Even if you love a good pumpkin spice latte or peppermint mocha, that’s going to get old after months of cold.
Winter is about having options: an alternative route to drive when your regular one is iced-over, different layers you only get to wear for a few months, several holiday classics to eat, a back-up sweater for when you ate too much holiday food.
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So when you get tired of some silly seasonal sugar-saturated drinks, you need options.
Here are some below from around Cobb County:
Chai at Vatica, 1475 Terrell Mill Road in Marietta
Chai is a mixture of black tea with spices and milk. In India, “masala” is understood to be a spice mix and “chai” is tea. When ordering chai in America, most times you’re getting masala chai.
According to the menu of Vatica, which cooks traditionally vegetarian food from the Gujarat region of India, they serve masala, ginger and cardamom chais.
The amount of caffeine is dependent upon the black tea used as the base.
Warm Unicorn Latte at Tiny Bubbles Bar, 21 West Park Square NE in Marietta
Right, the name. Well, the drink is based on warm taro milk. Taro is a tropical Asian plant cultivated from the part that grows beneath the ground, which is light purple.
Soooooo, folks turn that subterranean-dweller into a powder that brings an eye-catching color but not so much flavor.
Tiny Bubbles Bar, a bubble tea joint, describes the drink like this: "Most say it tastes like a shortbread cookie or vanilla. Topped with SPRINKLES!!"
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Hot apple cider at Rev Coffee Roasters, 1680 Spring Road SE in Smyrna
Pretend like we have mountains around here to ski with some hot apple cider at Rev Coffee Roasters. The shop — which, surprise, sells coffee — includes the cider at the bottom of their menu online.
They’re also happy to pour it over ice for you.
Credit: Provided by Independent Grounds
Credit: Provided by Independent Grounds
Bonus: Caramel apple cider at Independent Grounds Cafe, 3900 Legacy Park Boulevard in Kennesaw
The preparation and the business are both notable. The Kennesaw shop describes the drink online as "steamed caramel and apple cider, topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon."
Independent Grounds employs folks with special needs. Some are on the autism spectrum, others have cerebral palsy or Down syndrome. They get their beans from Rev Coffee.
It opened in February 2018.
Matcha latte at Sweet Hut, 2795 Chastain Meadow Parkway near Kennesaw
“Matcha” is an East Asian-powdered tea mix made from specially grown green tea leaves.
The thing that defines matcha is the plant is grown in shade to produce more caffeine and the stems and veins are removed before being ground to a powder.
Sweet Hut describes the drink as "a non-conventional caffeine boost" on its menu. "This creamy latte is made with matcha powder, which is believed to offer more health benefits than plain green tea."
Hot chocolate at Sugar Cakes Patisserie, 101 North Park Square NE in Marietta
It's hot. It's chocolate. What more do you need to know?
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