Pittsburgh's Best... Raspberry Mocha - Option #1: Tuscany Cafe

I've decided to kick off my weekly themes with something simple: the search for the city's best raspberry mocha. Why? Because it's literally the first thing that come to mind when I stepped up to the counter at the Tuscany Cafe on East Carson Street. And, since I'm not a raspberry mocha snob, I should be able to remain somewhat impartial. I hear that's good.

The Drink:

The owner of the Tuscany Cafe happened to be my barista. He suggested a white chocolate raspberry mocha rather than the traditional dark. I took him up on his suggestion. It came with whipped cream and I did not argue.

The Price: $3.45

The Verdict:

I would never have known this was a white chocolate mocha. I rarely get white chocolate except for Starbucks (hush), so perhaps my tastes aren't as refined as they could be. Or, perhaps the difference really is negligible.

The whipped cream was thick but dull, and the flavor shot -- like all flavor shots -- tasted heavy on the chemicals and light on the flavor. It's still a completely adequate raspberry mocha, and a safe baseline against which to judge the rest of the week's contenders.

******

Cafe Observations: The Tuscany is now "smoke free," according to its front door. As a non-smoker, I'm not complaining, though I didn't realize they'd made the change. Has the citywide smoking ordnance gone into effect already or was this proactive on their part?...

The Tuscany baristas make great music selections. I have no idea what cross-breed of alt-lounge I've been listening to for the past two hours but it's relaxing and invigorating at the same time, which is a great feat. The mix also included a faux-lounge cover of the Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog," which deserves mentioning...

Now available: white ceramic Tuscany Cafe mugs with the cafe logo printed on red, for only $3.95. Support your local indie cafes!...