Coffee Shop Hop Stop 3
Evergreen Coffee: Latte Macchiato
After the dirty chai at Yukon, I drove across town to Evergreen Coffee on the north side of Longview.
Evergreen is one of my daughters favorite coffee shops in town. Not because they serve great coffee, but because they have great pastries and boba tea. They really do. I’ve never been disappointed in either their boba tea or their pastries. I particularly enjoy their savory scones.
By this time, I was wanting something a little different. I noticed they had a caramel macchiato on the menu, so I asked if they could make a “regular” latte macchiato for me. The barista said “sure” and asked if I wanted it hot or cold. I told them hot and went to the register to pay.
At this point, I’m probably going to sound like a bit of a snob, and I truly don’t mean to be, but perhaps I was (and am). I’m fine with coffee shops hiring anyone that wants a job. I’m fine with cold espresso drinks substituting coffee toddy cold concentrate. However, I wish shops would train their staff that how they do things isn’t necessarily the “original” way. I won’t even say “real”. When a customer asks if they can get a flat white or a macchiato, is it too much to expect that what they’re provided with isn’t the exact same drink the cafe serves as a latte?
As I got ready to pay, I noticed the barista swirling caramel around the inside of my cup. Since I was the only one in the shop, I knew this was going to be my “regular” macchiato. I stopped her and apologized, and asked if I could have my macchiato without caramel or any syrup. I admit, I was a bit gobsmacked when I was told, “That’s what a macchiato is.” Um. No. Not it isn’t. A decent break down on macchiatos can be viewed here (and I do think the YouTube presenter is more of a snob than me, lol).
Seriously, I blame Starbucks.
I asked them if instead of what they were making for me, they could simply give me a latte but pour the milk in first, then the espresso. They replied, “That’s how a latte is made is made.” At that point, I kind of shut up and drank what they gave me. And it was horrid. To be honest, I didn’t take off the lid to see if it was stained or spotted.
Evergreen is in an older strip mall. They’ve done their best to give it a nice ambiance, and to be fair, I’ve been in much worse. It was well lit as can be seen from the picture. I enjoyed reading my book while I forced myself to drink half of the coffee. I will state, that although other places had indoor seating, this is the only one that didn’t have outdoor, and thus was the only time I sat inside on this gorgeous day.
I’ll definitely be going back to Evergreen. But I might stick with the boba. And the scones. Definitely the scones.
Score: 2/5
View from Valhalla 