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Author:
Franco Salzillo
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf are huge in California. They’ve been championing fantastic coffee since 1963. What started as a passionate coffee supplier and roaster is now a huge brand. They even have their own pod coffee system, the CBTL single-serve beverage system — I have tried it, and it’s nice. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is also behind a good deal of tasty coffee-based drinks, including their famous ice blended coffee in all its presentations.
Today we’re making our own mocha ice blended coffee, but we’ll have to find some substitutions. Coffee Bean has made sure you must buy their coffee supplies to make their drinks. All their coffee specialties contain coffee extract and one of their flavored powders, which, by the way, are not cheap! With a little creativity, though, you can end with a cup of delicious coffee that tastes like the real thing.
We’re substituting the company’s espresso extract with two espresso shots, and we’re using powdered cacao and coffee creamer for the mocha powder — that’s actually what the real thing is, plus corn syrup, soy lecithin, guar gum, xanthan gum, natural and artificial flavors. In a nutshell: our version is better.
While Coffee Bean’s blended drinks are based on coffee extract, flavoring powder and milk, we’re making ours with real coffee and natural ingredients. The result is equally tasty!
The Californian company is also known for their extra-large coffee, so we’re adjusting our recipe to their standard size, and they always use non-fat milk, so we’ll do too. The only thing left to do is blending all the ingredients with ice, and you’ve got yourself an original Ice Blended Coffee.
Top your blended mocha with whipped cream for the full effect and enjoy your copycat Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf specialty with your closest friends.
Iced coffee drinks are best enjoyed on warm summer evenings, and the mocha is exceptionally compatible with chocolatey treats, from brownies to devil’s food cake. You can also contrast this creamy chocolate—flavored coffee with fresh fruit – think strawberries – for a perfect time under the sun.
Brew your espresso and let it cool to room temperature or cool it down in an ice bath.
In a blender, add the ice, espresso, cocoa powder, coffee creamer and milk. Blend until smooth.
Serve and top with whipped cream.
