Part I: Old Four Star Review
Havanna is considered to be THE chain to go to for Alfajores - the national cookie of Argentina.
Havanna is to alfajores in Argentina like Starbucks is to lattes in the United States.
The outlets of the chain have a ton of customers.
Food writers in Argentina write effusively about Havanna's alfajores.
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I have been eating my way through cookies madly since I have arrived in this wonderful country.
While I adore nearly every cookie I have had, alfajores are not one of my favorites.
They are absolutely filling, the way a great big cake donut is filling.
This is why many Argentinians eat an alfajore with breakfast.
They also go well with coffee.
That said, I don't think alfajores are Argentina's greatest legacy to world cuisine.
They are just too heavy and clompy.
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However, I DID discover one treat at Havanna's that drew my serious serious interest.
One of their specialty coffee's is an "Iced Havanna" which is espresso, milk, cream and dulce de leche in copious quantities at the bottom.
Argentina is known for its caramel.
My first reaction on hearing that I could get good caramel in Argentina was
"why should I care? Caramel is caramel".
Well, THIS dulce de leche is to caramel like Taylor Swift is to the wannabe popstar singing in a local club.
It was stunning.
It was addictive.
It was impressive.
Never mind how it interacted with the coffee or the milk or the cream.
Once I hit the dulce de leche, I was in a whole different world.
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Is Havanna's dulce de leche typical Argentinian caramel, superior Argentinian caramel or worse Argentinian caramel?
I couldn't tell you.
But the iced coffee I had there was a show stopper.
And the two sodden cookies I had with it?
Who cares?
Part II: The New Five Star Review
Everything I said in Part I is true.
But then I discovered Havanna's 70% Pure Cacao version of their alfajore.
THIS was everything they talk about when people get nationalist and sentimental about alfajores.
This is the cookie that you eat as soon as you get back to Argentina from your travels.
Okay, okay, I am now a convert to Alfajores as long as they are superior alfajores.
Havanna's 70 percent pure cacao Alfajore is everything an Alfajore needs to be. read more