Tamara
Google
Picture this: you’re walking through a Vilnius looking for something warm and comforting to drink. It’s cold. It’s raining. You nostalgically think of that cozy specialty café somewhere in the U.S. that makes the loveliest lattes using their homemade winter spice syrup, but you quickly push the thought from your mind because, after all, this is Europe and specialty coffee is enjoyed sans sucre or, very occasionally with a squirt of Monin in the less purist cafes.
You see a coffee shop appear out of the rain and dash in before thinking too much about it. Walking up to the counter, it’s on the tip of your tongue to order your oat milk cappuccino when you see a “seasonal drinks” menu with offerings like a spicy cinnamon latte and salted honey latte. You can hardly believe your eyes (you may very well be mis reading because you don’t speak Lithuanian) but the kind and smiling barista makes your daydreams come true. “We make the syrups ourselves,” she says. “They’re quite flavorful and spiced.”
While you wait excitedly for your drink you look around and notice the shop is also a treasure trove of coffee paraphernalia—mugs, coffee equipment, and stickers galore. They even have local bean to bar chocolate.
When you soon get your drink, it’s perfection. Delicate and surprising coffee flavor notes blend with a not too sweet cinnamonyness that finishes with a spicy kick. You smile while soaking in this little piece of hidden brightness in rainy Vilnius.
