I was happy to see some new combinations of pandan drinks at Tomoro Coffee which is an Indonesian coffee chain that is popular here. These were seasonal and launched in commemoration of National Day in Singapore. The first was Pandan Ceremonial Matcha Latte. While there might be some versions of Pandan Matcha Latte running around, it was my first time trying it with ceremonial matcha, and it makes a big difference.
The 2nd drink was Pandan Cloud Foam Aren Latte. It is my first ever pandan cloud foam drink, and pairing it with gula aren was interesting because pandan gula melaka is a common pairing, but gula aren is not common here so I had yet to try that pairing.
Pandan Ceremonial Matcha Latte
This was an absolute delight. The pandan's slight grassiness complemented the matcha's grassiness very well, with the pandan leaning more fragrant and the matcha leaning more earthy.
The pandan's vanilla fragrance also opened up the matcha's umami vegetal notes in the back of the palate very well.
There were also reinforcing creamy nutty and earthy mellow notes in the body.
I think I actually prefer this pairing even more than pandan pistachio because it feels more complex, nuanced and subtly sweet, unlike pandan pistachio-flavoured snacks being both sweeter and salty. Pandan matcha is a lot more comforting and soothing without losing the complexity.
I asked for less sweet, at 50% syrup. The bad thing is that the sugar is in the pandan syrup, so there was also less pandan flavour. But the good thing was that it was decent enough. I would probably recommend something like 75% syrup level as the sweetness was quite manageable and at 75% the pandan flavour would be stronger.
Pandan Cloud Aren Latte
This wasn't as green as in the promotional banners (see photo below), but it was a pale pastel green nonetheless.
This was also a very nice combination. The burnt smoky aren notes went very well with the dark roast coffee, as with the normal Aren Latte, while the vanilla fragrance of the pandan added both body and breadth to the flavour like how vanilla opens up burnt caramel.
The slight grassiness from the pandan also brought a fragrant earthiness that complemented the aren latte's taste very well.
It felt to me like a more gourmet and enhanced version of ondeh ondeh lattes, because it has the extra punch of darkness and smokiness with burnt notes that gula melaka doesn't quite have.
I did try the cloud foam on its own, but strangely, the pandan flavour wasn't as obvious there, perhaps crowded out by the cream. But when stirred into the coffee, everything opens up very nicely. So I recommend mixing everything up rather than sipping from the top like is recommended for some other cloud foam drinks. The photo above is the mixed version, although I didn't manage to get all the pandan foam in.
Also, there was some gula aren that remained unstirred at the bottom like in the picture below, despite my best efforts. But whatever I did stir in was already good and prominent enough.
I can't quite remember, but because of the cloud foam, I think this was only available iced.
Finally, just a note that besides the pandan cloud foam, they also add pandan syrup, and there is the gula aren. So it can be quite sweet. I asked for 50% less pandan syrup, but full pandan cloud foam, and thought it was very nice. The pandan flavour was mild but clear. But for most people, 75% or 100% might be manageable as it is not as sweet as some other coffee chains (such as Fore Coffee or Zus Coffee) for the default sugar levels.
Finally, here are pictures of their promotional banner and my order which I had with cheesecake. I really wanted to try more flavours, such as the Dirty Pandan Latte and the Pandan Hojicha Latte, but 2 drinks at one go was all I could handle. I even ordered the smaller size to try both. Also, see the Frizzy Lemon Lime Pandan drink. I don't like fizzy drinks, but the pandan and lemon lime combination sounds very interesting too.
Discover other Southeast Asian drinks and treats
- (mentioned) Iced Aren Latte by Tomoro Coffee and Fore Coffee compared
- (mentioned) Ondeh Ondeh Lattes by Mellower Coffee and Eaglewings Loft
- Kopi Luwak aka Civet Cat Droppings Coffee
- Pandan Coconut Latte by Luckin Coffee
- Floral Osmanthus Pandan Cake by Chagee
- Pandan Pistachio and other bagels by Pawa Bakery
- Salted Egg Ensaymada, Kaya Pandan Cheese Roll, Ube Cheese Roll and Ube Matcha Cloud by Mary Grace Cafe in Singapore
- Kaya Pistachio Cookies by Yakun
- Single Origin Coffee from Ywangan, Shan State, Myanmar by AGF Everblack Instant Coffee
- Ondeh Ondeh Marble Cake
- Chendol Panna Cotta







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