A Mommy Story

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Green Mountain Coffee®.

Are you a coffee drinker? I wasn’t at first. In college, I watched many other students come to class with their morning coffee fixed tightly in their hands, as necessary for class as their textbooks and pens. I was primarily a soda drinker, and occasionally tea for when I wanted my caffeine hot.

It wasn’t until after I became a nurse that I understood the power of coffee. Coffee and soda both have caffeine, but coffee has a richness to it, a savory flavor and aroma, and I swear the caffeine from coffee works better than anything else to wake up a tired brain. Drinking something thin, sweet and carbonated did little to help me get through night shifts, but coffee could keep me going. (I mistakenly went back to soda when I took an overnight phone nurse job. I should have stuck with coffee.)

Now that I’m no longer working overnight, I’m appreciating coffee in new ways. I love exploring new flavors, trying it iced or hot, and finding ways to get that coffee to me faster.

I often use Green Mountain Coffee® for my Keurig, but just recently found out that they have a pre-made iced coffee. The Green Mountain Coffee® Espresso Roast Iced Latte comes in a multi-use bottle in both Vanilla and Mocha flavors. What? An iced latte, already brewed, ready to pour and go? Sounds like a dream come true, right?

I’ve been cautious of ready-to-drink lattes in the past – they’re often too sweet, too thin, or they taste completely artificial. But I’ve already been a Green Mountain fan for quite awhile, so I agreed to give it a try and see if they could improve on the pre-made latte market.

It wasn’t as easy as I had hoped to find the product. The grocery store near me doesn’t carry it yet (but hopefully will soon). I did find it at Walmart, with both flavors available. I was having a chocolate craving that day, so I went with the Mocha. The price was comparable with the other brands of iced lattes nearby.

Once I got home, I poured a tall glass over ice. Immediately, I noticed the latte was thick, with the liquid coating each ice cube. Drinking it, I enjoyed how smooth and creamy it tasted. The chocolate flavor was strong without being overpowering, and the coffee flavor was present without being bitter. I’ll be honest, the first glass disappeared fairly quickly!

Overall, I really like the Green Mountain Coffee® Espresso Roast Iced Latte in Mocha. It has a wonderfully creamy flavor with just the right balance of coffee, cream and chocolate. The coffee is exceptionally well-brewed to not have any bitterness as an iced variety, and the chocolate is more of a chocolate fudge, rather than the bland artificial-tasting chocolate flavor I’ve noticed in some iced lattes.

If I had any complaint, it would be that it’s just on the edge of too sweet for my tastes. However, this is where the thickness of the latte really works – after letting the second glass sit with the ice for several minutes, I noticed that the sweetness wasn’t as strong. Letting the ice melt into the latte helped temper the sweetness, while the thick consistency of the drink ensured that it didn’t taste watered down. It’s a trick I’ll remember going forward, although it’s hard not to pour and drink it immediately!

Of all of the pre-bottled iced coffee/latte drinks I’ve tried, Green Mountain takes the crown for my favorite with their Green Mountain Coffee® Espresso Roast Iced Latte. I haven’t tried the Vanilla yet, but it’s next on my list. I love having a great iced coffee at home that tastes just as good as any coffeeshop latte, and for a fraction of the price. Caffeine without the hassle!

Give it a try for yourself, and save money with a $1 off coupon at coupons.com!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Whitewave Foods, makers of Green Mountain Coffee®. The opinions and text are all mine.