Iced Aren Latte by Tomoro Coffee vs Gula Aren Latte by Fore Coffee

I've tried lattes and treats made with different kinds of sugar, such as gula melaka in Ondeh Ondeh Lattes, brown sugar in a Luckin Plum Latte, Okinawn brown sugar or kokuto in Japanese breads, kuromitsu in ice cream and mizuame in castella, I jumped at the chance to try a new type of palm sugar called gula aren. Gula is sugar in Indonesian or Malay, and aren refers to the type of palm tree that the sugar is extracted from, Arenga pinnata. This is different from gula melaka, which comes from the flower buds of the coconut palm. Gula aren comes from the sap of the aren sugar palm. In Singapore, Fore Coffee and Tomoro Coffee, both trendy Indonesian cafe chains, offer aren latte on their menus, and I tried them both to compare.

Iced Aren Latte by Tomoro Coffee

Gula aren is touted to be deeper and darker than gula melaka, with a stronger earthy or smoky flavour, in contrast to gula melaka's caramel and floral notes. 

It is an Indonesian ingredient, so it was no surprise that I found this Iced Aren Latte at Indonesian cafes such as Tomoro Coffee and Fore Coffee. I've not see this drink on the menus of any other cafe in Singapore, at least so far.

For both cafes, I also requested that they make the drink less sweet, meaning they added less gula aren for my drink than normal. For both, I believe it was around 50% less.

So did it live up to the expectations from the descriptions of gula aren? I had very different opinions on both versions.

Iced Aren Latte by Tomoro Coffee

For Tomoro Coffee, I would strongly agree with the online descriptions and I was surprised by how distinct the taste was. 

There was a very clear and distinct smoky roasted taste that hits your palate immediately upon sipping. I can totally see how gula aren is more smoky and earthy.

Despite that, the coffee overall was very smooth and without obvious acidity. There was even a hint of creamy tang, like you might get in evaporated milk. I'm not sure if this came from the gula aren or the coffee blend. 

There were also cherry and almond-like notes, but the overall latte was dark in flavour and not noticeably fruity at all apart from those floral-almond-cherry notes. It is possible that any fruity notes were masked by the smokyness of the gula aren. It felt a bit like a blend of the regional Nanyang or Southeast Asian coffee and Western Arabica coffee in flavour, although it was dark and not acidic.

This photo is of the drink after stirring.

Iced Aren Latte by Tomoro Coffee - after stirring

I'm also not sure if this comes from the coffee or the gula aren, but the last time I had something distinctly cherry-like, it was from the Sumatra Gayo beans which are from Indonesia. Based on various online sources, it does appear that Tomoro Coffee gets some of their beans from Asia Pacific, specifically Vietnam (which would explain the dark and chocolatey notes) and Indonesia (which could explain some of the almond, cherry and floral notes). 

The overall sugar level at the reduced level I requested felt like a 3-4% level in grams per 100ml. Unlike gula melaka drinks, I didn't notice any salt added, although if they had added a dash of salt, it would have enhanced the overall balance so much better given the dark chocolatey and smoky nature of the drink.

Overall, this is an unexpectedly fine drink with exquisite complexity that is signature to the Southeast Asian region. Possibly on the level of % Arabica lattes, which are among the most complex lattes I've had with intriguing depth. And this was even despite them reducing the amount of gula aren in my drink, so if you can tolerate more sugar, you would most definitely get more of that smoky punch. Furthermore, Tomoro Coffee is priced at least 30-40% lower, so it was great value. I wish more cafes would offer it. 

Iced Gula Aren Latte by Fore Coffee

Next, I tried Fore Coffee's version. I didn't like it half as much.

Unlike the Tomoro Coffee version, the drink came stirred and already looking very milky.

Like many of Fore Coffee's milk coffee drinks, it was extremely milk-forward. On first sip, I thought I was drinking a caramel or Spanish latte because of how milky it was. But apart from the milky taste, there seemed to be a hint of salt, which is always welcome for milky drinks. I'm not sure if it was from the gula aren.

There were smoky and earthy notes towards the end, but it came on only during the aftertaste, like a cigar. Having tried Fore Coffee's Buttercream Tiramisu Latte, I also recognised similar smoky notes, and that drink has nothing to do with smokiness, so I wondered how much of the smoky notes came from the gula aren and how much came from the dark roast of the coffee. In the end, if I could put my finger on it, I would say that the gula aren smokiness seemed distinct in the cigar-like quality, which I don't remember from the Buttercream Tiramisu Latte's afternotes.

The overall sugar level was decent, at 3-4% when I asked for 50% less sweetness. Perhaps the reduced amount of gula aren affect the lack of distinct smoky taste, but Tomoro Coffee's version still came through powerfully at a similarly reduced sugar level.

Verdict

If you are a coffee connoisseur and prefer bolder and darker coffee notes or a richer smoky gula aren experience, go for Tomoro Coffee for sure. Even at lower sugar levels, it comes through beautifully. It is cheaper than premium coffee brands such as % Arabica, but carries similar, albeit different, depth and complexity. Until another gula aren latte version comes along, it will be a unique experience.

If you are on a budget or prefer milky sweeter lattes, then Fore Coffee is a better bet. (This seems true for their other offerings as well, such as the Buttercream Tiramisu Latte mentioned above.) It is less smoky, but with some cigar-like punch at the end. And with their payday promotion it is only S$3 through the app. 

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