CBTL Open House 2016: Vanilla Almond Ice Blended

Welcome a light and sweet concoction for this year's Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Open House.

I recently purchased a Swirl Rewards card that gives you cash back, free wifi at any CBTL store, and access to special promotions like this. Looking back, I should have purchased one before I started collecting stamps for my Giving Journal 2016 to gain the cash back/points that can be used to purchase menu items.

Just by showing my activated Swirl card, I got a free Vanilla Almond Ice Blended (regular size). What a treat! This was available for free between 10am to 11:30am today, January 17. I ordered mine without whipped cream.

True to its tag line, it was light and sweet. Perfect for those who want a sugary milky dose of caffeine.


Branch visited located at: SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City

Like us on Facebook!

Starbucks: Holiday Drinks Part 2

Another popular coffee shop with their planner and holiday menu is Starbucks. Aside from the staple Peppermint Mocha and the Toffee Nut Latte, the third special drink this year is the Christmas Pannetone Latte. I ought to try this one with the "bread and butter" flavors.


Christmas Pannetone Latte

With cheesecakes, red velvet cakes, and other pastries being turned into drinks, some kind of fruit cake is bound to be next. Pannetone is an Italian fruit cake. A lone fruit bit remains on top as all the other fruit bits already sank to the bottom. Ordered this one hot and took a sip after a quick stir.  The fruit cake flavors were somewhat there in the drink. It became more evident by the last sips of the coffee since that was where all the fruit bits were.


Penguin Gingerbread

Had this little cutie accompany my coffee and to increase the holiday feel. It was actually bigger than expected. I thought I could finish it in two bites but it was bigger than the size of my palm. The cookie itself was not sweet. It was the penguin design that gave the needed sugar. My only concern was every time I took a bite off the black part, it stained my teeth and lips a bluish-black shade.


Like us on Facebook!

CBTL: Holiday Drinks Part 1

It's holiday season once again. What does this mean for coffee shops? The usual caffeine boost gets dressed up with extra sweetness. Aside from the planner you can avail for a certain number of purchases, special limited edition drinks become available at coffee shops this time of the year. These are usually on the sweeter side for more holiday cheer. I don't usually go to coffee shops to get coffee but this year I'm extra curious to sample a few limited edition drinks.

Winter Dream Tea

First off, we visited Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. That day was a day I preferred tea over coffee so I got the Winter Dream Tea. You can immediately get a whiff of the spices. Isn't that a cinnamon scent? Traces of milky vanilla and herb-tea flavors are mixed in the ice topped cup.


Toffee Nut Latte

A few days later I also tried their Toffee Nut Latte Ice Blended version at another branch. This offers a caramel-sweet twist to coffee.

Like us on Facebook!