Vanilla Latte Spectacular

Ruby Dillard '20 - Editor-in-Chief

The year: 1950, the place: Berkley, California where an Italian-trained barista named Lino Meiorin would introduce the latte to the states. Thirty years later, the latte would be popularized in Seattle, Washington and become a café staple through the 1990s. Throughout the last seven decades, the latte has been evolving up to this moment and now, I present: Ruby’s Vanilla Latte Spectacular 2020.

My first stop was Dunkin’ Donuts. Picture this: it’s a Tuesday afternoon and you’re looking for the convenience of a quick coffee on the go. You order a small vanilla latte and pay only two dollars since Dunkin’ Donuts has a deal from 2PM to 6PM. As you take a sip, the coffee comes in while a disappointed sigh comes out. It was a light blend with no vanilla flavor. The foam immediately melted into the coffee and it was overall lackluster. To be fair, Dunkin’ Donuts is a favorite among the Cape community. I see your iced coffees coming into school, so there are delicious options. The vanilla latte is just not one of them.

Feeling played, I took a trip to Starbucks a few days later. Their small vanilla latte cost $3.45 and was a strong blend that overpowered the vanilla flavor. Starbucks traditionally makes strong coffee, so if you like the coffee you’ll most likely enjoy the vanilla latte. I appreciate that consistency. It was more flavorful than Dunkin’ Donuts and had a decent layer of foam.

Still not wow-ed, I popped into Wawa while getting gas. I have always thoroughly enjoyed Wawa and the convenience-factor is present, but a decent vanilla latte is not. It captured the lack of vanilla flavor and foam from Dunkin’ Donuts with the strength of Starbucks which made for a confusing experience. For $2.69 it is easy to pick up with something good like a Sizzli. Or, you could just buy the Sizzli.

After growing tired of chain-brands, I ventured into historical Lewes to hopefully find some tender-love-and-care in my latte. *Cue heavenly harps* Olive and Oats truly delivered an excellent small vanilla latte while providing a homey comfort in a quaint town. The medium-blend coffee balanced just right with the vanilla flavor making for sweet harmony. The latte was smooth with the perfect layer of beautifully-whipped foam that I actually felt content paying $4 for.

Feeling like ending on a great note, I was ready to close this extremely serious competition, but was convinced to try a fan-favorite in Rehoboth. The atmosphere of Rise Up is a modern take on a vintage-industrial aesthetic that maintains the energy of a local café. I would love to eat there again, but I would not order another vanilla latte. The blend was strong which overpowered the vanilla flavor. Somehow, there was still a vanilla aftertaste which was confusing and there was entirely too much foam. Still, I would buy this drink again if it was not $4.75.

I had so much fun pitting brands against each other, and in order from worst to best, the results are: Dunkin’ Donuts, Wawa, Rise Up, Starbucks, and Olive and Oats. It is disappointing that I got what I paid for when I was looking for a bargain, but I suppose that this experience has truly proved that life is full of fun and disappointment and we will never escape that.