We shiver as we go up the steps into the familiar brown building of the Omaha Whole Foods Market ahead of us. I fling open the green-rimmed doors, scurrying inside as the wind slams the door on our backs, ushering us in. I am freezing, naturally, as 7-below-zero winds aren’t exactly nice on the skin, when lo and behold, the Whole Foods coffee bar stands before me in all its beauty and grace. 

My sister and I scurry up to the register, perusing the menu to decide what to order, when suddenly something catches my eye. In large, bold print on the TV ahead of me, the words “Dubai chocolate latte” flash across my eyes and I know exactly what to try today.  

My sister orders the viral brown butter cookie latte we’ve all seen on TikTok. I order the seasonal Dubai chocolate latte, and we agree to split the drinks so we can try both. 

Our orders are called out, and I didn’t know the treat I was in for. The brown butter cookie latte was smooth, decadent and truly buttery. It tasted like the true Whole Foods brown butter cookie that everyone knows and loves, so the name completely did it justice. It was exactly what I was searching for.  

Alternatively, the Dubai chocolate latte was strong, earthy and foamy, but it didn’t exactly taste like Dubai chocolate to me. I appreciated it as someone who likes stronger coffee, but in this instance, I felt the drink needed to be much sweeter to balance out the flavor of the coffee and the pistachio and chocolate syrups that characterize Dubai chocolate drinks. Perhaps it’s because I ordered this as a hot drink, but I can’t say I understand the hype behind this one. 

Both drinks were 100% worth trying, but I don’t think I’ll be back to get the Dubai chocolate latte. It was underwhelming and much too subtle for it to be a true Dubai chocolate-inspired drink. On the other hand, the brown butter cookie latte completely blew it out of the park. Delicious and rich, I can’t wait to be back to savor it again, and I recommend you try it as well.