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• Mahte Lattes, plain and vanilla

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The vanilla yerba mahte latte at Espresso Royale. (Jean Kim, Buzz Writer)

The days when a cup of coffee was simply a cup of coffee are long gone. Today, coffee shops and cafés offer extensive drink menus—endless combinations of lattes, mochas, and flavored coffees. Sometimes these elaborate menus and terminology might prove too intimidating or just overwhelming to explore. However, trying something outside of your norm might bring you to a new level of caffeine nirvana.

I recently picked out the Vanilla Mahte Latte at Espresso Royale because I remembered seeing something on the Travel Channel about Yerba Mahte’s popularity in Brazil. Mahte, otherwise known as Yerba Mahte, is a type of tea, although not technically because it’s really a bush, according to the barista. A poster at the Espresso on Daniel St. says Yerba Mahte is mostly consumed in South America, and has great popularity in Argentina. It is packed with several vitamins minerals and provides a boost of energy without the up-down side effects of caffeine.

The barista suggested I have the Vanilla Mahte Latte which is the Yerba Mahte Latte made with vanilla, so I did and was pleasantly surprised at the lightness and delicacy of this particular latte. Having only tried espresso lattes before the Yerba Mahte Latte, I was used to the stronger kick of espresso. The Yerba seemed to delicately lace the milk, and was complimented further with the vanilla syrup. It reminded me of a much more delicate and less spicy and sweet version of a Chai Latte.

Next time, I would definitely like to try the Yerba Mahte Latte, without the vanilla. The barista said the Yerba Mahte Latte is definitely more of an acquired taste, which made me feel like a wuss for trying the Vanilla Mahte Latte.

For $3.29 you can have a different coffee shop experience, one that’s out of the ordinary, less abrasive to your stomach and uplifting for the mind.