It’s Mochi Thai’m in the Springs

We braved the weather to make our way to the much-anticipated opening of Mochi Thai’m Donuts; the warm, golden pieces of dough the perfect antidote to the cold and grey outside.

Despite the rain, an increasingly long line formed under the orange and purple sign. Winding around the shop and into the parking lot, with wait times of about an hour and a half.

But most people did not budge. We were here on a mission and would not leave until it was completed. We had been waiting a long time for this, ever since we first came across the drool-worthy posts on a local foodie group on Facebook. 

In the line, we met Addy, an RN who has been following Sakeo Williams – the mind behind Mochi Thai’m Donuts – and her donuts for about two years, from the time she was selling them out of Thai Lily Cuisine. Her favorites are Oreo, Pandan and Ube, two of which are on the menu today. During the start of the pandemic, which is when Sakeo really amped up her dessert production, “she brought me joy through food, and comfort, and friendliness”, says Addy.

The inside of the East Colorado Springs shop is as bright and colorful as the donuts. The mural opposite the open kitchen transitions from Thailand to Colorado, lilies and columbines meeting in the middle.

Besides the titular mochi donuts, of which there are six signature flavors + four weekly flavors, they offer a wide variety of drinks which I’m sure both purists and innovators will approve of.

We finally made our way up to the glass dividing us from the energetic kitchen, where containers of all shapes and sizes held glazes and sprinkles, syrups and jellies.

For journalistic purposes (of course), we ordered one donut of each flavor, doubling on the ube and powdered sugar (which can be drizzled with strawberry, caramel, or chocolate syrup). We were pleasantly surprised with an extra thai tea donut and an extra salted caramel one. Thanks, guys!

So, all in all, our order (from top to bottom, left to right) was: powdered sugar, powdered sugar with strawberry syrup, ube x2, salted caramel x2, thai tea x2, lemon, milk chocolate, raspberry, churro, black sesame, and Oreo, as well as a Thai Milk Tea w/ Brown Sugar Boba.

I took a sip of the unapologetically sweet tea while waiting for the donuts, debating which I’d try first. Once home, we sectioned these off as evenly as possible so everyone could try. They were just crispy enough on the outside, while the inside was warm, gooey, and chewy. Everything you want from a mochi donut.

My ranking, as well as comments on the flavor, are below. They’re ordered from best to worst, although none of these donuts deserve the title of “worst” – they’re all delicious.

1. Raspberry – sweet and tart, and even had some seeds in there. Biased because raspberry is my favorite fruit. 
2. Thai Tea – tastes exactly how it should, only warmer.
3. Ube – you might miss it if you don’t know exactly what ube tastes like.
4. Lemon – like tangy lemon curd slathered on your favorite carb.
5. Black Sesame – tasted like peanut butter without the peanut, which is to say very nutty.
6. Salted Caramel – didn’t really taste much like caramel, but it let the flavor (and texture) of the donuts really shine.
7. Oreo – only mildly disappointed since I love Oreo more than life itself, but still good.
8. Milk Chocolate – milk chocolate is my least favorite chocolate, so take this with a grain of salt.
9. Churro – if I want a fried pastry that tastes like churro, I’m getting an actual churro. Good anyways.
10. Powdered Sugar – extra points for being drizzle-able with flavored syrups. As close to a normal donut as you’ll find here.

I’ll definitely be back soon – I heard they have Coconut, Matcha, Pineapple, and Maple coming up next week.

Mochi Thai’m Donuts is located at 721 N Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO.