Canadian coffee and doughnuts chain Tim Hortons is releasing a product for people who can't decide if they want a frothy espresso beverage or a plate of spicy bar wings. The liquid part of the Buffalo Latte is made with espresso, mocha, and "Buffalo sauce flavor," and the topping is thick steamed milk doused with "zesty Buffalo seasoning." It's now available at only two locations in Buffalo, NY, the city where the most popular American iteration of spicy wings was born. The Time Hortons team is pitching this as a "sweet and spicy treat."
This drink gets a 6.5 rating on Eater's brand-new Ridiculous Novelty Beverage Scale. Here's the breakdown:
Pluses
+ 3 points for repulsive flavor combinations
+ 2.5 points for boldly riffing on a beloved food in its birthplace
+ 2 points for looking like a member of the PSL family, but tasting like poultry
+ 2 points for containing both "Buffalo sauce flavor" and "zesty Buffalo seasoning"
+ 3 points for the fact that it's not hard to imagine Justin Bieber drinking one of these
Minuses
- 2 points for relatively modest presentation (some more colors or a squiggle of goo could have nudged this into the plus category)
- 1 point for standard Tim Hortons packaging/branding
- 3 points for not leaning into the conceit hard enough. Where's the blue cheese element? How about some celery salt, or even a celery stalk? Maybe throw in a Wet-Nap to complete the picture?
Only time will tell if this drink will become a novelty hit like the shockingly popular Unicorn Frapp or the liquid harbinger of fall, the PSL. Stay tuned for updates on the public's reaction to this bizarre new drink as they become available.
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