Stephanie Hofmann
I’m a latte purist. I don’t want caramel, chocolate, cinnamon, pumpkin, peanut butter and jelly, or — God forbid — bacon. I just want high-quality espresso and delicious whole milk.
My go-to comfort drink is whole-milk latte from my favorite locally owned coffee shop, Michelangelo’s. The fair trade cafe, which has filled the cozy niche at 114 State St. since 1997, is brimming with art and good energy, and the baristas are some of the friendliest in town.
You don’t have to love whole milk to enjoy these lattes (2% is still quite tasty), but if you’re staying away because of fat phobia, I’m going to predict that in a few years, this nonfat and low-fat milk thing is going to go the way of margarine. Spend a little time on the National Institutes of Health website and you’ll get the idea: Study after study shows that people who consume high-fat dairy are healthier (and thinner) than those who skimp. Yeah, baby.
Mostly, I like confirmation that something that tastes good is also good for me. I love the way whole milk froths, and the balance of bracing coffee with creamy milk.
Best of all, Michelangelo’s feels like home.
