Sweet tooth: Coffee Club’s new Valentine’s drinks

As the semester kicked into full gear and the most recent powdery snowfall melted away, Valentine’s Day set over campus late last week with talk of Datamatch and, of course, Coffee Club’s new seasonal drinks. The menu dropped just before the drinks themselves, styled as a vintage love letter and inviting busy students to indulge in the season’s sweetness. Always the romantic, I decided to grab a friend and head to NCW Coffee Club to try all the drinks when they were released at both Coffee Club locations.

4. Burning Love

This espresso tonic is spiked with what the menu describes as “touches of lime, blood orange, and habanero.” As soon as I sipped the drink through my straw, I was struck by the bright zing of lime and habanero. These overpowered much of the orange flavor, and I didn’t taste the espresso at all. In that regard, the drink lived up to its name, spicy and bold in a way that was certainly reminiscent of passion, but I don’t think it’ll be one of my seasonal go-tos. Admittedly, this could have more to do with my personal distaste for espresso tonics, a trait shared among Prospect reviewers. However, this drink could be a favorite if you’re a fan of espresso tonics.

3. The Cupid Cappuccino

In my mind, Cupid evokes love at first sight: unexpected and sweet. A cappuccino drink, The Cupid was rich with light hints of rose and decorated with delicate swirls of foam. The floral notes in the classic cappuccino were gentle, especially after the intensity of the Burning Love. Though I have a sweet tooth, I didn’t mind the subtlety of the Cupid Cappuccino. It tasted less like a definite, immediate spike in my blood sugar and more like a touch of seasonal flavor, making it a better choice for an everyday drink.

2. The Chocolate-Covered Strawberry

Invoking a popular Valentine’s Day treat, this drink offered a strawberry twist to a traditional mocha. Typically, I don’t go for mochas, because they are one of the few drinks that tend to cross the sugar threshold into saccharine, even for me. But I do love chocolate, and found the fruity addition to the rich chocolate notes of the drink to be delightful and refreshing.

For some, this drink may still read as overly sweet, but I think it depends on context, and this drink marks itself well. The Chocolate-Covered Strawberry doesn’t read as a drink you should siphon down before a 9 a.m. precept to get your caffeine fix. I picture it as a lovely dessert-like drink to grab in the mid-afternoon and sip for an hour or two while chatting with a friend or perhaps even your Datamatch.

1. The Sweetheart

As someone with a known affinity for the color pink, I was immediately biased towards The Sweetheart, with its blush-pink tint and light foamy top. Aesthetically, it was by far my favorite, but before sampling it, I was unsure of the flavor combination — a chai latte with dragonfruit cold foam. As soon as I took a sip, my apprehension was proven wrong. The fruity sweetness didn’t overwhelm the spicier chai latte, but balanced it. With aesthetics and flavors combined, this drink took the top spot for me, a romantic goldilocks that was neither too subtle nor too bold.

The Sweetheart and more can still be ordered at Coffee Club.

As with most seasonal releases, this year’s Valentine’s Day drinks provide a variety of flavor profiles and types of drinks, meaning that no matter the mood or situation, this menu has something for you, and invites all of campus to get into the spirit of the holiday. After all, everything — including coffee — is sweeter in the company of loved ones.