Get the best bang for your buck based on what you enjoy most and what keeps the day going. Keeping the results on an equal playing field, I ordered a medium-iced mocha from each location. Here’s how each local coffee shop’s version measured up.

     Starbucks: Before even going for a sip, the smell of the coffee is sweet and rich with the smell of dark chocolate. But once the first sip of morning coffee is taken, the bitterness and sweetness introduce themselves. The two of them working together make an amazing coffee flavor. The rich dark chocolate makes the drink thick and creates the feeling of chocolate melting on the tip of the tongue. 

     Once the drink was down, it was pleasant and left me wanting more. The aftertaste is full of the taste of amazing espresso. 

     Dutch Bros: The basic iced mocha from Dutch Bros has no clues about how it may taste based on smell and appearance. Between bitterness and sweetness, it is fairly equal with a tendency to be heavier with the sweet taste of chocolate. The body of the drink is on the runnier side, with a chance of the consistency being like 2% milk. 

     After the first taste is down, it isn’t memorable, but it also isn’t terrible. It left me drinking it till it was gone. The balance between the espresso and chocolate once tasted is skewed and reflects a sweeter taste.

     Human Bean: The Human Bean is true to its name, and with every drink you order it comes with a little bean on the top of your cup which is a cute delicious bonus. The smell and appearance of the drink led me to believe that it would be sweet, but to my surprise, it was filled with an amazing taste of espresso. The Human Bean by far has the thickest coffee style. It is full of great-tasting espresso but equally as much chocolate flavor. It just melts off the tongue. 

     The first aftertaste is amazing. It left me with the desire to drink it all at once. It was rich with every flavor but also none at once to create an amazing balance.

     Black Rock: This lesser-known coffee shop has great intentions with its coffee. The look of the coffee and smell don’t tell you much besides the fact that it’s on the blander side of most coffees. The drink has a middle-ground body, it isn’t runny like water, but it also isn’t very thick. It has a balance of both sweet and bitter but not much of either. The appearance told the truth, and it’s a bland coffee.

     The aftertaste isn’t memorable, and I would much rather go to a different location than have a basic drink that doesn’t stand out. 

The overall winner winner chicken dinner is [Drum roll] HUMAN BEAN