Why This Latte Is So Damn Good

August 25, 2009 at 6:48 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged coffee, lattes, seattle

DC coffee shops, take note: lattes should taste like espresso, not milk.

Finally, a latte that actually tastes like a latte. I don’t think I’ve had a coffee drink like this since the last time I visited Seattle three years ago – DC coffee shops just don’t know how to make a decent latte. It wasn’t until that coffee infused milk hit my lips that I realized how much I missed it.

For those of you who have never had the pleasure of tasting a real latte, and only know the faint, watery version you get at Starbucks, a real latte actually tastes like espresso. A real latte has a rich, complex, deep coffee flavor, and this particular specimen was slightly sweet on the tip of my tongue, and slightly bitter on the back. The milk enhances the espresso flavor, and adds a thick, creamy, slightly viscous texture to the drink.

In other words, lattes shouldn’t taste like coffee-flavored milk.

This latte comes from Cafe Solstice, a hipster coffee shop located near the University of Washington campus on University Way (aka, “The Ave,” as the locals and students call it). I logged many hours in this coffee shop during my college years at UW, and it’s funny to see how little it’s changed. The shop still sells the same cookies and brownies, the servers are still incredibly rude, and all the chairs are still mismatched. And the lattes are still some of my very favorite in Seattle.

Look at that foam. That lovely, lovely foam. Beat that, Starbucks.

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