Coffee is the new Pink

I swear, I haven't eaten this much tart frozen yogurt in, well, three years. Contrary to my recent outings, I'm not a Pinkberry fanatic. Actually, I'm a total Pinkberry 'tard. I haven't committed any of the sizes or toppings to memory, so I end up being that girl, holding up the line with her lame questions (yeah, sorry folks!).

But Pinkberry launched its much-speculated new flavor today and sure, I was willing to a take a coffee break. It was a media event at the original West Hollywood location, and co-founder Shelly Hwang was swirling. So, yes, this sampling was free (disclaimer, present and accounted for).

First off, chestnuts have been added as a topping to correspond to the new flavor.

The texture and slightly wan flavor made me think of those packaged chestnuts that are popular as Asian snacks. I was assured that they are not the bagged kind. (In case you have no clue what I'm talking about, I happened to have one in my fridge.)

Ms. Shelly recommended a combination of mochi nuggets, coconut and chestnuts to top the coffee yogurt.

While I admit the first taste was a bit off-putting, especially to a habitual coffee drinker, I imagine that the reflexive furrow and pucker that crossed my face were similar to my reaction two-and-a-half years ago when I first attempted both the original and green tea. I thought, "Yep, it tastes like coffee!," then "oh, and it's sour."

The coffee part of it mellowed after the fourth or fifth bite, especially with all that stuff mixed in there. Overall, the coffee flavor isn't that assertive, and that's probably a good thing. I think my palette would have gotten really confused otherwise. But is it groundbreaking? Groundbreaking enough for another round of parking tickets? Heh, not even Pinkberry can outdo Pinkberry in that case.

—Jiyeon Yoo