Blackberry White Chocolate Mocha

June 9, 2022

This is such a nostalgic drink for me. When I was in college I worked as a barista in a small little coffee shop called Caffe Ibis in Logan, Utah. It was (and still is) everything you imagine when you think of the perfect little coffee shop. There was a small, but insanely delicious deli attached to it that served soups, salads and sandwiches, but the Ibis, as we called it, was mainly for drinks. Caffe Ibis actually produces their coffee in a huge plant located in Logan, Utah and is known worldwide for their beans, so having a small but truly remarkable little shop was so smart. Each barista was a veteran and it was actually really hard to get a position there because people never left. I also worked in Park City, Utah at a different coffee shop that bought and sold Caffe Ibis beans, so my boss pulled some strings and I got the job up there when I moved to Logan for college.

Our Most Loyal Customer

Anyway, we got so good at remembering people’s drink orders that the minute we saw their car drive up the espresso shots were being pulled and the milk was being foamed. We knew all the regulars and the tips were amazing.

Twice a day we had a regular come in. He was a gruff old man in his 60’s who always wore dirty jeans and a cowboy hat. I don’t remember his name, but I will never forget his drink. He always ordered a large blackberry and white chocolate mocha breve with 6 shots. Let’s dissect this just a little if you’re not versed in Barista jargon:

First, a large cup was 16 ounces – the same as a small McDonald’s soda, interestingly enough. Blackberry is not a normal syrup. Like, rarely do people order drinks with blackberry in them unless it’s an Italian soda, but whatever, it works. Next is a white chocolate mocha which literally just means white chocolate. Next is a breve – this is telling the barista that the type of milk he is requesting is pure cream. Breve = full on HEAVY CREAM! Next is 6 shots. A regular large calls for 3 shots of espresso, and he always ordered 6! I was surprised his heart could handle that! Espresso is a super concentrated amount of coffee/caffeine from the darkest roast of coffee beans. And he didn’t just order one per day, he always had one in the morning and one in the evening. This drink literally cost him like $10, twice a day, everyday.

This is my tribute to one of the kindest, most loyal customers ever, who had the weirdest order. But the truth is, the white chocolate and blackberry really is a divine combo. He was onto something! For all you coffee drinkers, I legit dare you to buy this next time and film yourself drinking it for the rest of us to see. For those of you that wanna make it at home, here’s the recipe.