This is the Black Forest Latte ($9.50) from Black Star Pastry, inspired by their similarly limited edition Black Forest Cake.
The beverage presented with layers of housemade cherry compote at the base, thick St Ali chocolate syrup coating the inner walls of the cup, and St Ali chocolate-flavoured milk topped with Monin cherry-flavoured milk foam. Additional St Ali chocolate shavings and a sour cherry completed the presentation, creating a palette of deep reds and light to dark browns evocative of its namesake dessert.
Initial contact delivered an immediate Black Forest profile of rich chocolate and tart sour cherry, successfully capturing the interplay of fruit and cocoa characteristic of the cake. The concentrated cherry compote provided much of the beverage’s initial intensity, while the chocolate syrup contributed welcome richness and body.
Through the mid-palate, however, the flavour progression became uneven. While the first few sips were rich and well integrated, the cherry compote occupying the base of the cup was quickly exhausted despite not tasting overly concentrated initially. Once depleted, the beverage resolved into a comparatively weak chocolate-flavoured milk that lacked sufficient intensity to carry the Black Forest concept independently. The chocolate shavings provided intermittent bursts of cocoa richness, though not enough to compensate for the loss of the cherry component.
Towards the finish, the cherry-flavoured milk foam remained distinctly separate from the rest of the beverage, contributing prominent dairy notes with only a mellow cherry character. Likewise, the decorative sour cherry added little beyond its visual appeal. Aftertaste carried restrained notes of milk chocolate and dairy sweetness, falling short of the rich cherry-chocolate pairing established at the outset.
The beverage may have been better approached by first enjoying the foam, chocolate shavings and sour cherry with a spoon before stirring the remaining cherry compote through the chocolate milk to achieve a more consistent flavour progression.
Overall, a layered latte with a fragmented flavour trajectory and uneven texture integration, resulting in an initially compelling interpretation of Black Forest cake that struggles to maintain its richness beyond the opening sips.
This Black Forest Latte was purchased from Black Star Pastry in Sydney, Australia in July 2026.