Hello, fellow mocha drinkers.

I know how hard it is to give up chocolate-y coffee, I do. I mean, I only started drinking coffee because of Starbucks's Peppermint Mocha: where else was I going to get such rich chocolate flavor and a boost of much-needed caffeine? Not in a hot cocoa, I can tell you that much! Nor in a bitter black coffee without any cream or sugar--that's a little too much for me, honestly, though everyone and their mother tells me that one day I'll like coffee straight from the pot.

That day has yet to arrive.

However, one can grow a little tired of mochas, and that's where my own experimentation comes in: just for you, I've tried out non-mocha drinks in order to see which are the best. Was it a struggle? Yes. Did I find a new favorite coffee? No. But I did find my second favorite coffee, which I count as a success. And what is that new brew to enjoy? It is, drumroll please.....

The humble iced coffee.

Specifically, sweetened iced coffee. I'm not cool enough to drink just iced coffee, so I ask for some sweetener and a splash of half-and-half. The first time I tried it, I was a little shocked--where's the whipped cream?--but as the day went on I found that the coffee taste grew on me and that--surprise, surprise--my coffee crash wasn't nearly as bad later in the day when I wasn't also drinking the equivalent to an entire chocolate bar. Who knew, right?

Overall, mocha drinkers, I say that you should keep doing you. Drink that sweet, sweet elixir. I certainly will not judge you. However, if you ever need a break from coffee-flavored hot chocolate, try out a sweetened iced coffee: you might just be surprised!