Taste Buds
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If you are looking for a sugar rush or an espresso shot that can wake the dead, then the Luna Coffee House is right up your alley. When the Pulse team embarked on this unsponsored and completely out of pocket coffee break, I originally wasn’t expecting to find such an interesting and out of the ordinary menu. While I am no coffee connoisseur, I have been to several other coffee places around the Rio Grande Valley that all share the same starving-hipster vibe and basic menu; iced black coffee and Americanos. While Luna’s has these classic picks, they also have a variety of teas, ice blended drinks they call “frappes” and a special section of items from their “Lunatic Menu.” After two other Pulse staff members and myself ordered as many drinks as our budget could handle, these were my overall thoughts and consensus about the drinks.
Unicorn Milk: This drink tastes like it was directly milked from a Unicorn’s udder and served with whip cream and rainbow sprinkles on top. The intense flavor and sweetness of the warm strawberry milk was so surprising that it left a huge smile on my face after taking a sip. I think I yelled at least four times in the Coffee house, “That’s strawberry milk!” I am not a huge fan of strawberry milk so I don’t know if I would order it in the future, however, this drink was strangely nostalgic for me. I enjoyed the unexplainable happiness it brought me and experiencing the flavor.
Oreo Lunatic Frappe: This drink was probably one of my favorites because Oreo is my favorite cookie. While the style of the drink can be compared to a Starbuck’s Frappuccino, this drink really does set itself apart from the rest. At first you get the full cookies’n’crème flavor and then the coffee creeps up behind it. But be warned, this drink is for those with a sweet tooth. If that’s not your bag, then try the Espresso Frappe. It’s got a little bit of sweetness, but you won’t need an insulin injection after drinking it.
Chai Frappe: This was the Luna Coffee House take on chai tea. I did like it, however I didn’t think it was anything extraordinarily special. Despite the drink being blended into a milkshake consistency, it’s still just iced chai tea. Although it had that great nutmeg and Christmas flavor that chai is known for, I wouldn’t go to Luna’s just for the chai because I can get tea anywhere. They have a lot of other cool and interesting things on their menu that I would most likely order before this one.
Green Tea Frappe: The green tea frappe is out of this world. An all-around outstanding and interesting way to serve green tea. Unlike the chai frappe, this was like something I had never tasted before. It had the perfect balance of herbal flavors and a very smooth and refreshing finish. The only thing I would change is the whipped cream. Even though I only tried a few sips of my colleague’s green tea frappe, I can imagine that once you get to the bottom of the drink the whipped cream takes away from the cooling and refreshing sensation you get from the tea. It’s an easy fix to just say ‘no whipped cream,’ when ordering it. Aside from that, I loved everything about it.
These were my overall thoughts and critiques about the drinks I tried. I did have a great experience at Luna’s overall. They have great music, the atmosphere is a lot more inviting than most coffee shops in the Rio Grande Valley and their menu is diverse. While I reviewed the drinks that stood out to me on the menu, they have such a large variety of items that it is impossible to try them all at once. I also really like their chocolate cake and muffins. Usually coffee shop pastries are so dry that you feel the need to order a second drink just to choke them down. However, Luna’s pastries were so good that I wanted to go back and order more after eating two muffins and a piece of cake. Overall, Luna Coffee House really surprised me and showed that they were able to set themselves apart from their competitors. I wouldn’t hesitate to go back.
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