How could I resist one? The number of themed holiday drinks that all local coffee chains are offering has now risen to ridiculous levels. I'm all for the pumpkin spice latte - it's not Halloween without one - but with a well-known coffee chain currently advertising a Christmas Cookie Latte ("A buttery creamy latte infused with shortbread cookie sauce, topped with whipped cream, shortbread cookie drizzle and butter cookie crumbles.") I'm just waiting to be told "Cappuccino? Sorry, we don't do those anymore." The world is going to hell in a handbasket.
Anyway, I swallowed my principles (which were tastier than the drink I ordered) and was soon looking at a Chai Nog Latte as offered by Blenz, which could only be a high-end coffee chain in a country where Tim Horton's is the most popular cafe. The poster outside Blenz (see below) promised much, most notably that the beverage was 'spiced, creamy, and classic', just like me. Truthfully, I couldn't identify all the ingredients featured - nutmeg, tea, vanilla...cardamom...what looks like the inside of fish fingers...
Shortly after ordering I was was handed a cup filled almost totally with warm liquid. A first taste revealed the complexity of the drink: an initial hit of sweetness, followed by undertones of sugar, developing into further syrupy notes and ending in a long finish of saccharin that coated the mouth with the subtlest hint of chemicals.
So, on balance, try not to be tempted as I was. The biggest sin the drink commits is that it doesn't actually contain any coffee that might possibly balance the mountain of sugars. Maybe I should try again and ask them to add an espresso shot. Dirty Chai Nog Latte anyone?
If the holidays are supposed to taste like this, roll on January.
Tastefully presented.
Hmm...
I'm not enjoying this drink of sugar and chemical flavourings - give the rest to the baby.
Next time.
