Flavor Notes:
LB White Chocolate Peppermint: This is the heart & soul of the mix. This is a must in this recipe and cannot be substituted. It encompasses both the white chocolate notes we’ll exploit to create a cream base, and it also encompasses the peppermint which obviously is part of the profile. While I find the peppermint levels perfect in this recipe at the recommended 12%, if you want something more minty, feel free to add a bit more. Maybe some CAP Peppermint at 0.5 – 1%. That said, this ingredient is what the recipe is based off of. The other notes are bent by the flavor of this specific white chocolate and peppermint flavor. Pick it up, it’s one of the best on the market!
FLV Irish Cream: So I took some inspiration from mlNikon’s Mint Latte. She used FLV Irish Cream at 0.5% to provide a perfect coffee note that didn’t bring any of those terrible dirty espresso bean notes, so many coffee ingredients contain. This recipe needed the same type of profile, so in it went. If you’d like a stronger coffee note, you can use a touch more, but don’t go overboard, or else you’ll ruin the balance of the mix. And for the love of god, don’t use any coffee ingredients. There are other Irish Creams you may be able to use if you don’t have FLV’s. That said, FLV’s is simply the best one.
OOO Chocolate Milk: One thing was lacking and that’s the chocolate. The way Starbucks makes their mochas is simply adding chocolate syrup, to their already chocolaty roasted coffee. I’ve played around with different chocolates, like HS Australian, and they ended up being too oppressive against the LB White Chocolate Peppermint. But as I started testing more with OOO Chocolate Milk, I realized it was the perfect chocolate to use in this mix. I wasn’t looking to add too much of a chocolaty presence, I just needed some chocolate to fill out the body, or middle, of the mix. And this ingredient at 6% does exactly that. It also deepens the tone of the mix a bit more, without attracting any attention.
FA Soho: And this is the secret weapon of the recipe. After trying some RY4’s, I found they shared a lot in common with coffee ingredients. Unfortunately, it often worked out too dessert-y. But this is the perfect type of “coffee” mix that would work, so I utilized FA Soho to bring about that roasted coffee bean flavor, without introducing those terrible off-notes. It does the work perfectly, even adding a touch of brown sugar or caramel to the mix, all without getting in the way of the top note. This mix is still good without FA Soho, but it’s certainly not a coffee. With it at 1%, it’s undeniable. You may be able to get away with some other RY4’s if you don’t have Soho, but I’ve tested TFA’s, and SC’s, and both failed. FA Soho fit perfectly.
CAP Super Sweet: Lastly, these drinks from Starbucks really coat your palate, and are quite sweet. I wanted to emulate that same experience, and I find that Sweetener is necessary for this mix. If you don’t like or can’t use sweetener, this recipe may not be for you. Not too mention, anytime OOO Chocolate Milk is around, sweetener is a must anyway. You’ll find without the sweetener, the mix is too light and wispy, and the chocolate doesn’t have the same weight, or stickiness. With it, it’s a completely different animal. All you need is 0.5%, which is normally the amount I use for anything anyway. But higher amounts will result in more mouthfeel and presence.
