TLDR: New location of existing chain, with convenient drive-through. Offers protein-boosted milk and protein cold foam.
The thing that stood out most to me about Black Rock Coffee Bar is their protein line. They basically can make any coffee with protein-boosted milk. On top of that, they even offer protein cold foam! As someone who lifts weights, this is very enticing.
They have a convenient drive-through.
The coffee itself (Protein Iced Mexican Mocha, with protein cold foam) was pretty good. Not too sweet and pretty subtle, which I like. Still, I can't help and compare it to one of my favorites -- the Iced Mexican Mocha from Human Bean down the road, which is superior, in my opinion. Their version is just more flavorful yet still subtle. Also, the blend here wasn't perfect -- I got bits of what seemed like wet protein powder. Just a few chunks but still noticeable.
Finally, the thing that really soured me to this coffee shop was the service. It started off very friendly in the drive-through. Our order was read back to us, where we caught a sizing mistake. Then again, at the window, when the order was read back to us, we caught another error -- they didn't register our full request for a "Protein Iced Mexican Mocha, with protein cold foam on top." The first "protein" got lost somewhere along the way (we definitely said it -- it was the only reason we came here). We said the drink title as it appears on the online menu. The cashier seemed annoyed at us and just told the girl making the drink that "she wants it with protein-boosted milk." Then when it was finally ready, she just shoved it at us and said "here." I'm not asking for an apology, merely not to be made to feel like this was our mistake. Left me feeling unpleasant and like I have zero desire to return. Also, they never offered us a receipt.
My recommendation: if you're ordering one of the protein coffees, emphasize that you want "protein-boosted milk". My understanding is that they are just adding protein powder to the milk in the drink. Even though the online menu labels the drinks as protein versions, this phrasing might help avoid confusion. read more