Is your Starbucks store already offering Dark Cherry Mocha?

A Starbucks Gossip reader writes: "Dark Cherry Mocha is supposedly embargoed for a couple of weeks, but I found a store serving them." (Click on the image to see it larger.) My Starbucks Idea describes the drink as "a combination of Starbucks espresso, bittersweet chocolate sauce, dark cherry syrup, and steamed milk topped with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls." Your thoughts on it? [UPDATE: I just noticed that the Evanston Starbucks, where I uploaded this post, is offering the Dark Cherry Mocha.]

Comments

[Corvex Corvidae]

Explains why the chocolate curls kept coming in, I guess.

[Coffee Soldier]

we have been partner sampling it in my store but not selling it...don't want to deter away from our SKCDl goal by distracting the customers with something else! it is really good added to PTL! I sweetened with 1/2 classic and 1/2 dark cherry!

why do we have scone goals for the next promo? weird

[Cherry]

Stores were given the option to have a soft launch early just to drive some momentum going into the full launch next week

[AlliSwan]

It's ok. Not gross like I was worried it might be, but I'm a dark cherry fan and it wasn't amazing or anything. Mocha + dark cherry syrup + espresso + milk + wc + curls = too many competing things for me. It was ok in hot chocolate, but nothing I'd crave.

[CM33]

Canadian corporate said we can start everywhere except BC (which makes sense with all the Olympic stuff already going on). No signage allowed until the official rollout.

[KGB]

its on the POS and in the stores, so i guess some SM who dont know will think its good to sell. but I with the rest of the ppl and thought it is for next Promo (3/8)

[TP]

It's available here in Calgary, Alberta - at least in the tiny Starbucks attached to the local Chapters bookstore. Tried one, and was moderately happy with the taste - but it gave me a "hangover" the next morning (and I'm a hardcore coffee drinker, so my guess is the syrup, not the espresso)

[Sbux 39393]

I know for sure in my area is going to start this Friday the 25, it wasn't supposed to be out for a couple more weeks but anyway.
I'm not a cherry fan so i am not to excited about the new flavor, but whoever liked the blackberry flavor that we used to have a few years ago they are going to be happy. So keep your eyes open cause they are a lot of stores that starts tomorrow with the DARK CHERRY MOCHA

[Dixie]

How many cherry pumps will there be in a grande and a tall? I like cherry but not overwhelming - so will probably want to cut it in half when I order.

[PDX Barista]

Tully's in Seattle is launching a similar beverage on Monday so we have been directed to start selling on Monday here in the PNW.

[Coffee Soldier]

Dixie:

3 pumps in a tall 4 in a grande 5 in a venti and 6 in an iced venti

[anon]

I had one, it's not bad. Reminds me of fake cherry soft serve ice cream, if you're into that.

[cafe noir]

Everyone at my store aggrees that it tastes like cough syrup. But different strokes, I suppose...

[Stacey]

Does anyone know when this drink will be available in NJ stores? I've heard March 1st from some people and March 8th from others.

[Hirayuki]

Aw, not cough syrup/Lifesaver cherry flavor! :( I've been putting DaVinci SF black cherry and chocolate syrups in my mistos at home and really enjoy the darker, Black-Foresty flavor. Here's hoping Starbucks comes through on this one.

Now that the U.S. has caught up with Japan (who had this drink in fall/winter '08 and '09), Japan has introduced new spring drinks: a cherry blossom steamer and a cherry blossom Frappuccino. They're light pink and have the delicate flavor of sakura, cherry blossoms. I'll be in town the second half of April--hope they'll wait for me!

[buckaroo]

I think it's not bad. I give it major thumbs up compared to the other silliness that has rolled out lately when it comes to new flavors and such. I've tried it by itself in milk, with white mocha, and with vanilla. I think those all work well. I like that it's not super strong or overwhelming, and I like that it's not colored fake red or anything.

[me myself and I]

Actually, it kind of disturbs me that the syrup is clear and colorless. I would have preferred a more natural, dark red color. It's the same with yogurt. If it tastes like strawberry but is plain white it is kind of disturbing to me. To each his or hers. But the taste of the DCM is truly amazing (if half sweet)!

[Sbux DM]

To me it tastes just like a Chocolate Covered Cherry Blizzard. It's not very sweet on its own. I like it!

[spence]

The flavor is subtle; not at all overwhelming. (But the syrup jar filled to the brim does smell like cough syrup.)

[JC]

I'm in California and my local store is serving it.The price is higher than all the other specialty drinks, I believe. 3.50 for tall, 4.15 for grande, 4.65 ( i think) for venti...

I actually liked the taste..I was expecting it to be really sugary sweet or something, but the cherry is not overpowering. yum!

[Jen]

I like having it in hot chocolate. I had a grande with 2 pumps of mocha and 2 of the Dark Cherry, nonfat milk and no whip. It wasn't bad at all, it's definitely sweeter than i thought, so people who like sweeter drinks should be happy. I saw it on our POS today, but the promo starts 3/8.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

DAR CHERRY MOCHA sounds like the title of a porn movie if you ask me.

[Enlightened Coffee Sage]

Boston Starbucks Rebel: Maybe a softcore in the vein of a 70's Blaxploitation movie? I can already hear the Barry White / Issac Hayes-type music in the background.

Roxxy Alexandra is Dark Cherry Mocha, a fly honey whose man was wrongfully accused! Forced to sell her body to raise money for bail, this sexy hoochie mama works her way through the mean streets society's underbelly in order to find why her man was set up and bring the real culprit to justice!

And the tagline..."the darker the berry, the sweeter the juice."

Our brilliant film ideas aside, the Dark Cherry Mocha is indeed tasty, although the dark cherry syrup is very subtle and subdued. But when you add more to bring out the flavor, it doesn't taste as good. On the whole, it's pretty good.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

I think it tastes like pink bubble gum. Especially in the black iced tea. Dark cherry sweet tea. HA!

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Dark cherry mocha could also be a stripper name too. She tastes like fresh bubble gum!

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Her sister is orange blossom.

[looooong time shift]

I tried some in cold milk and something in it (maybe the acid) was like a million tiny needles poking the tip of my tongue. I had to drink a bunch of water afterwords to get the taste out of my mouth. The flavor scares me now, just sitting there smiling at me...

[harmaa]

Hirayuki, I'm so jealous that you get to try the Sakura drinks! Will you post here about them?

I wish I could get one of the pink french presses they're promoing over there, too. :(

[cheapredapron]

sbux 39393,The blackberry is exactly what it reminds me of but the blackberry was wayyyy better. Dark cherry mocha isn't bad though. I'm actually drinking it instead of my usual. I'm suprised they didn't come out with this drink sooner. The cherry syrup probably would go nicely with a different drinks .Atleast its not like that atrocious bluberry stuff they had awhile back.

[cheapredapron]

blueberry*

[Kimberly]

Wha? Not only is mine selling it, there's a big sign advertising it! I was tempted to try it today.

[Melody]

Yeah I'm also glad it's not an overpowering syrup. I've been trying the dark cherry in all kinds of things and its pretty versatile. Tastes great with brewed Kenya, a hot chai latte, Sun-Dried Ethiopia Yirgacheffe from the Clover. Who know, maybe tomorrow morning I'll try dark cherry in my oatmeal! LOL

Tomorrow is exactly 2 years from Espresso Excellence when all the Starbucks closed for 3 hours. Does anyone remember that? It seems like so long ago. I just posted a short blog on it.

@Enlightened Coffee Sage - You make so many great posts. I've seen a couple of brilliant posts by you lately in other threads, and only wanted to pass on some props here. :)

[Living in a Snowpocolypse]

Throw it in a DCCF and it tastes exactly like a chocolate covered cherry or even Cherry Garcia Ice Cream. You have to play with the DC syrup amount to get it the way you like it though.

[Hirayuki]

@harmaa: I definitely will--if it's still around by then. Between that and the azuki bean Frappuccino they bring out in summer, I keep missing all the interesting flavors. :/

[coffee gal]

Not that great. I was so disappointed! More flavor comes through when the cherry is paired with white mocha.

['rinse']

yup, they've got it in montreal already, but we had it in Australia as an xmas promo drink. we also had DCMF = essentially JCF + dark cherry. sooooo sweet.

[Foam]

I recommend doing one less pump of dark cherry than the standard. It's not as cough syrup-y that way.

[hearbutloud]

It's on the POS, it's for sale. We got an action item to put it on the Board today. Also, any syrup that is colorless is usually a better syrup - the colors are usually added.

[SBUX Customer]

$4.15 for a grande? I'm glad I got my free beverage coupon this week. Will it using it on my dark cherry mocha.

[latteteadah]

Used my free drink coupon, ordered a venti :). First sip was underwhelming. The taste then grows. I'm not sure the store I went to mixed it right - it's very, very heavy chocolate powder and not so much cherry. Supposed to be espresso-based but it honestly tastes like a hot chocolate. Can't really taste what makes it "mocha." I think the curls AND the chocolate syrup is just one layer too many.

[erstwhile]

Dark cherry blended lemonade is delicious, but let us not detract from our promo goals...

[zach]

It wasn't supposed to be out until the 9th of March. Gotta love these annoying corp monkeys who change their minds and don't have all the stores follow the damn siren's eye . Anyways, its good but it wont last- the good ones never do. Hearbutloud is right, the clear ones are always better and the color is always added and gross.

[javagirl666]

Im positive there wasn't an action item telling us to go ahead and sell it. Also, any that you are "pre-selling" don't count towards your goal, so why bother?

[ashley]

actually to all you people who think you know what your talking about. the launch is march 1st. starbucks had to come out early because Tullys is also coming out with the same thing the same week starbucks was. also, stores in certain regions were allowed to do an even earlier launch to boost sales.

[whatanass]

There was most defiantly communication for a soft launch. Just b/c you don't know about it does not mean it wasn't sent.

[Kristin]

Our store in Ancaster, Ontario has had it on the menu since feb 20. I was worried it would taste like cough syrup but it was pretty tasty.

[Mrs. Tillinghamshackles]

We were told to start selling march 1 via email.

[Shift Misto]

Biloxi MS had it on the board last week. side note, the store i was in would have been a field day for Juan. the lobby cleared out not long after i got there. Two hours later the garbage was still everywhere. RTD items sat on the floor infront of the case for the entirety of my visit (and it wasn't an order issue). but i can't complain. atleast it wasn't the licensed store i was at two days prior in a target somewhere south of Birmingham AL where i had to explain the recipe for both a con panna and an iced latte.

[kaitlin]

Honestly, it's sort of meh. I had it as a Dark Cherry Hot Chocolate, and it really didn't taste much like cherry.

[Stacey]

I saw a few posts on here that said this was supposed to go on sale March 1st. Apparently here in NJ, the drink won't be debuting until March 9th. I wonder why there is such a discrepancy between dates all over the country for this drink.