☕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 92: 1.75L Costco's Kirkland Kentucky Bourbon 2026

Costco has historically worked with Barton 1792 for it's bourbon line, putting out a small batch , bottled-in-bond , and single barrel edition in liter bottles in waves over the last few years. This new 1.75L edition debuted in Spring of 2026 and mysteriously lacks a named distiller. The label proudly states that it was distilled and aged in Bardstown, Kentucky before being bottled in Columbia, Tennessee by DC Flynt MY Domaines & Estates (never heard of them). Flynt appear to be more wine focused and have led a number of wine bottlings for Costco historically in addition to some Gins. Distilleries at scale in Bardstown include Jim Beam, Barton 1792, Heaven Hill (though primary production is at Bernheim in Louisville), Lux Row, Willet, and Bardstown Bourbon Company. I doubt it is Barton 1792 since they proudly label their existing collaboration and I suspect it may be a producer without a 1.75L bottling line (would justify the move better than just adding logistics for ...

☕ All Java Monster Flavors Tasted & Ranked

As a habitual caffeine abuser, I have a soft spot for Monster, both for their expansive lineup of flavors as well as their support for Sports and E-sports. Coffee is my standard caffeination vector, so the Java Monster suite of products is the perfect mix of bean flavor and energy boost. In this post, I'll provide my personal rankings and rationale for what is a very strong lineup. Note that I have not been compensated in any way for this write-up... I just like them. Currently, Monster Energy 's Java Monster lineup has five available flavors: Mean Bean - Vanilla Irish Crème Loca Mocha - Chocolate Salted Caramel Café Latte There are two "triple shot" versions of the Vanilla and Mocha which contain 300mg of caffeine though their flavors are very similar to the base versions above. At this point, we should also take a moment of silence for the two cold brew flavors, sweet black and nitro latte. The nitro latte was a personal favorite and I quite liked the sweet black,...

🎮Call of Duty Zombies: The Drinking Game - Rules

Since its introduction in Call of Duty: World at War , Call of Duty Zombies has been a PvE staple for gamers everywhere and has appeared in many subsequent titles. In this post, we'll explore rules for turning a game of round-based zombies into a lovely drinking session. As with all drinking games, set limits before you begin and be sure to conduct yourself both legally and responsibly. Preparation To play the game, you'll need the following in addition to an internet connection, gaming device, and Call of Duty: A Party Sipper of your Choice - I recommend something relatively low ABV. We balanced the rules for a player of moderate ability and a sipper of 4-8% alcohol. Light beer is my go-to here since it has enough lovely hydrating waters to help stave off some small sadness. A Couple of Shots - I would pre-pour a couple of shots to have on hand. Again, lower end of ABV which for shots likely means 80 proof. Kirkland Canadian Whiskey, Tito's Vodka, or Lunazul Tequila wo...

🎮🥃 Call of Duty Zombies: Perk-a-Cola Cocktail Recipes

With yet another Call of Duty release on the horizon, we have assembled a collection of Perk-a-Cola themed cocktail recipes to help you get your zombies gaming session kicked off in just the right way. Be sure to check out our Zombies Drinking Game Rules as these recipes make for a great companion. Recipe Overview In general, these recipes attempt to mimic the color and feel of each perk-a-cola. Dark liquors can be swapped interchangeably to your liking and you can substitute vodka or light rum for gin if needed. To lower the calories, you can use sparkling water of a complementary flavor. Alternatively, you could use hard seltzer to up the alcohol content. Use ice aggressively to fill up to 12oz. To little ice and it will melt faster and provide too much dilution while cooling the drink. All of these can be scaled to make a pitcher, just stir extra where it says to shake. Always drink responsibly. 1. Jugger-Nog Boost your health pool with a bracing and creamy cocktail...

🔌Review - Costco's Kirkland Sparkling Energy Drink - Orange

Released earlier this year in 2026, the Kirkland Sparkling Energy Drink lineup features three flavors: Orange, Tropical, and Peach. The style, ingredients, and caffeine content seem to be talking aim directly at recent CPG success, Celsius Energy. It echoes that brands "clean" veneer with no high fructose corn syrup, GMO ingredients, or artificial colorings. 🛒 Price: $16.99/24 ~$.7/each - Costco. Celsius is normally around $20/12 without sales, so figure around 95 cents savings per can vs. full sticker which is around 58% savings. Celsius is showing up frequently on sale around $15 now but that's still not nearly enough to reach parity. ✨Calories: 10 , 12oz. can 🍵 Caffeine: 200mg, around a third more than a cup of coffee, more than Monster and Red Bull - similar to Celsius. 👅 Flavor: Very effervescent, I get tons of bubbles - close to Red Bull and more than Celsius. It does have a thinner mouthfeel vs Monster Ultra and Red Bull on balance whi...

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