Tommy Washbush
In this, the season of pumpkin spice lattes, you can go against the grain at Espresso Royale, with two locations on State Street, at 224 and 650. Yes, you can definitely order what the cafe calls a pumpkin pie latte, but other sweet combos, like the snickerdoodle latte and even a peanut butter and jelly latte are there to tempt. Peanut butter and jelly latte, you say?
While there are DIY instructions on the Internet for making a peanut butter latte with real peanut butter, Espresso Royale makes its PB&J creation with a peanut butter-flavored syrup; the jelly (your choice of raspberry or strawberry) is likewise a syrup.
While you’re less likely to end up with a clumping of peanut butter in the bottom of your cup, there is a tradeoff in real peanut flavor. The result, though, is a creamy, frothy drink that is less weird than you might think. The peanut-espresso combo works well (reminiscent of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup). The “jelly” comes through only slightly as a too-sweet aftertaste. Easy enough to ask the barista to hold the jelly.
