Although I’ve been working as a barista for a little over a year at my small-town cafe, I’ve been drinking caffeine a little less. I have always been an water drinker but I’ve acquired a taste for new flavors to try in coffees, lattes, chais, etc. Here are a couple of my favorites that you need to try:
- Banana Bread Chai
The cafe I work at got the banana bread flavor down by trying a few different flavors to cater to a customer’s request of a latte tasting like banana bread. We had banana syrup, caramel sauce, and brown sugar cinnamon syrup and made it into this lovely creation. I thought, what better way to pair the cinnamon taste to my go to chai tea latte! I added these flavors with chai, almond milk, and a little cold foam on top and it has been my favorite drink to make ever since.
- Juneberry Red Bull (Ft. Lemonade and Strawberry)
I have to give credits to this drink by my roommate Amelia who is MaryLou’s biggest fan. She not only always gets this drink there but has the supplies to make it herself (and for me). Amelia gets a Juneberry Red Bull with lemonade and a pump of strawberry syrup which perfectly dies down the fizziness of the red bull enough to still have a tasty energy drink!
- Pink Starburst from Aroma Joes
Me and my roommates have been going to the Middleton Aroma Joes ever since they started their deals with Merrimack Students: Our favorite days are Tuesdays when we can usually get a $2 rush. Pink Starburst is one of their February flavors. It has strawberry, raspberry, watermelon, and amaretto. It’s definitely a rush flavor I would recommend.
- Blue Hawaiian
Another classic from Aroma Joes that is my go-to. I usually like red/pink flavors better but this one took me by surprise. It has blue curacao and pineapple.
- Cinnamon Hazelnut Fluff
A little speciality drink from MaryLou’s again! This was the first iced coffee I tried at MaryLou’s and it exceeded my expectations. A shop claiming to be the best coffee shop in town (although I am not from the south shore) MaryLou’s does live up to its name. And it’s exactly what it sounds like with cinnamon and hazelnut flavors and lots of whipped cream to satisfy the fluff of the drink.
- Strawberry Milk Latte
I had to finish off with another classic drink from my cafe, using Dracut’s local Shaw Farm strawberry milk to make a sweet but strong latte. It is my favorite drink to recommend to anyone looking to support local. It was the perfect drink to add to a small-town cafe being able to collaborate with small businesses around us to build the community. It also looks cute and pink because of the strawberry milk!