Costa are known for creating delicious new drinks each year, especially around the Christmas and Summer seasons. Yet, it was my first time seeing a limited-edition Valentine’s drink from the popular coffee shop, so, as soon as I saw the ‘Cupid Cooler’ advertised outside the Selly Oak Retail Park, I knew I had to give it a try.

Flash forward to four days later and I decided to take the plunge and try out this new drink during a study afternoon. The ‘Cupid Cooler’ is a cold drink that contains a blend of raspberry and Belgian chocolate. If you have had a ‘Cooler’ from Costa before, expect a similar texture. If you have not, it tastes like a fruity iced drink, with a smoothie texture. 

I chose to sit in, so they put my drink in a cute glass that originally looked rather small, but once I was given it to drink, it ended up being the perfect size to last me a while. As I had a medium size with cream on top it was a costly £3.90, but this price was expected from Costa.

On presentation, the drink looked beautiful. It was a borderline crimson and ruby colour, with splashes of dark chocolate in the ‘Cooler’ mix. They put a generous portion of cream on top with chocolate sauce and strawberry pieces too. Costa has not failed at producing an authentic, cute looking drink for Valentine’s Day.

But Costa failed at making this drink taste anything as good as it looked. The ‘Cupid Cooler’ was bitter to say the least. From the advertisement outside the café, it looked more like a Starbucks ‘Frappuccino’ and I do not think the ‘Cooler’ part registered for me until I was drinking it – yet, despite my mistake, the picture on the board outside does make it look creamier. I was also expecting this drink to be more chocolatey than it tasted.

The raspberry was overpowering – to the point where I could only drink it in small bursts because it was so strong and bitter. It tasted more like a blend of berries, rather than just raspberry. Towards the end of the drink, the chocolate blended in more which provided a more pleasant taste, but it would have been better if this was articulated for the whole drink.

I expected it to be a cold drink, but I wasn’t expecting it to feel so icy – perhaps not the best drink to have during the winter season. The only tasty part of this drink was the cream on top, as it turned this drink into more of a treat, and you can never go wrong with squirty cream and chocolate sauce.

Overall, I will not be having this drink again if Costa ever brings it back, due to its bitterness and the dry taste it left in my mouth. This drink is overpriced and you are better off enjoying one of their tasty hot chocolates instead. 

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