With the holiday season in full swing, some coffee shops will be unveiling seasonal drinks with warming flavours such as eggnog and gingerbread. For Canadian company Caffe Artigiano, this means the (re)introduction of 4 holiday-themed drinks. Last Saturday I was given a chance to try them all and provide my own verdict.
Disclosure: This was a media event and all opinions are my own.
Food and Drink:
Prior to sampling the drinks, our group was given a look at trays of bakery goods available at Caffe Artigiano. Supplied fresh from BjornBar Bakery, a North Vancouver business, there were classic Italian treats like biscotti and Christmas-oriented sugar cookies among regular cafe-baked goods.
Caffe Artigiano Baked Goods by BjornBar Bakery
Caffe Artigiano Baked Goods by BjornBar Bakery
I myself had a few items and my favourite was the pistachio chocolate biscotti. At 10AM, this was fresh enough that I could still bite off chunks without chipping a tooth. Can't say the same for some of the Starbucks locations I've been to.
BjornBar Bakery Sampler
Onto the coffee, Caffe Artigiano's rolling out four drinks:
- Orange Mocha Latte
- Toasted Marshmallow Latte
- Peppermint Mocha Latte
- Gingerbread Latte
I sampled all four, but the one I had to have a real serving of was the gingerbread latte (small – ~$4.50).
Gingerbread Latte
The official description:
The most indulgent with ginger syrup and espresso topped with whipping cream, caramel sauce and crushed gingerbread cookies
The crushed gingerbread cookies were what made this a winner. Where some coffee shops might just put in gingerbread powder as flavouring, Caffe Artigiano had real gingerbread in their drink. There was enough gingerbread flavour to carry the drink and the caramel sauce did not overpower. No latte art as the whipped cream was the topping, so that's acceptable.
Gingerbread Latte with Meringue
Features:
Caffe Artigiano has a large location on Hornby Street in downtown Vancouver. With both indoor and outdoor seating, this is a spacious Italian cafe with seating for about 40 guests. Special mention for the chairs here and their comfy bottoms that put wooden chairs to shame when it comes to enjoying a latte. This location is also open really early – we're talking 5:30am on some days! That's great news for early starters.
Inside Caffe Artigiano
Final Thoughts:
One-liner: 4 new holiday drinks from Caffe Artigiano for different tastes of Christmas
Highlight: Gingerbread Latte
Price per person: $2-$14
Would I go back? Yes for the gingerbread latte.