The “New on the shelf” section, with its tasters, the curious and its loyal consumers, is setting out once again, determined and mission-oriented. And this time – a hug in cup form. Yes, we’re very eclectic.
This is, well, winter. It may not be photogenic and it doesn’t convey associations of exotic ski slopes. It certainly could have been more romantic and less hysterical – after all, 16 degrees, get the thermal clothes ready, for heaven’s sake – but it is winter, and above all, it’s our winter.
And therefore, we’ll get the most out of it and do what we can, and even more than that. Yes, including those thermals and the boots that clearly should only walk on the European continent, including homey snuggling and including, it turns out, a focused and tasty heat wave from ILAN'S. We’re allowed indulgent drinks and dreams of staring at snowflakes too, aren’t we?
The veteran coffee chain – 1994 is already the generation of the founding fathers – is launching a new winter collection, placing an emphasis on the target audience of its train station locations. These, it reasoned with a great deal of justification, are people who stand before or after movement, sometimes under the challenges that are blue-and-white public transportation, and therefore constitute an ideal target for to-go warming. According to a somewhat random sampling at a fairly random hour recently, this is an ongoing hit, growing stronger and stronger.
The menu combines piping-hot global hits (you saw what I did there, right?) with traditional classics, and tries very hard to corrupt both the soul and the stomach, with an impressive degree of success and investment, precisely in places that are usually tagged – again, justifiably – as compromises.
It includes a Dubai mocha cappuccino with (lots of) hot chocolate and (lots of) drizzles of rich pistachio paste; a built-in American combination of apple cider and espresso with dried apples and an impressive shocking ability of first impression; “Paris hot chocolate,” thick and laden with whipped cream and chocolate by its very nature; a matcha latte from Mix & Matcha; and also a complete surprise in the form of cascara, a dried coffee fruit infusion reinforced with honey that delivers a fruity and deep sip.
The prices – NIS 14–25 – position this experience as very accessible, the execution positions it as very worthy, and if we momentarily ignore the abilities of the cold season itself, this is the beginning of a fairly wonderful (wintery, well) friendship.