Makenna Koffee Company
23881 Newhall Ranch Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91355

There is still one drink sitting at the top of Sauce Express.

The Mint Mojito from Philz Coffee.

Every stop since has had the same mission: find something good enough to knock it off.

Some have come close. Others have been good without ever really threatening the crown.

This time, the search brought us to Makenna Koffee Company.

And before we even ordered, there were some promising signs.

We stopped by on a Saturday morning and the place was busy. There was already a queue when we arrived, which usually tells you one of two things: everyone had the same idea, or there is something on the menu worth waiting for.

We were hoping for the second.

Turns out, waiting wasn’t the hardest part.

Choosing what to order was.

Makenna has the kind of menu that makes you question your decision three times before you finally order.

There were so many different flavors and combinations that narrowing it down to just two drinks felt almost unfair.

Do you play it safe?

Do you order one of the signatures?

Or do you pick the strangest combination you can find and hope somebody behind the counter knows exactly what they’re doing?

We tried to split the difference.

First up was the Maui Latte, mainly because it seemed like one of the drinks Makenna is known for.

Then we went in a completely different direction with the Banana Babe.

Two iced drinks.

Two very different approaches.

And one Mint Mojito still waiting at the top of the leaderboard.

Hazelnut • Toasted Marshmallow • Banana • Half & Half • Maui Milk • Banana Kona Cloud

If there was going to be a surprise challenger at Makenna, this was it.

The Banana Babe was easily our favorite of the two.

What stood out immediately was the texture. It was super creamy, rich and smooth, with enough going on that every sip felt a little more interesting than the last.

But there was also a surprise.

For a drink with Banana right there in the name, we expected that flavor to lead the whole thing.

It didn’t.

The banana was actually pretty subtle.

Normally, that might sound like a problem. If you order something called the Banana Babe, you probably expect to taste banana.

But somehow, it still worked.

The combination of hazelnut, toasted marshmallow, half & half, Maui Milk and Banana Kona Cloud gave the drink enough richness and sweetness that we didn’t really mind the missing banana punch.

It was smooth without being boring and sweet without the whole drink being defined by one flavor.

More importantly, it was the drink that made us stop and think:

Okay, Makenna might have something here.

Out of the two drinks we tried, this is easily the one we would order again first.

And in Sauce Express, that means it gets the first shot at the champion.

So…

Did the Banana Babe finally do it?

Did we find the drink that could knock the Mint Mojito from the top?

Not quite.

But at least we had another drink worth talking about.

Espresso • Maui Milk

If the Banana Babe was the adventurous pick, the Maui Latte was the safer bet.

And sometimes, safe works.

The Maui Latte was smooth, enjoyable and easy to drink. There’s a reason it made sense as one of the first things to try at Makenna.

It felt like the kind of drink you could order regularly without thinking too much about it.

But when you put it next to the Banana Babe, the difference became clearer.

The Maui Latte was good.

The Banana Babe had more personality.

There was simply more to talk about with the Banana Babe, from the creaminess to the combination of hazelnut and toasted marshmallow to the strangely subtle banana flavor.

The Maui Latte never really had that moment.

We enjoyed it.

We would recommend trying it.

But Sauce Express isn’t just looking for a good coffee.

We’re looking for the one.

And the Maui Latte wasn’t taking the crown today.

No.

The Mint Mojito from Philz Coffee is still the Sauce Express champion.

Of the two drinks from Makenna, the Banana Babe came closest.

It was creamy, interesting and easily our favorite of the pair, but it wasn’t enough to replace the drink we’ve been comparing everything against.

Normally, that would be the end of the story.

We try the drinks.

We pick a favorite.

We compare it to the Mint Mojito.

The crown either changes hands or it doesn’t.

But Makenna feels a little different.

Because after trying these two, we walked away thinking less about what we had ordered and more about everything we hadn't.

That menu is still bothering us.

In a good way.

There were simply too many options that caught our attention, and two drinks didn’t feel like enough to figure out what Makenna can really do.

That makes this Sauce Express stop interesting.

We didn’t find a new champion.

But we might not have found Makenna’s best challenger yet, either.

The Banana Babe showed enough to earn another look. The Maui Latte proved there is a solid signature option on the menu.

Now we want to know what else is hiding on that board.

Maybe the drink that finally beats the Mint Mojito is sitting somewhere on Makenna’s menu and we just ordered the wrong two.

There’s really only one way to find out.

Banana Babe: The standout. Super creamy, rich and smooth, with hazelnut and toasted marshmallow doing more of the work than the surprisingly subtle banana flavor.

Maui Latte: A solid signature drink. Smooth, enjoyable and worth trying, but it didn’t have quite as much personality as the Banana Babe.

The winner at Makenna: Banana Babe.

The Sauce Express champion: Still the Mint Mojito from Philz Coffee.

For now.

Makenna didn’t take the crown on this visit.

But with a menu that big, we’re not ready to close the book after two drinks.

This one deserves a rematch.