Dec. 07--Winter drinks flavored with sugary syrups aren't my cup of coffee. (Be honest: Can you really tell a pumpkin spice latte from a gingerbread latte? The flavor is the same: ambiguously sweet.) But the hot chocolate tea latte at David's Tea, made with tea leaves, real chocolate and frothy milk, is proof that you can't lump all holiday lattes in the same stocking.
The drink starts with David's hot chocolate tea leaves, new this season; the blend is a hodgepodge of cocoa nibs, tiny chocolate chips and chocolate curls with both pu'erh and black tea. Baristas brew a sachet, pour in steamed milk until a mountain of foam erupts like a volcano, and hand the mug over, leaving you to sip a beautifully adult hot chocolate. Think the deep, bittersweet flavor of actually biting into a bar, with none of the tooth-aching sugar of a powdered packet. (Just make sure to request "no agave" when ordering; it's the default at David's but not needed here.)
Warning: This drink will eliminate all chocolate chip cookie cravings.
Multiple locations, www.davidstea.com.
mconrad@tribpub.com
Twitter @marissa_conrad
