At the end of August, I drove down to Cottage Grove to celebrate the grand opening of the newest Lane County federally qualified health clinic. I decided to stop in at the former Coast Fork Farm Stand on my way out of town. There I found the newly opened Calaverita Coffee, featuring drinks I’d never heard of. After quizzing the barista, I decided to order the mazapán latte — a coffee drink containing a sweet Mexican candy made of crushed peanuts and powdered sugar. The brew was amazing: creamy, sweet and surprisingly smooth and nutty. The flavors were sublime and long after I emptied my cup, I could not stop thinking about this drink. Calaverita, which is a Spanish word meaning “little skull,” opened in mid-July, according to owner Brenda Brown. The café uses Café Mam coffee in a range of traditional Mexican beverages including tres leches (made with three milks: condensed, evaporated and heavy cream), home-made café de olla (spiced with cinnamon, cloves and star anise) and cajeta macchiato (featuring a rich caramelized sauce made from sweetened goat’s milk). This Latina-owned and operated café is definitely worth the trip south to get your cultural cup of coffee on!

Calaverita Coffee is located inside the Cottage Grove Public Market, 926 East Main Street in Cottage Grove. It is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 8:30 am to 2 pm. The phone number is 541-357-8444. More information can be found on Instagram (@Calaverita818) and Facebook.