Saturday, January 13, 2018

Maxwell House Indulge Max Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix Is Fun!


The Good: Fairly easy to prepare, Good flavor, Environmentally-responsible packaging.
The Bad: Comparatively expensive, Flavor of the coffee is a distant third flavor in the palate!
The Basics: Maxwell House Indulge Max Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix makes a decent drink likely to satisfy those looking for an alternative to hot cocoa or coffee!


This winter, none of my local places have had good deals on hot cocoa. As a result, my love of hot chocolate has gone largely unsatiated for a few months now. Despite that, I have not been all that unhappy; my local grocery store did a pretty massive clearance of Maxwell House Indulge Max coffee drink mixes. After trying a few and determining I liked them, I bought up all of them while they were (comparatively) cheap! The first of the bunch I've decided to actually review is the Maxwell House Indulge Max Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix.

Basics

Maxwell House Indulge Max Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix is part of Maxwell House Indulge Max's new premium Coffee Drink Mix line and one suspects that the company is trying to compete with the flavors from the International Delights Coffee Drink Mix line. This mix comes in a 12 oz. cardboard canister, found in the coffee or cocoa section of most grocery stores. The canister represents 12 or 13 full servings of the resulting beverage.

Ease Of Preparation

Maxwell House Indulge Max Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix is fairly simple to make. The single serving is two Tablespoons of the mix and eight fluid oz. of water. One must measure out the drink mix in order to use it properly; these are not individually portioned servings, which makes the canister more environmentally friendly than most instant coffee beverages!

To make the drink, pop the plastic lid off the canister of Maxwell House Indulge Max Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix. Then, measure out two Tablespoons of the powder from inside the canister and place the powder in a mug that is able to hold at least 10 oz. of liquid. Once that is done, simply pour hot water - near boiling, but not actually boiling as boiling water cooks the ingredients as opposed to simply dissolving them - over the powder and stir. Stir the powder until there are no blobs of coffee granules visible in the water. This drink mix always seems to crackle when hot water is added to it and it was near-impossible to get all of the drink mix to dissolve when using the proper amount of water. Chunks of powder in the drink aside, this makes for a fairly potent beverage! The Maxwell House Indulge Max Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix, when mixed up, makes a dark brown liquid that is opaque, like coffee with creamer or hot cocoa.

Taste

The Mocha + S'mores has an aroma that is very inviting to those who want a chocolatey coffee drink. The scent of the Maxwell House Indulge Max Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix is strongly that of chocolate and graham crackers. The honey graham and cocoa aroma overwhelms any scent of coffee in this beverage.

On the flavor front, the Maxwell House Indulge Max Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix tastes chocolatey and sweet, with a hint of cinnamon. The flavor of this coffee drink is very much like that of a cocoa, as the dominant flavors are chocolate and something sweet, like a hot cocoa. The coffee flavor manifests near the end of the taste; not quite as an aftertaste, but as the sweetness of the primary flavors finishes, there is a slightly more bitter taste that is also drier. The result is a taste that is actually dominated by the chocolate and sweet flavors that embodies fairly well that of a s'more, with a finishing flavor reminiscent of coffee.

The Maxwell House Indulge Max Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix leaves a slightly sweet aftertaste that lingers in the mouth for about two minutes after the last of the beverage is consumed.

Nutrition

Maxwell House Indulge Max Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix is a coffee mix and therefore is entirely lacking in real nutritional value. There are 100 calories and 3 grams of fat in this drink. It seems like there is an undisclosed amount of caffeine in the Maxwell House Indulge Max Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix, as one of the final ingredients is "instant coffee," not instant decaffeinated coffee. In addition to nineteen grams of carbohydrates, there is a single gram of protein and 2% of the RDA of Iron.

Msde primarily of sugar, nondairy creamer and cocoa, it is unsurprising that the Maxwell House Indulge Max Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix is not very nutritious. Because it contains milk, this is not Vegan compliant and it is not marked as gluten free or kosher.

Storage/Cleanup

So long as one leaves the Maxwell House Indulge Max Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix mix in its canister, it ought to stay usable. The canisters I purchased on clearance two months ago all had April 3, 2018 expiration dates, but it is hard to imagine what might make it go bad even after that. One assumes it will last quite a while and dissolve appropriately when one attempts to use it.

Cleanup for the Maxwell House Indulge Max Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix is very easy; if the product spills while dumping it into the mug, simply wipe it up or brush it up with a dry or damp cloth. If it has already been reconstituted with water into coffee, simply wipe it up. Light fabrics are likely to stain if this gets on them, in which case consult your fabric care guide to clean it up.

Overall

Maxwell House Indulge Max makes a decent Mocha + S'mores Coffee Drink Mix that is a good blend of what one expects from instant coffee drinks and cocoas, likely to satisfy those who like either style of hot beverage!

For other instant coffee drinks, please visit my reviews of:
Taster's Choice Gourmet Roast
Starbucks Via Colombia Coffee
Nescafe Memento Mocha instant coffee

7/10

For other food or drink reviews, please visit my Food And Drink Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2018 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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