As you know, I tend to drink A LOT of coffee. I’ll own that. But sometimes it’s nice to have something else to drink. When Raven Roast popped up on my Instagram feed, I was intrigued by their coffee alternative product. Long story short, I got a caffeinated and a non-caffeinated version to try. Before I dive in, a little background info on the product. I got the instant versions, so much like instant coffee it comes in a fine powder that you dissolve in hot water. It’s loaded with all sorts of herbal ingredients (long story short, it’s pretty darn good for you). Alright, to the review!
Mocha Mate (caffeinated)
Starting with aroma, it was very earthy with some chocolately undertones. Being that there’s so many herbal ingredients, I was somewhat skeptical about how it would taste. Overall, I was quite impressed! Initially, it did definitely have more of a herbal taste to it (akin to a tea). Notes of either raisin or date really came through, followed by cocoa notes that really helped enrich the beverage. The more I drank it, the more I can see this being a viable coffee alternative. While it didn’t fully encapsulate the general flavour notes I associate with coffee, it felt like this belonged in the same family. Like I say, I was quite impressed with the product overall!
Cocoa Ramon (non-caffeinated)
The aroma on this one reminded me of an instant hot chocolate mix- it was very cocoa forward (definitely not a bad thing). These cocoa notes unsurprisingly play a major role in the make up of this beverage. As such, I didn’t get as much of a “pseudo coffee” taste like I did with the Mocha Mate. In addition to the cocoa, I also got a hint of raspberry which helped to cut the richness of the mix. Overall, this blend was decent. I think I prefer the Mocha Mate, but having a non-caffeinated alternative is never a bad thing. I’d still say it’s something worth trying if you’re curious!
Speaking of trying, you can get your hands on both of these mixes here. You can find Raven Roast on Instagram here. Until next time!
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