Page 13 - ARUBA TODAY

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Thursday 24 augusT 2017

At Ritual, Coffee and Much More for Everybody

PALM BEACH - Whether you are a local or a visitor to this Caribbean island, there is a
place where you just need to go to start off your day filled with joy and awareness:
Ritual at The Ritz-Carlton Aruba.

The new coffee spot on the island is best described as a homey place with a trendy,
industrial look and smiling coffee artists to welcome you. There is free Wi-Fi, so stu-
dents, families with teenagers or business people will find their comfort here. Aruba
Today and Bon Dia had a look and a sip, a taste and a bite. Hear us out.

A Shot to Go
After listening to Ritual Manager Joanna van der Rhee we understand why they call
it Coffee Culture here. A fascinating part of this culture is their Cold Drip Coffee, an
installation of half a meter where three liter of cold water goes in the top and releas-
es one drip every 2 to 3 seconds. It takes 4 hours for that one drop to reach the bot-
tom and the result is a cold coffee that is smooth for the stomach but yet filled with
caffeine. “If you need a shot to get you through the day, this is it”, Joanna explains.

Hazelnut Latte
There is much more. “Our coffee brand is Illy, a well-known brand from Italy. We have
all imaginable varieties of coffee, but also teas, ice tea, lemon green tea, juices
(coconut pineapple and passion fruit peach), chocolate milk (hot and cold) with or
without caramel, fresh mint tea and every day a ‘feature of the day’. Our day was
Mint Strawberry Lemon Tea-day. The signature coffee of Ritual is the Hazelnut Latte
and yes, after tasting we are a big fan. Not
too sweet, creamy and pure. “Our hazel-
nuts are roasted until caramelized, we add
sugar water and have a homemade syr-
up that we add to the coffee. There is no
prefab syrup, but all natural made. That is
what you taste,” Joanna says.

Open to Everybody
About 60-65 percent of their customers
are coffee drinkers, but there are other
demands and Ritual can comply with
that. “In any case we are open to every-
body and have a communal table where
you can just shuffle in to read a book or a
magazine or use the free Wi-Fi. “Oh, and
I almost forgot, we have our own gelato
ice-cream, homemade and…. If you con-
sume ten drinks here you will get one drink
for free through our Loyalty Program.”q