Each Friday, this list will track five of the best things Heavy Table’s writers, editors, and photographers have recently bitten or sipped. Have a suggestion for the Hot Five? Email editor@heavytable.com.
The Hot Five is a weekly feature created by the Heavy Table and supported by Shepherd Song Farm.
Red Jasmine Tea at Midori’s Floating World Cafe
Are we allowed to submit suggestions that are merely mild and soothing in flavor, but utterly spectacular in appearance? If so, here’s a beverage to consider: the aptly named art teas at Midori’s Floating World. Our mellow red jasmine tea looked like a specimen from a Victorian botanical garden, and it fascinated our table.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted from the East Lake Checklist by James Norton]
Mocha Chocolate from St. Croix Chocolate Company
The folks at St. Croix Chocolate Company aren’t merely chocolatiers, they’re artists. Like so many of their chocolates, the mocha chocolate we sampled at yesterday night’s North Coast Nosh had a bold, clean, deep, rich coffee flavor, and was perfectly balanced between sweet and bitter. Perfection!
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by James Norton]
Minnesota Linzer Cookie by Cocoa & Fig
A chewy, mild, pleasant exterior surrounding a bright, beautifully balanced tart jam interior makes this charmingly Minnesota-themed treat one of our favorite geographically oriented desserts ever.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by James Norton]
Copacetic Kölsch by Utepils
We fell in love with Kölsch many years ago when it kicked off Summit’s Unchained series of beers, and every time we find a good example of this crisp, light, clean, delicious beer it makes our day. Cheers to Utepils for putting out a version that hits all the right refreshingly understated notes.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by James Norton]
Beef ’n Cheddar Sausage from Thousand Hills Cattle Co.
As tasted at last night’s North Coast Nosh, this is a banger with a literal heart of gold, a sausage riddled with just the right touch of gooey, salty cheese to make an all-in-one package of savory deliciousness.
[Debuting on the Hot Five | Submitted by James Norton]