This is the White Valentines ($8.00, +$1.00 for iced) from Slow Koi, featuring Slow Koi’s signature mocha with dark cherry, raspberry, and white chocolate.

The beverage presented with an opaque golden-tan hue with a fully uniform appearance throughout. Aroma opened with a distinctly Black Forest-inspired profile, combining fruity dark cherry notes with sweet chocolate and underlying roasted coffee aromatics.

Initial contact delivered the same Black Forest-like profile immediately, led by dark fruit notes recalling sweet cherries and dark stone fruit alongside restrained sweetness. The opening remained balanced rather than confectionery-like, with the coffee base providing early roasted structure beneath the fruit.

Through the mid-palate, a rounded creaminess developed through the interaction between the milk base and white chocolate. Raspberry notes introduced a subtle brightness that prevented the richer flavours from becoming overly heavy, while the espresso anchored the sweeter components with roasted depth. Texture remained smooth and cohesive throughout, allowing the fruit and chocolate elements to integrate rather than separate into distinct layers.

Towards the finish, the darker cherry and chocolate notes became more prominent, strongly recalling the fruity richness associated with Black Forest cake. These flavours lingered pleasantly before resolving into a clean aftertaste without astringency, unwanted bitterness, or excessive acidity. The white chocolate contributed creamy sweetness while still allowing the roasted coffee profile to carry the richer and bolder flavours through the body of the drink.

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Overall, a flavoured mocha with a converging flavour trajectory and rounded creamy texture integration, resulting in a smooth and cohesive Black Forest-inspired coffee profile. Compared with the Black Forest version from Moon & Back, this version presented as rounder and less sweet.

This White Walentines was purchased from Slow Koi in Auckland, New Zealand in May 2026.