By JOSEPH MALDONADO/Staff Writer
I worked at Brookshire’s for a summer, and one thing that the elder customers and workers taught me was that staying open-minded and being willing to try new things is one of the keys to staying happy, even at an older age. I keep this in mind when encountering situations that I’m not knowledgeable in, from academics to the problems life throws at me. This mindset leads us to these articles in which I try different types of coffee, to keep me on my toes and not get used to the same old same old.
My favorite coffee shop is Enoch’s Wine and Coffee House, a stone’s throw from the University of Texas at Tyler’s business building. I might be biased because my gorgeous girlfriend works there, but they also make great coffee. Enoch’s had its workers make their own personal drinks, and those drinks became “staff picks”. This week I tried the second of the three staff picks, “Coconilla”. Created by Alex Ford, Coconilla is an iced latte with coconut and vanilla syrup flavoring.
I’m not a fan of coconut, so I was immediately worried about not enjoying the taste of the iced coffee. What made it even more nerve-racking was that Ford was there watching me try it for the first time. It brought memories of testing something new my mother would make, and keeping a straight face, no matter if it was the tastiest thing on earth or the nastiest.
I took a small sip, eager to find out what future awaited my taste buds. To my pleasant surprise, the drink tasted sweet, with a semi-strong coffee flavor and a tang of coconut. Perfect for a warm late summer evening like the one I was in.
That summer evening was exactly the weather Ford designed the drink for. She wanted it to be a good way to cool down from the Texas heat. When I asked her about the coconut flavoring, she explained that she uses coconut creamer at home, and when Enoch received a shipment of coconut syrup for their new Italian Sodas, she mixed it into a latte for fun and loved the taste. To keep it from being one overpowering flavor, she threw in vanilla and found the perfect combination for her staff pick drink. The one word she summarized the drink as was “refreshing.”
Refreshing it was. Coconilla shocked my taste buds, and I was surprised at how well the flavor combined with coffee. I recommend both coconut lovers and coconut haters try out the delicious drink.
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