Cocoa-nut Island

I don’t know if it’s because I’m suddenly allowed to drink piña coladas, but I am really starting to like the taste of coconut. Maybe it’s because it reminds me of expensive coconut-infused sunscreen, which reminds me of the beach, which is only my favorite place ever.

 

In theory, one would expect this drink to be much like the Almond Joy (coconut, chocolate and almond). In practice, not so. It’s very sweet, like the Almond Joy, but I think it was the almond that pushed that one over the edge into the irredeemable valley of tongue-scrapin’ sweet. This one, like Baby Bear’s porridge, is juuuuuuuuuust right. But drink it while it’s hot and foamy. The coconut’s fakeness is inversely proportional to the temperature of the drink.

4.5 stars

Peace, love, and Lord of the Rings until I die,
Miss Rex

Redeye Roasters – Hingham, MA

After a long hiatus, during which I neither invented nor experienced any drinks of notable awesome or suck, the Mad Barista has returned at last! You may thank my former youth leader, Phil, who, when we decided it was time to catch up over coffee, suggested Redeye Roasters in Hingham. Cue traditional New England exterior…

…warm, vintage interior replete with quirky hand-crafted décor, a variety of seating options (from wooden chairs to a plush, sage green sofa), and what I assume to be a coffee bean grinder or roaster in the corner…

…and obligatory view of the lovely harbor.

As an added bonus, the clientele was healthily varied, with not a hipster in sight!

With all this going for a place, there still remains the chance that the coffee will be bad, but that was not the case at Redeye Roasters. I ordered the special, a salted caramel latté. It arrived in a nice brown ceramic bowl-mug that held precisely the right amount of coffee to be enjoyed without overwhelming or over-filling. The foam on top had seen some TLC before being presented to me and was of that perfect fineness and density that it didn’t dissolve when the latté was stirred (which, as my only negative comment, it had to be; the layer of salt on top was quite thick). Once stirred, the drink proved to be one of the best I’ve ever tried.

Even better, I had the opportunity to speak with Bob Weeks, THE red-eye roaster himself. His eyes were not really red, and he seemed a very nice gentleman. He explained, passionately, that he likes to keep in personal contact with the farmers who supply the beans he roasts to assure that they are paid good wages – not just Fair Trade minimum wages, but decent living wages. More information on Weeks’ mission and legacy can be found on the company’s website.

5 stars for Redeye Roasters! And an exclamation point!