Many social media denizens are saying this is ‘The Year of the Banana’. And that it’s the flavour that will unseat Pumpkin Spice from its long-held Fall throne. But Hershey’s is betting ‘Peanut Butter Cup ‘ will emerge victorious in the impending duel…
Remember our serendipitous post a couple of months back, about getting the last scrapings of peanut butter out of the jar AND producing a great, umami-loaded cup of fancy coffee at the same time? You just poured a cup of Java into the jar, screwed the lid on tight and shook it for all you were worth, until the PB had melted off the walls of the jar and into the coffee.
The social media types promoting it called it ‘Platté’…
Enter, Hershey’s…
It appears Hershey’s took note of the online community’s brief romance with Platté, and has now débuted a new beverage, in collaboration with New England coffee shop chain The Nitro Bar.
According to a recent AllRecipes post, “The limited-time drink features The Nitro Bar’s signature on-tap latté with a hint of peanut butter, topped with a chocolate and peanut butter cold foam for a morning or midday pick-me-up that tastes like Halloween night.”
Logistical issues…
Alas, the introductory plunge is being staged September 14 – 15 at a slim, few NYC pop-up restos. And after that, you’ll only be able to get Platté at The Nitro Bar’s ‘home’ Rhode Island locations Septem-ber 18 through 20, while supplies last.
But fear not… The Nitro Bar has pledged to share its recipe with the world. Possibly recognizing that 99.9 percent of the world’s population will never visit New York (much less, Rhode Island)… Visit the Bar’s website starting September 14, for details…
My take
Bravo for Hershey’s! For following a social media fad/trend rather than trying to incite one of its own. But I will admit, the opportunity for Hershey’s to make hay over the ‘Peanut Butter + Chocolate fancy coffee’ thing came gift wrapped for them, in a metaphorical Hershey’s-orange gift box!
I’ve tried the Platté thing. And I love it! … Just adding a little sugar to round out the deep, natural um-ami of the PB. And I suspect chocolate would do that job even better, while adding its own umami layer.
I keep wishing we ate more PB around here. ‘Empty’ jars come around to infrequently for my prefer-red Platté-ing schedule. Which is not to say I couldn’t put a tablespoon / 15 ml of PB in a Mason jar and follow the classic instructions…
But that would be a case of familiarity breeding content. A Platté every day – with or without the chocolate component – would soon seem less like a treat and more like a ‘same old, same old’. Like caviar or champagne to an A-Lister…
~ Maggie J.