup, and ice.  But, whipped in the blender.  No dairy or base like their blended Javiva (or Starbucks Frappuccinos).

The result is a crazy fluffy, frothy topped beverage.  I loved the top froth.  Since there is no base made of chemicals mixed in, you actually just taste the pure (although sweetened with the chicory syrup) coffee.  And there isn't nearly as much ice as a blended beverage either, so it still was more like an iced coffee.  But frothy.  And awesome.

The sweetness from the chicory syrup was nice, but I was curious what it would be like without.  I imagine they could do that (stay tuned)?  The syrup addition did make it 140 calories, and 35 grams of sugar, so, watch out if the sugar matters to you.

Cold Brew Fog, 2 pumps Chicory. Large. $4.00.

Another hot day, I craved another Cold Brew Fog.

I asked the barista how many pumps of chicory go into a large, and she told me 5.  I asked if I could have it with less, and she said that was no problem.  So, yes, you can entirely modify the amount of chicory, and likely even use something like SF vanilla instead.

I tried it first with only a single pump, but, I realized I did want a touch more sweetness, a touch more chicory.  She happily added a second pump for me, and that was the right level for me (in a large at least).

But, this drink was not successful.  If you compare the two photos, you can tell the beverages came out *really* differently.  This one did have a nice foam head on it, but, it had no ice.  It wasn't chilled.  It was room temperature.

I didn't entirely realize it until I walked away, otherwise I would have asked to have it re-made.  The icy goodness was entirely missing, and room temperature coffee just isn't enjoyable.

Cold Brew Fog, 2 Pumps Chicory, Soy Foam. Large. (August 2018).

I happened to be visiting the east coast around my birthday in 2018, and thus was able to take advantage of amazing summer weather to redeem my birthday free drink.  It was nearly 80 degrees, sunny, and beautiful, and I knew exactly what I wanted.  A frothy cold brew fog, not too sweet, with just a hit of foam, not the full on latte version.

And since it was my birthday freebie, it was really easy to order what I wanted, as she didn't care how it rang up (she did it as a latte actually).

I was quite pleased with the result.

It was frothy and awesome as always.  As my barista turned away with the blender pitcher to dump the last bits of froth, I wanted to scream out, "No! I want that!", as it is my favorite part, but, I resisted the urge to be more annoying than I already was with my custom order.

The 2 pumps of chicory syrup instead of 5 (!) for a large is just right for me.  It gives the flavor and complexity, but isn't crazy sweet and allows me to really taste the coffee too.

The addition of the cold foam this time was a new twist I wanted to try out, I was intending for it to be on top, but she told me they always put the foam for iced drinks on the bottom, so, I went with that.  The foamy quality was lost, but the slight soy element was nice, I didn't want much creaminess, as I like to taste the coffee, but it was just right to add a bit of creamy.

I'd absolutely get this again in a heartbeat.  The foam isn't necessary though I think.

Original Reviews, Prior to 2018

In celebration of Peet's 50 Anniversary, I'm updating my past reviews with a bunch of newer reviews.  Since these is a collection of a slew of visits, I've just added the new ones in the proper sections, and updated a bit of my intro.

To start, let's first make sure you know about Peet's.  Peet's is a nationwide coffee chain, but it started in the bay area, in Berkeley.  Locations aren't as prevalent as Starbucks of course, particularly on the East Coast where I grew up, but, it is a sizable chain.  They offer coffee, espresso drinks, blended drinks, and baked goods.

One unique aspect is that they partner with local wholesale bakeries to provide the baked goods, so the scones in Northern California are entirely different from those in Boston.  They also have a firm rule that no brewed coffee will ever be more than 30 minutes old, and they have timers they watch and actually pay attention to.  On more occasions than not, I'm given a freshly brewed cup!  In general, I've found Peet's to be higher quality than Starbucks or other large chains.

When I was forced to switch to decaf for health reasons, I declared Peet's Decaf Major Dickason's to be the most reliable decaf I could find.  I still feel that way now, even since I've switched back to regular.  Below is a culmination of a bunch of my tasting notes from the past few years, spanning their hot drinks, cold drinks, baked goods, and candies!

Much like Starbucks acquired Teavana, Peet's owns Mightly Leaf Tea, and have more recently also acquired Intelligentsia and Stumptown, two smaller "luxury" brands of coffee.  I haven't seen those brands rolled out into the shops in any way though.

The majority of the Peet's menu is hot drinks, including espresso based beverages and drip coffee, plus some teas, including matcha and chai.  They don't try to have any exotic offerings, and don't introduce specials constantly like Starbucks.

Summary: Still consistently the best drip decaf I have found (besides cup at a time local stuff - Four Barrel does some great decaf actually), excellent foaming skills from the baristas, surprisingly good chocolate, mediocre baked goods, and a mixed bag on their other drinks.

Hot Coffee

Drip

This is why I usually go to Peet's.  I've been very impressed with Peet's decaf drip coffee (this REALLY surprised me to be honest, but with the policy of not serving coffee more than 30 mins old and no one else ordering decaf, this means I usually get a fresh pot brewed when I order!  I love how seriously they take this rule. )

Another thing I like is that each cafe brews a different roast every day, and have the lineup listed, so you can pick when and where to go.

• Decaf
• Decaf Sumatra: My least favorite, acidic aftertaste. [ I've tried this many, many times, and never like it.  Too dark of a roast, too much acid. ]
• Decaf Major Dickason's: Milder, always my favorite.
• Decaf Holiday Blend: Decent.  Not super complex, but not bad.
• Regular
• Mocca Java: chocolatey, deeper flavor, not bad.
• Holiday Blend: nothing special.
• JR Reserve: decent, but fairly generic.
• Peabody: yum!
• New Guinea Gold: sweet, nice when hot but bad after taste as it cools.
• Blue Batak: fairly complex, nice.

Brewed to Order

If you want hot coffee, but, not just the pre-brewed drip, you can also order a french press.  

Yes, did you know that Peet's will brew any coffee as a french press?  In multiple sizes?  I didn't either, until I started doing research on how to best utilize my birthday freebie.  Sounded like a good time to try it.

French press isn't listed anywhere on the menu, but I tentatively stepped up and asked the barista if they do french press, as I had read about it online.  "Yup, of course!  Any bean you'd like!", she quipped.

French Press Decaf Mocca-Java.

"Water-process decaffeination makes this rich, ancient blend of Java and Ethiopian Mocca a discerning decaf."

I used the opportunity to try one of the decafs I have never had before: Mocca-Java.  I was warned it would take time (which, it did, for sure).  But fresh brewed coffee is worth it, particularly for decaf, which can be so finicky.

It was ... good.  Certainly no decaf funk, but nothing particularly novel about it.  Decently complex for a decaf.  Decently smooth.  Not sure what I was expecting, but, I enjoyed it?

Hot Espresso Drinks

White Chocolate Mocha, Decaf, Soy.

"Rich espresso mixed with indulgent white chocolate, steamed milk."

Again, not something I normally order, but, I wanted something sweet, so, a white mocha was it.

There wasn't much coffee flavor to it, instead it was mostly just a sweet, warm, milky drink.

As I've come to expect from Peet's, the foam was nicely done.  I liked the sweet flavor, and it was a fairly comforting drink, but there wasn't a whole lot going.  I might not have known there was even coffee in it, easily mistaking it for just a sweet steamer.  And I couldn't have identified the sweet as white chocolate.  But well made.

White Chocolate Mocha, Decaf, Soy. $4.55.

"The traditional mocha’s blonde cousin. The sweet indulgence of white chocolate blends smoothly with espresso."

It was a cold, windy San Francisco day, and I wanted something creamy, sweet, and comforting, so I opted to try a white mocha again.  This quite fit the bill.

I'm always impressed with how well the Peet's baristas foam the milk, it doesn't seem to matter which cafe I visit, they all produce quality microfoam, and this was no exception, even though I opted for soy, which sometimes trips baristas up a bit.

It was about what I remembered, and about what I wanted.  Quite sweet, although nothing particularly tasted like "white chocolate", just, sweet, but not cloying.  The coffee taste was pretty much lost, but you could tell it was there making the whole drink not just sweet.

Overall, nicely made, decent white mocha, nothing earth shattering, but it warmed me up and satisfied my sweet tooth quite nicely.

Sea Salt Caramel Macchiato, Decaf, Soy, Large.

"Real, buttery caramel, a bit of vanilla, and a hint of French grey sea salt provides a salty-sweet balance to intense, yet sweet ristretto shots of fresh espresso."

I really have no idea why I ordered this one.  It was a cold day, and I wanted something to warm me up, and I felt like something more decadent that my standard black coffee.  But it was afternoon, so I didn't want caffeine, otherwise a matcha or chai would definitely have been in order.  So, decaf coffee, but ... in what form?  I was being really indecisive, and saw a sign with the lovely seasonal offerings on it, including the Sea Salt Carmamel Macchiato.  It looked so inviting in the photo.  Indecision won, so I randomly ordered it.

Since I love the flavor of soy milk, I splurged ($0.60) to use soy milk.  I took my first sip.  The caramel was very forward, and sweet.  And then, wow, there was the salt.  The flavor was really lovely.  The top of this was just ridiculously delicious, with the extra caramel and the sprinkle of salt too.

Plus whipped cream!

But ... the photo that inspired my order had whipped cream, and mine did not.  It was part of the decadent appeal.  So I went back, and asked for whipped cream.  I didn't realize it wasn't standard with the drink.

Overall, this was exactly what I wanted.  Did I get to taste and appreciate coffee?  Not at all.  The coffee was pretty much entirely masked by the rest of the drink.  But, I did really like the combo of salty and sweet, and it really was a perfect treat!

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Cappuccino

"Our rich espresso poured with steamed milk and marbled to absolute perfection."

This was pretty bad. The milk was not properly steamed (but that is individual barista issue, not judging the entire chain on this ...), the bean taste wasn't great and was totally lost in the milk anyway. Very meh.

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Pumpkin spice latte, whip. 

"Our rich espresso topped with steamed milk and a layer of foam, with pumpkin spice syrup."

Gross.  Not very well made latte, super sweet, not even nice flavor.

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Godiva Caramel Pecan Mocha, skim.

This sounded amazing but, just tasted kinda burnt.  I didn’t get a real chocolate sense, nor caramel, nor pecan.  It was just kinda nasty, not sweet, nor bitter.  On a later encounter, I had sample size of the regular version of it, with whipped cream.  It was super sweet and really pretty tasty.  Not sure why it was so bad when I got the full size one.

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Peppermint mocha, skim, whip.

Another one that sounded like it would be great, but was quite horrible.  Strong, bitter taste, not chocolatey, not pepperminty, just bitter and gross.  Really fake tasting.  But the whipped cream was really, really tasty and melted into the drink well.

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Peppermint hot chocolate, whip.

Very sweet, but the peppermint flavor is nice.  Much better than the peppermint mocha.  Same great whipped cream.

Iced Espresso Drinks

The iced espresso drink lineup is again about what you'd expect.  The aspect that sets Peet's apart here is that they actually use foam even in their iced drinks.

Iced Cappuccino, Decaf, Skim, SF Vanilla.

 "Our freshly-pulled espresso and foam poured with cold milk and vanilla syrup over ice."

I really loved this.

Most places make iced lattes by combining ice, cold milk, and an espresso shot.  Peet's instead starts with cold foam, then adds the standard ingredients.  And they also offer a iced cappuccino, which is the same thing, but with additional cold foam on top.

I liked this more than any of the blended iced drinks.  It was sweet, but not too sweet.  The vanilla flavor here was stronger than in the vanilla caffe freddo.  The coffee flavor was also stronger.  The foam top is my favorite part of a standard cappuccino, and it was really fun to have that in a more refreshing, seasonally appropriate, iced drink as well.  I'd never seen it done before!

Would definitely order again, particularly instead of an iced coffee, which is what I normally go for when I want a cold coffee drink.

Tea Beverages

Of course, it is Peet's Coffee & Tea, so the other main part of the menu is tea based drinks.

Hot

Chai Latte, Soy, Medium. $4.10 + $0.60 for soy.

"Peet’s take on a traditional Indian cup. Our own blend of teas and spices, lightly sweetened, with steamed milk."

I'm not really a big chai drinker, but every once in a while, usually when it is very cold out, and usually after I've recently spent time with my mother (who does love chai), I want a chai. So, I tried out Peet's version.

The milk was nicely steamed, a good frothy top. Peet's usually does a nice job with the foam.

It comes pre-sweetened, so no ability to modify sweetness (it isn’t just simple syrup like in other drinks). It was a tad bit too sweet for me, but maybe because I got soy milk, since the soy was also sweetened.

The spicing was quite nice, lots of spices, but none dominant. Very nicely balanced.

It was very comforting on a dreary day, and satisfied my random chai craving. I don't really feel the need for another though.

Large Matcha Latte, Soy Milk, No Simple Syrup, 3 Pumps SF Vanilla.

"Pure Matcha Green Tea, freshly steamed milk, and sweet vanilla syrup."

At first I just ordered a matcha green tea latte, soy, since I really love the flavor combination of soy and matcha.  The person taking my order asked, "Sweetened or unsweetened?"  I was overjoyed!  In the past, I thought Peet's had only a pre-sweetened mix, and so I had no option here.  I quickly said unsweetened, and I saw "no simple syrup" flash by on the screen.  I didn't actually want it super bitter, so I asked to have sugar free vanilla syrup added instead.  Vanilla, matcha, and soy are such a good combination.  I was told it normally has 5 pumps in a large, I asked for only 3, since I did really want to taste my matcha, not just the sweetness.

The result was certainly a success. I could taste the matcha, I could taste the soy, and it was all just slightly sweet.  Comforting and satisfying, with the perfect amount of caffeine as long as I drank it slowly.

The only thing I'd change is to do it more cappuccino style rather than latte, I actually love foam, not hot milk.

Matcha Latte, Soy, No SS, 2 Pumps SF Vanilla, Coconut Whip. $5.55.

Another matcha, similar recipe as my others - soy, no simple syrup, and 2 pumps of SF vanilla.  This time I got crazy, and added coconut whipped cream at the last minute, when I saw it on the menu. 

The matcha was good, decently strong flavor, and my 2 pumps of vanilla syrup left it not too sweet (actually, I wished I had asked for 3).  I again liked my choices of both soy and vanilla mixed in.  Soy + vanilla + matcha is just a great combination.  And again, amazing foam.  They really make the best foam of anywhere I've been, very consistently.

Now, about that topping.  A matcha latte doesn't normally have whipped cream, coconut or otherwise.  I have no problem with regular dairy, and only pick soy milk in my matcha because I love the taste.  So, uh, why did I add coconut whipped cream?  I don't know.  It was an impulse.  Did I need whipped cream at 8am?  Absolutely not.  But, the fact that they have coconut whipped cream was novel, and so, I added it.  I wished I hadn't.  I thought it would taste coconuty, and that would be a nice flavor with my matcha.  It didn't really taste like coconut, and it had a strange mouth feel.  Oops.  I think regular whipped cream would have been tasty, but, again, entirely unnecessary, particularly given how great their foam is.

Iced

Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte, Soy, Naturally Sweetened, Small.  $2.95.

"Pure Matcha Green Tea and milk poured over ice. Available unsweetened or sweetened with simple syrup."

I heard many great things about Peet's matcha green tea lattes, and everyone in front of me seemed to be getting them. Plus, they were a crazy fun green color.  I joined the crowds, and went for one too.

The Matcha Green Tea Latte comes in 3 varieties: unsweetened, "naturally sweetened", or vanilla.  It is also available hot or iced, with all the usual milk choices.

I told the very friendly person taking my order that I'd never had one before, but was eager to try it.  I asked how she liked hers.  Without hesitation, she said "iced, soy milk, naturally sweetened".  I was actually thinking that it was a shame that I'd picked a hot sunny afternoon to go in, so making it iced was a perfect suggestion, I hadn't even thought of that.  And I love soy flavor, and was already thinking I'd go that way.  As for the sweetness, I really couldn't pick, so I went with her suggestion.

I loved it.  The matcha flavor was just great, and it went really well with soy.  It was refreshing yet creamy, just absolutely what I was in the mood for.  It was also frothy, which I loved (they threw it in the blender to froth it up).  I'd gladly get another!

 Iced Soy Matcha, No simple syrup, 2 pumps SF Vanilla.  $5.10.

A few years later, I had another.

It was still good.  I thought I remembered Peet's making their iced drinks slightly more frothy than this, but perhaps it was just because I used soy that made it less frothy?  Anyway, the matcha flavor was strong, the soy flavor was good, and I sucked this down in, oh, approximately 3 minutes.  I’m not joking.

I went for a large, which seemed huge at first, but given the amount of ice it really wasn’t too much at all.  I originally asked for 1 pump of syrup, since I knew that the soy milk itself was sweetened, and assumed the matcha base was too.  But 1 pump for such a large drink wasn’t quite sufficient, so I upped it to 2 pumps, which was absolutely perfect.  I was told that the drink normally has 5 pumps of simple syrup!  Woah.

Anyway, this was pretty much exactly what I wanted on a hot day.  Refreshing, a bit creamy, perfect jolt of caffeine.  That said, $5.10 is kinda pricey for what is basically a large cup of ice, some soy milk, a few squirts of syrup, and a bit of matcha powder ($0.60 was just to upgrade to soy milk).  If I was feeling splurgy, I’d certainly get another, although I’m curious to try the blended version (Javiva).

Hibiscus Breeze Tea Cooler.

"Our Hibiscus C Blend (a caffeine-free blend of hibiscus flowers, chamomile, and cinnamon) brewed with lemonade over ice."


I wanted to try something other than coffee, so I went for the only ice tea offering without caffeine.  It was really sweet.  The flavor was fairly complex, almost interesting, with some tartness from the lemonade.  But ... just too sweet overall, and really not refreshing at all.  I likely would not order again.

Blended Beverages

Freddos

Freddos no longer exist, but they were Peet's version of an icy, creamy, blended beverage, like a frappucino from Starbucks, a coolatta from Dunkin' Donuts, etc.  These have been replaced with Javivas, and honestly, I'm not sure what is different.

Dark Chocolate Mocha Freddo, Decaf, Skim, Whip.

"A delicious chocolatey beverage. Luxurious Scharffen Berger cocoa and coffee, topped with whipped cream and Scharffen Berger chocolate shavings."

I actually ordered a chocolate and caramel swirl freddo, but received this instead.  Given how crazy the lines were, I decided to just try it out.  I didn't like it at all.  It did have a rich dark chocolate flavor, but it wasn't a particularly good one, and it had a strange mouthfeel.  Blended decently, not too icy.  It was very bitter overall.  Mine did not having chocolate shavings.

The whipped cream was pretty good.  They make fresh whipped cream in house, not just generic canned stuff.

Least favorite freddo I tried, would not get again.

Matcha Green Tea Freddo, Soy, Whip.

 "A distinctively refreshing beverage handcrafted with the highest quality Japanese matcha green tea and milk, topped with whipped cream."

I really liked this at first and thought it had really great flavors.  Good matcha flavor, just enough to give it flavor, but not overpower the soy.  Great combination.  It was really nicely blended.  But ... after a few sips I got really sick of it, and the flavor seemed to just disappear.  The whipped cream was again tasty, and went well with it.  Tasting notes from an earlier encounter seem to agree: flavor pretty subtle, in fact, just not much flavor.

Second to least favorite of the freddos, probably wouldn't get again.

Matcha Green Tea Freddo, Vanilla, Soy, Whip.

The next time, I had vanilla syrup added, because I've been drinking matcha lattes with a little vanilla syrup in them lately, and I decided I like the flavor combination.  I again got soy because I love how soy and matcha taste together.

I liked this more, and really appreciate how strong the matcha is in the Peet's drinks.  I like that it tastes a bit bitter, and really like matcha, rather than ridiculously sweet like Starbuck's Matcha Frappucinos.  And it was again expertly blended.

I still got fairly sick of it halfway through, and was going to throw it out, but decided to just give it a few minutes and then resume.  It was half-hearted enjoyment at best for the second half though.  Medium is the smallest size they come in, I wish they were offered in small, or maybe I just need to find someone to split one with me ...

Chocolate Freddo, Soy, Whip.

This was one of their coffee-free freddos.  It had a good chocolate flavor (much better than the dark chocolate freddo), but it also let the soy flavor come through.  This was a nice combination of chocolate and soy.  It was nicely blended, almost like a chocolate milk shake, although more icy.  The whipped cream was definitely necessary on this one.

Third favorite of the freddos I tried, and if I wanted something chocolately and cold and I was there, I'd order it, but otherwise, I'd just go for a real milkshake.

I really want to try the vanilla coffee-free freddo next!

Caramel Caffè Freddo, Decaf, Skim, Whip.

"Smooth coffee taste with Pure Caramel for a subtly sweet treat, topped with whipped cream."

I'm not really sure where they got "subtle sweet" from, this thing was super sweet!  It had a great caramel flavor, was not bitter at all, and the coffee flavor was fairly subtle.  It was very tasty, well blended, and quite a treat, but very, very sweet and not really much of a coffee drink.

By far my favorite of the freddos, would order again if I wanted something just sweet and delicious.

Vanilla Caffè Freddo, Light, Decaf.

"Madagascar Vanilla combined with coffee, blended with ice for a deliciously sweet treat. "

After all those crazy sweet drinks loaded with whipped cream, I wanted to at least give the "light" product line a try.  The light drinks are made with skim milk, do not have whipped cream, and use syrups and powders with less sugar than the standard versions.

This was the best blended freddo I had, very, very frothy.  It had a really nice coffee flavor, with a subtle vanilla flavor, not too sweet.

Second pick of the freddos, and I'd order again if I wanted something that highlighted coffee flavors a little more.

Vanilla Freddo, Soy, Whip.  $4.30.

I finally got a chance to try the last freddo I had wanted, the plain vanilla, san coffee, version.  I was hoping it would be like a delicious milkshake.  I love the flavor of soy and vanilla together, so I picked soy milk.

This did have a nice soy flavor, but there wasn't much vanilla to it.  It was kinda just sweet soy milk, blended with ice.  It was really nicely blended.  It also came with the most generous serving of whipped cream that I've ever received.  I couldn't get a lid on it.  The whipped cream was the same standard, but good, whipped cream.

I wouldn't get one of these again, as it really offered nothing.  It also seemed really expensive: $4.90 with tax ... for basically some soy milk and ice?  Meh.

Javiva

As I said, Freddos were discontinued.  And replaced by Javivas.  They seem to be the same thing, ice blended drinks topped with whipped cream.  I'm going to guess this was a marketing move?

Matcha Javiva, Soy, Small $4.10 + $0.60 for soy.

"Pure Japanese Matcha green tea finds a creamy complement in cold milk and ice. Topped off with a cloud of whipped cream."

Unlike the old freddos, this came pre-sweetened, so, like the chai, no ability to modify sweetness. I could pick my dairy, unlike Starbucks frappuccinos though.  Into it went sScoops of matcha powder, and scoops of some other powder, which I'm guessing is some kind of Javiva base?

It was nicely blended, with tiny tiny tiny bits of ice.  Great matcha flavor, probably the best matcha flavor I’ve had in a drink.

Baked Goods

One of the Peet's locations that I most often visit regularly has samples of their baked goods out.  I'm a bit of a baked goods snob, and wouldn't normally ever order these, but I'm incapable of resisting a sample, so I've gotten to try a bunch of things!  As always, subsequent tastings noted in brackets.

• Cookies
• Chocolate Chip: kinda greasy, hard, nothing worth repeating.
• Peanut Butter: hard, flavorless, not good.
• Sugar: buttery, classic sugar cookie taste, huge sugar crystals on top are nice crunch, cookie itself is moist, basically a good classic sugar cookie. [ Nice and buttery, topped with large sugar crystals, yummy. ]
• Vegan Oatmeal Raisin: nice buttery flavor, plentiful raisins, fairly chewy, nice! [ Meh, not great flavor, too crispy. ] [ Soft, plentiful raisins, really great flavor, buttery, maple flavor in there too. ]
• Spicy Ginger: nice chunks of candied ginger inside, great ginger flavor.
• Cakes
• Gingerbread Loaf Cake with cream cheese frosting: pretty good! flavors are very strong -  gingerbread flavor is very strong in the cake, cream cheese frosting is very creamy cheesy, although I could do without the frosting. [ Cake was fairly moist but nothing special.  Cream cheese frosting had candied ginger pieces, the candied ginger gave a nice zing.  But overall, generic and forgettable. ]
• Lemon Pound Cake: just sweet, boring, dry, meh.
• Classic Coffee Cake: cake pretty boring, heavy brown sugar topping, not very flavorful, meh.
• Other
• Pumpkin Pie Bar: Pumpkin pie layer on top of shortbread crust.  Crust really has no flavor or anything.  Pumpkin pie layer is lacking in spices.  Generic and forgettable. [ Flavorless pumpkin layer, flavorless shortbread crust layer, really quite gross. ]
• Peppermint Cute Cake by Donsuemor: “marriage of cupcakes and petits fours”.  "A chocolate cake with peppermint infused white chocolate topping and sprinkles".  The cake is kinda dry and forgettable, but the peppermint topping was nice.  [ Agreed on second try, cake is kinda dry, peppermint topping is good. ]
• Red Velvet Whoopie Pie: dry flavorless cake, cream cheese filling ok.

Chocolates

During the Christmas holidays, Peet's was often sampling some of their chocolates.  Again, not somewhere I'd normally purchase such things, but theirs were surprisingly good!

• Jo’s Almond Bark: Milk chocolate base, dark chocolate swirl, pieces and whole chunks of almond.  Surprisingly good.  Milk chocolate is nice and creamy, dark chocolate adds nice component, almonds have good flavor. [ Agreed, milk chocolate is really surprisingly nice and creamy. ] [ Agreed, not amazing milk chocolate, but pretty creamy.] [ Agreed again, nice flavor in almond, chocolate so creamy.]
• Jo’s Chocolate Covered Pretzel: milk chocolate covered pretzel stick. Generic, meh, neither component interesting.
• Chocolate Covered Cherries: milk chocolate covered bing cherry with cherry flavored layer.  Very flavorful, cherry itself has good flavor, milk chocolate kinda standard, cherry layer fairly thin, doesn’t add a lot. [ Milk chocolate layer very thin, cherry chocolate layer is very thick, 2x thicker than cherry itself.  Overall really flavorful. ] [  Layer of cherry flavored chocolate, layer of milk chocolate, dried cherry in center.  Pretty tasty.  Cherry chocolate layer is super flavorful, and chocolate and cherry are great flavor combo. ]
• Jo’s Peppermint Bark: Dark chocolate thin base layer, lots of white chocolate, candycane topping.  Candycane nice, dark chocolate layer is totally lost in the white chocolate, white chocolate just kinda a lot of sweet but if you are in the mood for it it isn’t bad [ Not very minty, dark chocolate you don’t taste at all, white chocolate isn’t too sweet, but overall, this is pretty lackluster. ]
• Chocolate Toffee Almond: Almond coated with butter toffee, chocolate, and powdered sugar. Very nice, better than most other versions I've had of this.  Butter toffee layer is subtle and adds just a nice salty/sweet layer, perfect amount of chocolate (not too much so you lose taste of almond, which happens with many).

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SS Frutas Plantain Chips

SS Frutas is an international food importer and distributor.  They work with farms in South America to harvest "exotic" fruits to bring to other countries.  Their main products are plantain and yucca chips.

As a lover all snack foods, and chips in particular, I was eager to try them.  I didn't find the yucca variety, which would be my top pick, but I did try the plantain chips in several varieties.

"Gluten-free, nutritious and delicious vegan plantain crisps. They are a good source of potassium without artificial colors, added flavors nor preservatives."

If this matters, yes, they are vegan, gluten-free, etc, etc.  They market them as a healthy snack, but I was fairly surprised to see that the single serve bags had 440 calories in them, much, much higher than your average bag of potato chips.  Interestingly, the Naturally Sweet ones have considerably more protein (and sugar obviously), than the other varieties.

SS Frutas makes 3 varieties: Salted, Spicy, and "Naturally Sweet". They all contain simple ingredients: plantains and oil for the Naturally Sweet, plantains, oil, and salt for the Salted, and plantains, oil, salt, and spices for the Spicy.

The result?  Yup, plantain chips.  No more, no less.

Salted.

The salted were ...  well, plantain chips, salty ones.  Crispy, banana-like yet starchy, fried.  Decent thickness, not broken up, not too oily.  Salty.  Not much to say here.  I think my favorite of the two kinds I tried, but I really needed something to dip them in to satisfy.

Naturally Sweet.

The naturally sweet were ... well, sweeter plantain chips that weren't salted?  I'm not sure what I was expecting really.  Again, just crispy, fried, banana-eque chips.  Kinda sweet.  But not dessert.  Not sure where these would fit into my life.  Not sweet enough to be a dessert item, but certainly not what I wanted with a savory meal.  Meh?

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Queues de Castor / BeaverTails, Montreal

I arrived in Montreal, for a very quick 2 day business trip, driven by my parents from their home in New Hampshire, since I was visiting them prior.  The plan was to drop me at hotel, get a snack, and for them to get back on the road, with a 3.5 hour drive ahead of them.  I presented a few options to my mom, all the things I wanted to check out, that I thought might appeal to them.  Poutine.  BeaverTails.  Soft serve dips.  Both my mom and dad were very clear.  They wanted the BeaverTails.  Soft serve they have all the time.  They really were not into the idea of poutine.  But fried dough?  That was their style (and, in fact, when I was at their house, they quasi-seriously proposed driving to the nearby town, 35 minutes away, to attend the summer fair, each pay $10 to get in, *just* to get fried dough.  Its a very rare treat for them).

Entrance.

So, to BeaverTails we went, called Queues de Castor in Quebec, because, French.  The location we visited was in Old Town, hence the stone front.

What is a BeaverTail?  Yes, it is just fried dough.  No different from what you find at any fair, beach boardwalk, amusement park, or ballgame concession stand.  The inspiration for the "Snowshoe" desserts I had my first time to Canada, at The Crazy Canuck, in Waterloo.  But not something they have easy access to in rural NH.  And with a name that makes my mom giggle.  "I just want to say I ate a BeaverTail!", she said, several times excitedly.  

BeaverTails is a chain throughout Canada, started in the 1970s in Ottawa, for a fair.  It is now a large franchise, with about 140 locations, mostly throughout Canada, and a few in the US.  BeaverTails does have a few other items on the menu, all things I do like: fries, poutine (of course), and "Beaverdogs", pastry wrapped hot dogs, but from what I can tell, most people don't get those things.  BeaverTails and nothing else.  Or maybe ice cream, from the co-located ZooMoo ice cream parlour, with gelato, hard ice cream, frozen yogurt, and vanilla/chocolate soft serve.

I'll admit I was tempted by the sundae option though, with ice cream base, sauces and other toppings, and, balls of fried dough surrounding them.  I nearly went for that option, but decided I had no reason to believe their soft serve would be any good.  BeaverTails it was.

Trio of BeaverTails: Avalanche (minus Skor), Classic, Apple Cinnamon.

We each ordered one BeaverTail, and sampled each others.  There were only 9 options, no ability to craft your own, nor to add your own toppings.  That was always my favorite thing at the summer fair, loading on the powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, and Bavarian cream to different sections as I pleased.  Here I had to pick just one, and someone else would do it for me.

I really didn't know which to select, as options ranged from very simple cinnamon and sugar to creations with spreads and toppings, and the classic things I grew up with, powdered sugar and Bavarian cream, were not options.  Many had chocolate hazelnut spread or chocolate components, which I didn't opt for, since I didn't want caffeine.  I was fairly tempted by the "Coco Vanil", which is actually the Oreo one, not for the crushed Oreos on top, nor the drizzle of chocolate sauce, but for the vanilla icing.  I saw one kid nearby with it, and it looked melty and tasty, and I considered getting it just without Oreos and chocolate sauce, if they'd let me.  I was also tempted by the "Killaloe Sunries", classic cinnamon and sugar, but also, lemon to boost it up a bit.  But that seemed boring, and I knew my father would go Classic, and share.

They were handed over immediately after I completed payment, topped to order, the pastries fairly fresh, as there was a steady stream of guests.  We each sampled all three, but mostly stuck to our own choices.

All were fine.  Not memorable.  I don't see a reason to return.

Outdoor Seating.

There is no seating inside, but outside are a handful of tables.  It was very windy when we were there, and our napkins, and those of everyone else around us, kept flying away.

Classic: Cinnamon & Sugar.

"A sprinkle of cinnamon & sugar."

My father is a traditional man, and his food choices are not adventurous.  Cinnamon and sugar was all he wanted.  He made a good choice, and my mom admitted she wished she had followed his lead.  It was well coated with cinnamon and sugar.

It also gives the best view of the pastry, oblong, not too thick, not too fried, not bad like the base funnel cake at California's Great America theme park.  Just very basic, very generic, fried dough.  No reason to rave about it, no reason to take a bite and throw it out.  It was what it was.

Apple Cinnamon.

 "Apple pie filling with whole apple slices and caramel sauce."

My mother opted for the one that sounded the least good to me: apple cinnamon.  I expected apple gloop from a can, and, well, that is exactly what it was.  Exactly like my horrible experience being lead astray by the Yelpers who encouraged me to get the Apple Pie version at the funnel cake stand at the Santa Cruz boardwalk.  Lots of goo, soft mushy generic apple slices.  Tons of toppings, very sweet, and totally dominated the pastry.

She was clearly quite disappointed, and tried to be a trooper, saying "it tastes like apple pie ...", and, after sampling it myself, I said, "yeah, like gas station apple pies!", and she sadly said yes.  She didn't finish it, and gave it to my dad, who clearly didn't want it either.

This was the loser of the group.

Avalanche (Minus the Skor®).

"Cheesecake spread, Skor® bits, and caramel sauce."

I went for the "Avalanche", the most crazy sounding, at least by name.  I was seconds away from ordering the Oreo one just for the vanilla icing, and realized that I could get this one without the Skor instead, and still have a creamy sweet white topping, plus caramel.  I was trying for something as close to Bavarian cream as I could get!  The person taking my order didn't seem phased at all by my asking to have the Skor left off (which I only did because of the chocolate, I do love toffee!).

Mine was ... ok.  I'll admit I was fairly sad at first, but it grew on me.

The bare ends and edges gave me a chance to sample the pastry on its own.  I appreciated that was it was decently warm (not super fresh and piping hot, but not cold), and that it really wasn't too oily.  It almost had a hearty taste to it, which surprised me.  It was thin and not super puffy inside nor crispy outside, but it was fine.

The "cheesecake spread" was the part that needed some expectations re-setting before I started liking it.  It didn't taste anything like cheesecake.  It tasted just like sweet frosting.  Which, since I was tempted to get the Oreo one with its vanilla icing, really wasn't a problem.  Sweet frosting, sure.  Generic drizzle of sweet caramel? Sure.  Much like my mother's, it was loaded up with topping, and very sweet.  Once I was ready for sweet, and "generic sweet", I liked it, but it certainly wasn't cheesecake, and it certainly wasn't high quality.

So overall, fine.  I think my favorite of the three, although the cinnamon sugar was a close second, just, totally different.

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Graze, UK

I first tried Graze snacks a few years ago, when they attempted to make an inroads in the US, offering customized subscription snack boxes.  I found the concept fascinating, as I'm an avid snacker, but I quickly forgot about it.

But in the UK, Graze is unavoidable.  Not just the subscription boxes, but they are in every convenience store, every grocery store, just ... everywhere.  Sweet snacks, savory snacks, spicy snacks, nuts, seeds, veggies, gluten-free, high protein, high fiber, breakfast snacks, post-workout protein bites ... they have it all.  And the product line is constantly evolving.

I tried an assortment of snack boxes, and I must say, I see why they are successful.  Some of them were really, really good!

Dips & Dippers

I'm a big fan of dipping things.  Ok, I'm a fan of sauces in general.  And of crunchy chip-like things in general.  So, the Graze Dippers line seriously appeals.

They use all sorts of things for the dipping element, like soy rice crackers, flavored crackers, pretzels, shortbreads, even jerky.  Dips run the spectrum from savory onion marmalade to sweet white chocolate or toffee sauces.  Some sound incredible, like cinnamon pretzels with cookie butter dip!

Protein peanut butter dipper with baked hemp sticks.

"Wholesome pure peanut butter dip, served with lightly salted hemp pretzel sticks."

"Our thick and creamy peanut butter is made from whole peanuts and nothing else. It’s the ideal pairing for these baked hemp pretzel sticks, and each serving packs a whopping 5.9g of protein!"

I selected this for one of the components, and I assure you, it didn't have "hemp" in the name.

And yet ... the part I liked?  Yup, the hemp pretzel sticks.  They were crispy, slightly salty, and had a slightly hearty flavor from the hemp.  Perfectly tasty just to munch on, actually.

But the peanut butter.  That should be the star right?  I love peanut butter!  But ... this peanut butter I did not love.  And I'm not sure why.  It was creamy.  It was pure peanuts (no additives).  The flavor just wasn't great for me though.

Overall, I liked the dippers, discarded the peanut butter.

Savory

I'm usually one to rave about sweets, but, in the crunchy munchy snack department, savory certainly has its place.  And wow, graze has an amazing lineup.  They, uh, even have one called "smoky hotdog", which is supposed to recreate the flavors of a hotdog, through hickory smoked almonds, mustard breadsticks, and cheese croutons.

Seriously Spicy Thai Sriracha with chili and garlic:
Thai sriracha flavored peas / half popped corn / jumbo salted corn.

"We can't get enough of the deliciously satisfying spicy crunch in our spicy Thai sriracha peas. We've coated half-popped corn kernels and green peas in a Thai classic; sriracha sauce. Our sriracha is a perfect balance of medium heat from the chilli, garlic to round out the flavour, and sweetness to leave you wanting more."

Ok, this was awesome.

A mix of three different crunchy elements: coated peas, large corn kernels, and "kern pops", half-popped exploded kernels of corn.  Each was good, and I appreciated different aspects of each of them.  The jumbo corn was the crunchiest and saltiest, the kern pops the most jaggy and lightest, and the peas had the best coating.

The flavoring though is what set this apart, besides just being well selected crunchy munchies.  It tasted like ... well, Thai sriracha.  I laughed when I read the description and thought, "What does that even mean", and then realized that I had no better way to describe it either.  I found it fascinating how the spicy sriracha came through, but didn't overpower the chili and garlic.  And there was even a slight sweetness.

It was addicting.  It was satisfying.  It was spicy without overpowering.  It would make a great bar snack ... with nearly every bite, I kept thinking how good a cocktail or glass of red wine would be alongside.

It is a good thing this was portion controlled.

Sweet

Of course, I also tried some sweet ones.  Here too, there are fun concepts like "jam doughnut", recreated through raspberry fruit strings and vanilla sponge drops.

White Chocolate & Raspberry: white chocolate buttons / blanched almonds / whole hazelnuts / raspberry fruit strings.

"There’s nothing quite like the summer flavours of white chocolate and raspberry. This clever creation fuses the sweet taste of Belgian white chocolate with juicy raspberry fruit strings, mixed with the crunch of almonds and hazelnuts. This is a delicious dessert-flavoured snack you can feel good about enjoying!"

Graze is right, white chocolate and raspberry are a great combination, as are, it turns out, white chocolate and hazelnut.  This was actually a fairly enjoyable mix.

The almonds were the most boring, just plain, white, blanched almonds.  They were also the component with the largest quantity, although the raspberry fruit strings were close behind.   The strings were like little tiny chewy fruity chews, like a fruit roll up, made into strings.  Fine, but not super exciting.

What I really liked were the large white chocolate drops.  Creamy, smooth, sweet white chocolate.  And the hazelnuts, just standard hazelnuts, but crunchy and flavorful, great with the white chocolate.

Overall, enjoyable, and a nice balanced mix of sweet, crunchy, creamy, and, some protein from the nuts.

Milk Chocolate and Salted Caramel: Pecans / Belgian milk chocolate and salted caramel buttons / pumpkin seeds / amaretti drops.

"We love our salted caramel buttons! Especially when they're combined with crisp pecans, amaretti drops and crunchy pumpkin seeds. This mixture perfectly satisfies any salted caramel craving, with the added bonus of vitamins, minerals and fibre!"

This was very good.

The pecans and pumpkin seeds were basic but good.  I liked the texture of the slightly chewy amaretti drops, basically like ity bity macaroons, good almond flavor.  The milk chocolate buttons were a surprise, filled with gooey caramel.  I thought they were just big chocolate drops, and that the salted caramel would show up elsewhere.  The chocolate was smooth and good too.

Overall, I liked every single component, and I liked them even more when all combined.  A satisfying snack, could very easily feel a bit like dessert (particularly with some whipped cream?), and was good alongside a cup of coffee.  Wining mix!

Flapjacks

"Our flapjacks come from family bakers in the Cotswolds, who make these oaty delights from a trusted 30 year old family recipe that’s been handed down through a discerning generation or two! They’re handmade from the very best rustic rolled British oats and baked in small batches so each one is crafted to our deliciously high standards."

Back in 2014 I had my first ever British style flapjack, and it happened to be from Graze, the US version.  I wasn't that excited by it, mostly because the flavor was so plain.  Since then, I've tried other brands of flapjacks, but not the real ones from the UK Graze.

Graze makes a slew of flapjacks, as they are their signature, and most popular, product.  They even make high protein varieties, or bite sized offerings.

Full On Fruity Flapjack.

"Whole British oats, juicy apricot, vine fruits & seeds."

"Our original fruity flapjack was our first foray into flapjacks. We wanted to develop a flapjack that packed a fruity punch with classic country flavours. We’ve squeezed 5 fruits into the recipe combined with seeds to give it a great texture."

I tried the "Full On Fruity" version, as it was shared with me, not because I would pick that variety.

Well, it wasn't boring like the previous kind I had tried.  It was indeed loaded with all the things - raisins, sultanas, and currants, bits of chopped dates and apricots, and sunflower seeds.  I guess, it was "full on fruity".  Which, I didn't care for.

The base soft sweetened oats were fine, but, this was just all about the dried fruit, and I am not a dried fruit lover.  The sunflower seeds were bitter.

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Honey Stinger Waffles

Honey Stinger makes a variety of snacks for athletes (cyclists in particular), designed to be used either before, during, or after sports.  Most are not interesting to me: energy chews, protein bars, energy bars, energy gels, and the like.

"Utilizing an ingredient engineered by nature as opposed to in a laboratory has its benefits, like higher quality and no additional flavoring or coloring. We use honey, a natural form of energy and antioxidants, as the main carbohydrate source for all products. Research in endurance athletes has proven that a mixture of carbohydrates is better tolerated by the body, prevents fatigue and enhances performance more than a single carbohydrate form."

But one product is ... waffles.

Depending on what aspects of Honey Stinger Waffles you consider, these could be something I'd love, or, they could just as well be something I hate.

Waffles?  Excellent.  You know I have a thing for waffles.

Excuses to eat dessert at times other than after a meal, because, they are for sports?  Awesome.

But ... honey is rarely a draw for me.  And I've never found stroopwafel that I actually like, even though I've tried quite a few, like Lady Walton's or Bay Area favorites Rip Van Wafel.

Of course I still tried them though.  The results were surprising, to say the least.

Individual Packaging.

"For years, similar waffles have been sold on street corners throughout Europe and eaten by professional cyclists, so we decided to create our own by sandwiching honey between two thin waffles. Honey Stinger Organic Waffles are easy to digest, certified organic and available in a single-serving wrapper."

The waffles are packaged individually, in colors to match the flavor (here, pink for strawberry).

Waffle: Top.

Each waffle is a round disk, standard stroopwafel shape.  Standard hard yet slightly soft form, designed to be placed over your coffee cup to soften it.

I, uh, of course took a bite first.

Regular Waffles

The regular waffles come in 7 flavors: honey, caramel, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, lemon, and gingersnap.  I tried several.

The waffles are .. well, dry hardish cookie-like things that I didn't care for at all.  I didn't like the honey flavor present in all of them.

I basically hated them all.

Strawberry Waffle: Side.

"A thin layer of our classic honey with natural strawberry flavor sandwiched between two thin waffles. Sure to satisfy your taste buds and keep you going as an afternoon snack, during your favorite activity or go great with your cup of coffee or tea."

I expected it to have more strawberry filling, but actually, there was very little, as you can see from the cross section, and what was there was mixed with the aforementioned honey.

It did taste strawberry however.  Which I didn't like at all.  A softish, crumblyish, staleish strawberry tasting thing?  Serious meh for me.

For me, this was just the opposite of what I'd ever want, not the form, flavor, nor texture I like.  And certainly not a waffle.

I disliked the strawberry so much that I didn't bother trying the warmed up version over my cup, and just tossed it.

Chocolate.

"A thin layer of honey infused with natural cocoa flavor and sandwiched between two thin waffles. The delicious taste of chocolate and honey will satisfy your taste buds and keep you going as an afternoon snack, during your favorite activity or go great with your cup of coffee or tea."

A friend gave me several flavors to try, so, even though I wasn't excited for it, I also tried the chocolate.

It was marginally better, in that chocolate made more sense as a waffle, but I still did not like the honey notes, and just don't care for the stroopwafel concept in general.

Gluten-Free Waffles

And then, because I truly am insane, I tried the gluten-free one.  Because, if the regular one isn't good, try the gluten-free?  Ha.

Gluten-free waffles are available in 5, different, flavors: vanilla & chocolate, chocolate mint, salted caramel, cinnamon, and of course, honey.  Their flavors at least sounded better.

But the real shocker?  I liked this one.

Gluten-Free Cinnamon.

"A thin layer of honey infused with delicious cinnamon sandwiched between two thin waffles. The gluten free all-time classic flavor of cinnamon combined with honey will satisfy your taste buds and keep you going as an afternoon snack, during your favorite activity or go great with your cup of coffee or tea."

The one I was given was the not very exciting sounding cinnamon variety.  I had zero hopes of liking this, given my history with stroopwafel in general, with the brand, with gluten free, and with the flavor choice (so boring!).

It looked just like all the others.  I felt guilty, honestly, even bothering trying it, as I thought it would be headed into the trash.

But ... um, I liked it?

The honey flavor wasn't nearly as strong as in the others, nearly nonexistent actually, and since that was an element I didn't care for, this was a great improvement for me.  So, first taste, it didn't have the honey forward nature I was expecting.

The texture was basically the same as the regular, and although it definitely had the distinctive taste of gluten free flour blends, it actually worked here, creating a slightly hearty taste.  I think the honey and other sweeteners balanced it out nicely.

And the cinnamon, while boring, also worked.

Overall, um, it all worked.  I still don't really just think of these as an item I want alongside (on top of) a coffee, but I like the idea of dunking them in whipped cream, or using as a garnish on ice cream.  Or, making ice cream sandwiches with these thin crispy waffles as the cookies, as they really are like sweeter, chewier waffle cones!

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