Review – Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s ‘I Love Ice Blended’ Campaign
By Bhuvaneshwari Sivakumar and Akshita Singh
20th June 2014, Friday
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Sector -29, Gurgaon
With the scorching heat stubbornly clinging on to us, the interesting mutation to the usual espressos is doubtlessly an appropriate move by Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf(CBTL) that could bring many thirsty and tired people the much-needed refuge, all yearning to gulp the coffee down in one go.
We decided to the beat the heat by trying out a few drinks from CBTL’s newly introduced ‘I Love Ice Blended’ Campaign. We ordered the flakey, foamy and creamy hazelnut Ice Blended, with vanilla ice cream floating at the top and ice crystals resting at the bottom, which, with some more effort, could be one of the most exciting drinks this summer. The mildly nutty flavored, heavily milky and mellow coffee became a tad too soft with more ice crystals melting in the glass instead of in the mouth. The vanilla scoop doesn’t add much to the drink. It feels as if we’re slurping in just water and milk. The ice overpowers the coffee bean. Perhaps a longer roast, a stronger ice cream flavor and a thinner ice bed would have done wonders.
Next in line was the Pure Vanilla Ice Blended. Made with skimmed milk and topped with chocolate sauce, this drink too failed to impress us. Despite being laden with chocolate sauce, the flavors of the drink could not shine through. We could not understand what the campaign was all about. If you are looking for loads of blended ice to soothe your parching throat, then go ahead and order the beverage, but don’t expect any shot of good flavor.
The café, in itself, is wonderful, with outdoor seating as well that has an amalgam of trees and tents protecting us from the persistent glare of the sun. The faintly lit interior, balanced by the reddish brown walls gives a relaxing feel. The bulging glass displaying enticing goodies and the coffee machines whirring away make you want to start gobbling and gulping everything down immediately.
The service, however, was extremely poor. The servers need to be more aware of their menu and the customers they are serving; it isn’t exactly welcoming to realize that the management has no idea of the reviewers they themselves have invited.
We have heard that their outlet in Saket’s Select City Walk Mall is absolutely brilliant. With this scorching summer heat draining out all our energy, it is only natural that we visit them once again. Hoping for a better experience next time!
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