☕Review - La Colombe - Mocha Draft Latte

Another solid ready-to-drink canned latte from Philadelphia coffee institution, La Colombe, Mocha offers a sweet cold brew experience in a convenient package with a chocolate flair. La Colombe uses a in-can oxygen barrier to keep it fresh and Nitrous Oxide to help create a micro-foam head and silky texture. Marketed as a cleaner alternative to typical bottled coffee drinks, it has a simple ingredient list and uses sugar instead of corn syrup and Alkalized (Dutched) Cocoa to provide the mocha chocolate flavor at around a third of the added sugar of the average RTD coffee. There is also added lactase to make it easier to digest for those with sensitivities to lactose (more recent iterations have gone lactose free). It comes in both 11oz. and 9oz. iterations both floating around $3-4. Note that La Colombe is rolling our a new package and allegedly new recipe for Mocha; this is the old version widely available in 2025/early 2026.

🌍Origin: Unknown, a blend that likely drifts over time

🔥Roast Level: Espresso Roast.

🧪Brew Method: Cold-Pressed Espresso - The coffee is steeped as a cold brew (often overnight in oxygen-free stainless steel tanks) and then "cold-pressed" to create a highly concentrated espresso base, yielding a smoother, lower-acid profile than traditional heat-extracted espresso.

👅Experience: Creamy and indulgent with Swiss chocolate waves. It's not overpoweringly sweet and there is still discernable coffee influence. There is an additional blast of sweetness before the finish that resets the palate in an interesting way.

🏆 Score: 4/5 - Very Good - While I'm usually partial to vanilla, in this case the mocha outperforms. La Colombe's Mocha Draft Latte is decadent without being sickeningly sugary and brings coco and coffee to the table well.

💵Would buy again? Sure, though I tend to shop these on sale in spite of the quality.

⚖️Scale:

🥃Review #53: Costco's Kirkland 15YR Highland Single Malt Scotch - 2025

The 2025 release of Costco's Kirkland 15-year Highland Scotch hit shelves in late January and is a recurring installment on an annual cadence. The first pallet to hit my local store sold out almost immediately. Thankfully, we got two more shipments at one pallet each that hung around a bit longer and I was able to snag a bottle. Like in previous years, this Highland Scotch is finished in sherry casks. Alexander Murray & Co. is the bottler with MISA imports out of Texas bringing it to the States for consumption (Costco's standard sourcing pattern for Scotch). The bottle has a nice heft to it and there is an ensconced Alexander Murray Lion adding some nice texture to the front of the bottle. Steve Lipp, CEO of Alexander Murray, calls it "Perfect for after dinner drinking." All-in-all, this shows an attempt to elevate the product and presentation from the ubiquitous blends and non-age stated iterations you'll sometimes find under the Kirkland label. Neither Alex...

🍺 Definitive Light Beer Tier List: Meta-Analysis & Ranking

Trends come and go: Craft Beer, Hard Seltzer, Canned Cocktails, and more. In the world of beverage, the currents are constantly shifting, but one drink has an irrevocable grip on America: Light Beer. Good old beer flavored beer may take a hit from new competition, but brands like Miller Lite and Michelob Ultra constantly sit at the top of sales volume lists, even with the fall of Bud Light and rise of Modelo's Flagship. But which light beer is best? Let's find out. Methodology - Light Beer Ranking Taste preferences vary significantly between consumers, but across a large sample we should be able to get a somewhat representative picture of the populations preferences. For this ranking, we will combine data sourced from multiple beer rating sites with an internal Castle & Cairn house ranking to create an overall beer quality score. The starting population of beer brands will be those that are explicitly branded as "flagship light" or beers with less than 100 calor...

🥃 Review #40: Kirkland Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2024)

Like Costco's other Scotches, the Kirkland Signature Islay Single Malt is bottled for Alexander Murray and imported by MISA Imports after being distilled and aged in Scotland (TTB.gov plant registry TX-I-1277). The isle of Islay is one of the southern most islands in Scotland and is one of the five whisky regions ensconced in law. There are only nine active distilleries on the island, and the Islay style is typified by strong peat or smoky flavors. As a single malt, we know that the juice in this bottle comes entirely from one of those nine! All of the distilleries are significantly smaller than Glenlivet and many of the mainland producers. Taste testing has people split between Caol Illa, Bruichladdich (Port Charlotte), and Bunnahabhain as being the source. Caol Illa and Laphroig both have done deals for private brand scotch without rights to name the source distillery, but Laphroig does not match the flavor profile for this bottle. Realistically, Caol Illa is the most likely cand...

🍺🍷🥃 Beer, Wine, and Spirits Rebate Website Master List

If there is anything I love more than a good drink, it's saving money buying that good drink! The rules for providing discounts on alcohol differ substantially between states with some allowing outright discounts or coupons and others entirely disallowing any sort of purchase incentive. Thankfully though, in my native Georgia as well as most states, a simple reimbursement approach is permissible. Last Updated & Validated 4/17/2026 . Added a number off options for beer and multi-bev. Alcohol Rebate Site Master List The following sites are relatively stable for each manufacturer. New offers usually come out every few months. None of these are affiliate links and I provide no assurance as to the process. I have saved so much money using rebates and hope you have similar success. Best practices and general process advice will be presented at the bottom. New sites will be added as I uncover them. Beer Rebates Boston Beer Company Brands - Angry Orchard, Dogfish head, Hard Moun...

🥃Review #9: Maker's Mark Cask Strength

Maker's Mark has been a go-to brand of mine since before I knew what bourbon was. The sweet wheated mainstay of that namesake was the first 1.75L bottle of whiskey I ever bought and so it will always hold a special place on my palate. Maker's does a lot of things right, including their Marker's Mark ambassador program which let's brand fans have their name put on a barrel and to get bottles filled specifically from that barrel. Mine will be mature sometime later this year and I'm excited to go visit it. I'd always heard great things about the cask strength as well, so let's get into it... 🛒 Sourced: $39.99 at Tower Liquors Buckhead - GA 🧪 Proof: 110, 55% 📚 Background : Ranging from 108 to 114 proof, Maker's Mark Cask Strength is uncut by the addition of water. Most Maker's batches are barreled at 110 proof with higher angel's share batches notching up a wee bit. They do screen filter the bourbon to remove wood pieces and char, but from th...

Castle & Cairn

Search This Blog