Maple Bacon Latte

Roast Coffeehouse and Wine Bar
Cost: under $5 for a medium

Not far from our place we have been watching the transformation of an old building.  It has been empty since before we moved out here.  It's a really interesting looking old place, and we were glad to see things happening there.

Recently, two new businesses have opened.  Mercer Tavern, which we have yet to visit, and Roast Coffeehouse and Wine Bar.

Spindle had already checked out Roast with a friend and they absolutely loved it.  Today she dragged me out into the pouring rain to check it out.

It was worth it.

The coffeehouse itself is beautiful.  They did a great job with the interior design.  There's lots of space, and it's bright, open and comfortable. 

I am not actually a coffee drinker - in fact, I hate coffee as a beverage - but when we saw a Maple Bacon Latte on the menu, I just had to try it!  Lattes, I can usually do.

The bacon was supposed to stay floating on the top, apparently.  When it sank as it was being brought to us, the barista came back with a saucer and spoon so I could fish it out!  Spin and I both gave the bacon a try, first.  It was delicious!  The maple part of the maple bacon was a candy-like coating that made taking a small bight a bit of a challenge, since it wanted to stick to the teeth.  Normally, I can't stand that, but not today!

As for the latte itself, it was really delicious!  Sweet, but not anywhere near cloying, with a just the right balance of coffee flavour and smooth creaminess. I loved it!

This is a place we're going to have to come back to, often!  The only down side is that the place is not wheelchair accessible, so I won't be able to take some of my friends there, but I was told the entire building is going to be made fully accessible in the near future. 

If you have the chance, I highly recommend checking them out!

Master Cafe Tiramisu Coffee Drink

Another coffee drink to try out; this time with Tiramisu flavour.  It should be good, no? 

Actually, it was rather confusing.

The girls both thought it smelled like coffee and chocolate.  Both used the term "creamy" to describe it.  My younger daughter found it very sweet and nice, while Spindle got the sense they tried to give it an alcoholic flavour; rum or cognac, perhaps.  She too found it sweet, but also a little watery.

Me?  I thought it smelled like the Pokka Milk Coffee.  I agreed that it had a slightly watery taste, but I also tasted a coffee bitterness that lingered.  Tiramisu?  Not really.  At least not like any I've had before.

Pokka Milk Coffee

This is one of two coffee drinks we taste tested that didn't exactly rock our boats.  They weren't bad, by any means.  Just... not much to say.

My younger daughter thought this drink had a very faint coffee smell, which is completely the opposite of what Spindle and I found.  She also thought it tasted like coffee and pepperoni sticks, with a meaty aftertaste, so I'm not sure what to make of that!  She also felt it tasted a bit like chocolate and caramel.  Spindle, on the other hand, said it reminded her of Vietnamese coffee, with that sweetened condensed milk taste.  To her, it had a tinny after taste, though she also tasted hints of caramel as well. 

As for myself, I must make a disclaimer here.  I thoroughly dislike coffee as a beverage.  I like coffee flavoured things, but as a drink I find it thoroughly unpleasant, much to Spindle's frustration.  For me, this fell into the "coffee flavoured" rather than "coffee with flavour" category.  Basically, I thought it tasted like milk with coffee flavour added to it.  Lightly sweet and without that coffee bitterness.  So for me, it was better than a cup of coffee, but since I also dislike milk as a beverage, it's far from a winner for me. 

The taste of desperation.

"Did you make a drink?"

I pause, wary, hand hovering over my cup. Whhhyyy?

"Should I be writing about it?"

Um, sure. I guess. It's nothing amazing.

"Let me get a document going. You want to take pictures?"

And lo, we get to the real reason I started this blog. A love of beverages that, more often than not, has me rifling through the cupboards and throwing miscellaneous items into a saucepan. In this case, my motivation was little more than a desire for caffeine. A desire as yet unfulfilled since I have been waylaid into writing. I have a love-hate relationship with coffee that, for reasons I won't get into, has left me with my only resource of the moment being, yes...

Instant coffee.

That bane of all that bears only the most coincidental resemblance to anything that could be described as coffee, sitting on the shelf in waiting for various desserts. Ruefully, I grab the bottle and proceed to contemplate what could make it more palatable.

Into the unwholesome brew (using about two cups of lactose free milk as a base) goes a few spoons full of cocoa (Dutch processed), a healthy dash of cayenne pepper, an egg yolk, a sprinkling of smoked salt, something like a tablespoon-and-a-bit of sugar, a pinch of ground ginger, a splash of vanilla, and a bit of cinnamon to top it off. All capped with a fluffy lid of whipped cream that has dwindled to a pathetic foam during the course of this post.

The resulting drink is heavy and a bit bitter with a pleasant bite of spice that was... a bit too much for my poor sister. Most importantly, the taste of instant coffee is almost entirely disguised. Mission accomplished. Excuse me while I replace my ignominiously slain whipped cream.

Brasilena Espresso Coffee Soda

I was particularly eager to try this one. Coffee soda? Despite the oddity of this concept I was cautiously optimistic and, for a change, it paid off. This is a natty little drink, distinctly coffee from scent to aftertaste but, I hasten to add, not necessarily good coffee... enthusiasts of the bean (such as myself) won't get much purist satisfaction from it. The whole experience is more like coffee-flavoured candy or syrup. Even the faint carbonation is strange to the taste buds in light of its flavour, but you'll probably get used to it fast. It's an interesting soda and the adorable little bottle is just bonus, so give it a go if you come across it!